Ezekiel 38:17 kjv
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
Ezekiel 38:17 nkjv
Thus says the Lord GOD: "Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?
Ezekiel 38:17 niv
"?'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.
Ezekiel 38:17 esv
"Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?
Ezekiel 38:17 nlt
"This is what the Sovereign LORD asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel's prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people?
Ezekiel 38 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 38:17 | "Have you not asked of them... Behold, I am against you, O Gog..." | Direct prophetic statement |
| Eze 38:2-3 | "Son of man, set your face against Gog... thus says the Lord God..." | God's initial commissioning |
| Eze 36:22 | "Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name..." | God's motivation for salvation |
| Jer 25:30-31 | "The Lord will roar from on high... a great slaughter in the land of the first." | Universal judgment |
| Jer 49:10 | "But I have commanded my messengers to declare unto them..." | God's commands to prophets |
| Joel 2:27 | "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God..." | Divine presence and assurance |
| Joel 3:10-12 | "Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears..." | Call to military readiness |
| Amos 3:7 | "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." | God reveals His plans to prophets |
| Micah 4:3 | "He shall judge between many peoples, and shall rebuke strong nations afar off..." | Christ's future judgment |
| Nah 1:2-3 | "The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is full of wrath..." | God's righteous anger |
| Zech 12:9 | "And it shall come to pass on that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations..." | Nations gathered against Jerusalem |
| Zech 14:3 | "Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when He fights on the day of battle." | God fighting for His people |
| Matt 24:21-22 | "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning..." | The Great Tribulation |
| Luke 21:24 | "And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all nations..." | Gentile times fulfilled |
| Rev 16:14-16 | "For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go out to the kings of the whole world..." | Demonic spirits gather nations |
| Rev 19:11-16 | "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse... He will rule them with an iron rod." | Christ's victorious return |
| Rev 20:7-8 | "And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth..." | Final rebellion |
| John 5:39 | "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me," | Scriptures testify of Christ |
| Acts 4:24 | "And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, 'Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,'" | Praise to the Creator |
| Acts 11:15-16 | "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" | Fulfillment of prophecy |
| Rom 3:4 | "By no means! Let God be true though every man be a liar..." | God's faithfulness |
Ezekiel 38 verses
Ezekiel 38 17 Meaning
The Lord God declares His knowledge of Gog's future invasion and confirms that He has spoken through His prophets. This signifies divine foreknowledge and establishes that this prophecy is not a human conjecture but a direct word from God, previously announced.
Ezekiel 38 17 Context
Ezekiel 38 is part of a larger prophecy concerning a future confederation of nations led by Gog of the land of Magog, who will attack Israel. This invasion is portrayed as a final, large-scale assault against God's people before the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom. The preceding chapters deal with various judgments against surrounding nations and Israel itself, followed by promises of restoration. Verse 17 specifically serves as a transition, confirming the divine origin and foreknowledge of the events about to be described, referencing the historical pronouncements made by God through His prophets. The prophecy is set within the broader eschatological framework of the Old Testament, looking forward to a time of divine intervention and vindication.
Ezekiel 38 17 Word Analysis
- "Has not": This negation immediately sets a rhetorical tone, drawing attention to what the listener might not have been informed of or might have overlooked.
- "in (ba)": (Hebrew: בָּא - ba) A preposition indicating presence within or location. Here it implies involvement or participation.
- "that (asher)": (Hebrew: אָשֶׁר - asher) A relative pronoun, linking to what precedes.
- "day": (Hebrew: יֹום - yom) Denotes a specific time, a period.
- "these (eleh)": (Hebrew: אֵלֶּה - eleh) Demonstrative pronoun pointing to what is imminent or being discussed.
- "the (ha)": (Hebrew: הַ - ha) The definite article.
- "former (ri'shon)": (Hebrew: רִאשֹׁון - rishon) Refers to things that happened previously, or the first in a sequence.
- "days": (Hebrew: יָמִים - yamim) Plural of 'day', indicating periods of time.
- "when": (Hebrew: כִּי - ki) A conjunction used here to express causality or as an introducer to a clause.
- "I (ani)": (Hebrew: אֲנִי - ani) First-person singular pronoun.
- "spake": (Hebrew: דִּבַּר - dibber) Root meaning "to speak" or "to command." Implies a divine utterance.
- "by": (Hebrew: עַל - al) A versatile preposition, here implying "concerning" or "upon."
- "the hand (yad)": (Hebrew: יָד - yad) Can mean hand, power, or agency.
- "of (et)": (Hebrew: אֶת - et) A direct object marker.
- "My": Possessive pronoun.
- "servants": (Hebrew: עַבְדֵי - avdei) Plural of servant (עֶבֶד - eved), referring to the prophets.
- "the (ha)": The definite article.
- "prophets": (Hebrew: נְבִיאִים - nevi'im) Those who speak forth the message of God.
- "saying": (Hebrew: לֵאמֹר - lemor) Infinitive "to say," introducing the prophetic message.
- "Have you not inquired of them... Behold, I am against you, O Gog...": This clause frames the preceding prophetic declarations as God's own words. The emphasis is on divine initiative and revelation. The phrase "have you not asked" implies that the knowledge of this event has already been prophetically declared, and those who understand Scripture should be aware of it. "Behold, I am against you" is a direct pronouncement of opposition from God to Gog.
Ezekiel 38 17 Bonus Section
The structure of Ezekiel 38-39 follows a prophetic pattern where a formidable enemy is described, their downfall is predicted, and God's power and name are vindicated. Verse 17’s inclusion of "Have you not asked of them...?" is a rhetorical device often used by God in the prophets (e.g., Isaiah 40:13-14, Jeremiah 2:8) to highlight His unique role as God and to contrast His knowledge with the ignorance of men. It asserts that all true prophecy originates from God and testifies to His nature and His covenant promises. This serves to bolster the faith of believers by showing God's control over historical events and His faithfulness to His people throughout the ages.
Ezekiel 38 17 Commentary
Verse 17 acts as a divine endorsement of the prophecy. It underscores that the forthcoming confrontation with Gog is not a novel prediction but a revelation previously communicated through the prophets. This reinforces God's sovereignty and foreknowledge. It signifies that the history of Israel and the nations is guided by divine decree, with God actively working out His purposes. The statement "Behold, I am against you, O Gog" is a powerful assertion of God's direct intervention and opposition to forces that seek to harm His people and disrupt His plans. This highlights God’s protective care for Israel and His ultimate victory over all His enemies.