Ezekiel 39:2

Ezekiel 39:2

And I will turn thee back
Not from the land of Israel; for thither it is said in the latter part of the text he would bring him; but the meaning is, that he would "turn him about", as the word

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 signifies, in his own land, and lead him about at his pleasure, and bring him out of it, unto the land of Israel; signifying hereby that the providence of God would be greatly concerned in this affair; and in which much glory would be brought unto him by the destruction of such a potent enemy of his people; which is the design of bringing him out; (See Gill on Ezekiel 38:4): and leave but a sixth part of thee;
meaning, not that a sixth part only should escape the vengeance of God, and all but a sixth part be destroyed in the land of Israel; for it looks as if the whole army would be utterly destroyed, and none left; but that, when he should come out of his own country upon this expedition, a sixth part of his subjects only should be left behind; five out of six should accompany him; so numerous should his army be, and so drained his country by this enterprise of his. Some render the words, "will draw thee out with an hook of six teeth" ^F24; that is, out of his own land; and this clause stands in the same place and order as the phrase and "put hooks into thy jaws" does in ( Ezekiel 38:4 ) and so may be thought to explain one another, and agrees with what follows: for, as for the sense of it given by Joseph Kimchi and others,

``I will judge thee with six judgments ^F25, ( Ezekiel 38:12 ) , pestilence, blood, an overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone,''

it must be rejected; seeing as yet the account of his punishment is not come to; only an account is given how and by what means he shall be drawn out of his own land; wherefore much better is the Targum,

``I will persuade thee, and I will seduce thee;''

so Jarchi seems to understand it: and the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "I will lead thee", agreeably to what follows: and will cause thee to come up from the north parts;
(See Gill on Ezekiel 38:15) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel;
not to inherit them, but to fall upon them, as in ( Ezekiel 39:4 ) .
F23 (Kytbbv) "circumducam te", Piscator; "circumagam", Grotius.
F24 (Kytavv) "harpagone sextuplici extraham te", Vinarienses apud Starckius. So Buxtorf.
F25 "Sex poenis, [sive] plagis afficiam te", Munster, Tigurine version.