Ezekiel 39:12-22

12 And the house of Israel shall bury them, that they cleanse the land in seven months. (And it shall take the house of Israel seven months to bury them, yea, that long to cleanse the land.)

13 Forsooth all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall be a named day to them, in which I am glorified, saith the Lord God. (And all the people of the land shall bury them; and the day on which I am glorified, shall be a day of renown for them, saith the Lord God.)

14 And they shall ordain busily men compassing the land, that shall bury and seek them that were left on the face of the land, that they cleanse it. Forsooth after seven months they shall begin to seek, (And they shall ordain men to busily go about the land, to seek out and bury those who were left on the face of the land, so that they may altogether cleanse it. And they shall begin to seek them out after seven months,)

15 and they shall compass going about the land; and when they shall see the bone of a man, they shall set a title, or a notable sign, beside it, till the buriers of carrions bury it in the valley of the multitude of Gog. (and going about they shall go all around the land; and when they shall see a person's bone, they shall set a title, or a notable sign, beside it, until the buriers of the dead bodies can bury it in the Valley of Hamongog.)

16 Soothly the name of the city (nearby) is Hamonah; and (so) they shall cleanse the land.

17 Forsooth, thou, son of man, the Lord God saith these things, Say thou to each bird, and to all fowls, and to all beasts of the field, Come ye together, and haste ye, run ye together on each side to my sacrifice, which I slay to you, a great sacrifice on the hills of Israel, that ye eat fleshes, and drink blood. (And, thou, son of man, the Lord God saith these things, Say thou to each and every bird, and to all beasts of the field, Come ye together, and haste ye, run ye together on every side to my sacrifice, which I shall kill for you, yea, a great sacrifice on the hills of Israel, so that ye can eat flesh, or meat, and drink blood.)

18 Ye shall eat the fleshes of strong men, and ye shall drink the blood of princes of earth, of wethers, of lambs, and of bucks of goats, and of bulls, and of beasts made fat, and of all fat things (of Bashan). (Ye shall eat the flesh of strong men, and ye shall drink the blood of the princes of the earth, and of rams, and of lambs, and of goat-bucks, and of bulls, and of the fat beasts of Bashan.)

19 And ye shall eat the inner fatness into fullness, and ye shall drink the blood into drunkenness, of the sacrifice which I shall slay to you (of the sacrifice which I shall kill for you).

20 And ye shall be filled on my board (And ye shall be filled full at my table), of horse, and of strong horseman, [or knight,] and of all men warriors, saith the Lord God.

21 And I shall set my glory among heathen men, and all heathen men shall see my doom, which I have done, and mine hand, which I have set on them. (And I shall set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgement, which I have done, and my hand, or my power, which I have put upon them.)

22 And the house of Israel shall know, that I am their Lord God (that I am the Lord their God), from that day and afterward.

Ezekiel 39:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 39

This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy of the destruction of Gog, which is both repeated, and more largely described, Eze 39:1-8, then follows an account of the burning of his weapons of war, which will last seven years in burning, during which time there will be no need of the use of wood, Eze 39:9,10, and of the burial of him, and many of his army; the place where, and the time that will be taken up in doing this, even seven months, are observed, Eze 39:11-16, and every feathered fowl and beast of the field are called upon to feed on the flesh of those that are left unburied, Eze 39:17-20 and by all this the glory of the Lord will be seen, known, and acknowledged, both by the Heathens, and by the house of Israel, Eze 39:21,22, and the former will also be informed that the present captivity of the Jews has been for their sins and transgressions, Eze 39:23,24, and the chapter is concluded with a promise of their return from captivity, when they shall know the Lord, and their interest in him; who will after this no more hide his face from them, but pour out his Spirit upon them, under whose influence they shall ever continue, Eze 39:25-29.