Ezekiel 39:9-19

9 “ ‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.

10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign LORD.

11 “ ‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.^[a]

12 “ ‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.

13 All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign LORD.

14 People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground. “ ‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search.

15 As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog,

16 near a town called Hamonah.^[b] And so they will cleanse the land.’

17 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.

18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.

19 At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk.

Ezekiel 39:9-19 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.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 76:3
• 2. S Psalms 46:9
• 3. S Exodus 3:22
• 4. S Isaiah 14:2; S Isaiah 33:1; Habakkuk 2:8
• 5. S Isaiah 34:3
• 6. S Ezekiel 38:2
• 7. Deuteronomy 21:23
• 8. Ezekiel 28:22
• 9. S Job 15:23; Revelation 19:17
• 10. S Ezekiel 32:4
• 11. S Psalms 22:12; Jeremiah 51:40
• 12. S Leviticus 3:9

Footnotes

• [a]. "Hamon Gog" means "hordes of Gog."
• [b]. "Hamonah" means "horde."