Ezekiel 38:4

4 and I shall lead thee about, and I shall set a bridle in thy cheeks, and I shall lead out thee, and all thine host, horses, and horsemen, all clothed with habergeons, a great multitude of men, taking spear, and shield, and sword. (and I shall lead thee about, and I shall put a bridle upon thy jaw, and I shall lead out thee, and all of thy army, yea, the horses, and the horsemen, all clothed in breastplates, a great multitude of men, taking spears, and shields, and swords.)

Ezekiel 38:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 38:4

And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws
Or, I will put hooks in thy jaws, and with them turn thee back; or rather, "turn thee about" ^F6; and lead thee where and as I please; for this is not to be understood of God's putting hooks into his jaws, and leading him back from his enterprise of invading the land of Judea; as he put a hook in the nose and a bridle in the lips of the king of Assyria, and brought him back from Jerusalem, ( Isaiah 37:29 ) , but of his using him thus in his providence to draw him to the land of Israel, out of his own land, as fishes are drawn with the hook out of the water. The sense is, that he would so work upon and influence the heart of Gog, that he should be inclined to come out of his own land and invade Judea; just as the Lord is said to draw Sisera and his army, ( Judges 4:7 ) , as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe. So the Targum,

``I will persuade thee, and put hooks in thy jaws;''

that is, incline his heart to take such a step, which should be to his destruction: and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army;
all his janizaries, and large army out of Turkey, and other parts of his dominions: horses and horsemen;
the Turkish armies, chiefly consisting of cavalry; (See Gill on Revelation 9:16): all of them clothed with all sorts of [armour];
or completely clothed, as the Targum; for the word "armour" is not in the text; and besides, their armour is particularly mentioned afterwards; and so Kimchi has it, with all kind of ornaments, richly clothed and decorated, especially the principal officers, and, so made a fine show: even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;
or large armies, as the Targum; the Turks have always been used to bring prodigious large armies into the field; (See Gill on Revelation 9:16).

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (Kytbbwv) "circumducam te", Piscator; "circumagam te", Grotius.

Ezekiel 38:4 In-Context

2 Thou, son of man, set thy face against Gog, and against the land of Magog, the prince of the head of Meshech and of Tubal; and prophesy thou of him. (Thou, son of man, set thy face toward Gog, the chief leader of Meshech and of Tubal, of the land of Magog/set thy face toward Gog, the prince of Rosh and Meshech and Tubal, of the land of Magog; and prophesy thou against him.)

3 And thou shalt say to him, The Lord God saith these things, A! Gog, lo! I to thee, prince of the head of Meshech and of Tubal; (And thou shalt say to him, The Lord God saith these things, O! Gog, lo! I am against thee, the chief leader of Meshech and of Tubal/the prince of Rosh and Meshech and Tubal;)

4 and I shall lead thee about, and I shall set a bridle in thy cheeks, and I shall lead out thee, and all thine host, horses, and horsemen, all clothed with habergeons, a great multitude of men, taking spear, and shield, and sword. (and I shall lead thee about, and I shall put a bridle upon thy jaw, and I shall lead out thee, and all of thy army, yea, the horses, and the horsemen, all clothed in breastplates, a great multitude of men, taking spears, and shields, and swords.)

5 Persians, Ethiopians, and Libyans with them, all be arrayed with shields and helmets.

6 Gomer, and all the companies of him, the house of Togarmah, the sides of the north, and all the host thereof (and all its army), and many peoples be with thee.