Ezekiel 38:20

20 "¹The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the ²mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.

Ezekiel 38:20 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 38:20

So that the fishes of the sea shall shake at my presence
From whence it appears that this great shaking shall not be on account of the army of Gog, and the devastations that it shall make; but on account of the powerful presence of God, which will be manifest in the destruction of his army: and what is here said of the shaking of the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beast of the field, and all
creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are
upon the earth,
must be understood figuratively and hyperbolically, as Kimchi observes, and in allusion to earthquakes, which both shake and terrify all kind of creatures; the blow given to Gog will be so terrible, that all nature will seem to be thrown into a convulsion and agitation by it; see ( Jeremiah 4:24 Jeremiah 4:25 ) : and the mountains shall be thrown down;
as they are sometimes by earthquakes; and as the mount of Olives will at this time cleave asunder; and perhaps other mountains will, as Kimchi observes, see ( Zechariah 14:2-4 ) ( Isaiah 2:12-15 ) ( 30:25 ) : and the steep places shall fall;
the Targum renders the word "towers"; and so the Syriac version, and Piscator: the word signifies stairs or steps ^F20, such as in a ladder; and is translated "stairs", ( Song of Solomon 2:14 ) it seems to me to design such mounts as are raised by besiegers of a city, by means of which they may be able to scale the walls of it, which Jarchi suggests; though he says he had heard it said that these, are rocks bending over and hanging, and appear as if they were falling; which agrees with our version; and it may be observed, in some of those precipices, there are like stairs or steps to go up them: and every wall shall fall to the ground:
this shows that the words are not to be taken literally, but figuratively; only to express how sensibly the power of God should be felt and perceived by all creatures, and in all parts of the land; since now the Jews will dwell in a land of unwalled villages, and in cities without walls, bars, and gates; see ( Ezekiel 38:11 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (twgrdmh) "gradus", Munster, Pagninus, Montanus.

Ezekiel 38:20 In-Context

18 "It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "that My fury will mount up in My anger.

19 "In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

20 "The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.

21 "I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord GOD. "Every man's sword will be against his brother.

22 "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones , fire and brimstone.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 4:24, 25; Hosea 4:3; Nahum 1:4-6
• 2. Zechariah 14:4

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "fall"