Ezekiel 38:2

38:2 “Son of man, turn toward ¹  Gog, ²  of the land of Magog, ³  the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴  Prophesy against him

Ezekiel 38:5

38:5 Persia, ⁵  Ethiopia, and Put ⁶  are with them, all of them with shields and helmets.

Ezekiel 38:17

38:17 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants ⁷  the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days ⁸  that I would bring you against them?

¹ tn Heb “set your face against.”

² sn This may refer to a Lydian king in western Asia Minor in the seventh century b.c. Apart from Ezek 38-39, the only other biblical reference to this king/nation is in Rev 20:8. For a study of the names appearing in this verse, see E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

³ sn One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5.

⁴ tn Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

⁵ tn D. I. Block prefers to see the Hebrew word as referring here to a western ally of Egypt or as an alternative spelling for Pathros, that is, Upper Egypt. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:439-40.

⁶ sn That is, Lydia.

⁷ tn Heb “by the hand of my servants.”

⁸ tn The Hebrew text adds “years” here, but this is probably a scribal gloss on the preceding phrase. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:201.