Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 39:28

Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

28. Read: And they shall know in that I caused them and will gather and will leave. The words: and I will gather, &c. to the end are wanting in LXX., which also points the first clause differently.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 28. And have left none of then any more there.] All that chose had liberty to return; but many remained behind. This promise may therefore refer to a greater restoration, when not a Jew shall be left behind. This, the next verse intimates, will be in the Gospel dispensation.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Know; on fullest experiences, and clearest evidences, see, acknowledge, and publish to each other.

The Lord; the Mighty One, the just Judge, who determineth righteously between men and men, yea, between them and himself.

Their God; who, in covenant with their fathers, hath remembered it for the good of their children, who did assure them, that if they violated his covenant he would punish, and when they repented he would show mercy.

Which caused; who by his own hand raised up enemies against, and then delivered them into the enemies hand, so sent them into a sad and long captivity.

But I have gathered them; but now done more for them than when I brought them out of Babylon? whence the two tribes (yet not all of them, for some staid behind) and a few of the house of Israel returned; now the whole of the twelve tribes shall be gathered.

Unto their own land; that country they so dearly loved, somewhat for their fathers sake, whose ancient seat it was, but more for the goodness of it, which flowed with milk and honey. Have left none: this recovery it seems shall be much more universal than the former in Zorobabels time: as, coining out of Egypt, not a feeble person left behind; so nor here, if the words be to be literally explained.

There; in the land of captivity, the enemies country.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

28. The Jews, having nodominion, settled country, or fixed property to detain them, mayreturn at any time without difficulty (compare Hos 3:4;Hos 3:5).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God,….

[See comments on Eze 39:22];

which caused them to be led into captivity among the Heathen; for their sins and transgressions: and so the Targum adds,

“because they sinned before me:”

but I have gathered them into their own land; being now penitent for their sins, and believing in the Messiah: and so the Targum,

“and now, because they are converted, I have gathered them, c.”

and have left none of them any more there among the Heathen, or in the land of their enemies; everyone shall be returned to the land of Canaan, be they where they will, as when they came out of Egypt: and this is typical of the salvation of God’s elect, or mystical Israel; not one of them shall be lost or perish, but all shall be brought to repentance: this again shows, that this prophecy did not respect the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; since then many were left behind.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

“And they will know that I am Yahweh their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them to their own land. And I will leave none of them there any more. Nor will I hide my face any more from them. For I (will) have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel, says he Lord Yahweh.”

After the great encounter with Gog is over, God’s people will dwell in safety. They will remember all that God has done and recognise His goodness and glory and holiness. They will know that He is Yahweh. Note the three promises, 1) I will leave none of them there any more. 2) I will not hide my face from them any more. 3) I will have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel.

These promises bring out the nature of the future ‘Israel’ as seen in Ezekiel’s eyes, and summarise the message of his book. Israel finally is made up of those who have gathered to God, are committed to Him and are thus His people. He expressed it in the only way he then could.

‘I will leave none of them there any more.’ Those who are His true people will have left the nations and been united with the people of God under God’s Kingly Rule. They will be one together in their covenant with God. They will look to Him only. The nations will trouble them no more. They will have been suitably dealt with. The enemies of darkness will once and for all have been eliminated.

‘I will not hide my face from them any more.’ Their fellowship with God will be total and complete. His face will always be turned towards them, and they in turn will look to Him, and this will be so for ever. They will walk in the light of Yahweh.

I (will) have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel.’ The perfect tense is used to demonstrate that this has already occurred in the mind of God, but it looks to the future. His people will be those on whom He has poured out His Spirit. They will be the true Israel, spending eternity in the presence of God. They will be those on whom He has poured out His Spirit, which incorporates the church, the new Israel, the ‘Israel of God’, and will be distinguished by the fact that they ‘have a new heart and a new Spirit,’ a softened heart, an obedient heart, and they will delight in doing only His will (Eze 36:26-28). Thus will have begun the everlasting kingdom. God will finally have triumphed.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Eze 39:28. And have left none of them, &c. Amid the variety of conjectures passed upon these chapters, may we not be allowed to add one more;proposed merely as a quaere to the learned, and as a subject of investigation? namely, that this prophesy primarily refers to the judgment of God by Cyrus upon the Babylonians, and the restoration of the Jews in consequence; and secondarily to some future judgment, introductory to their grand restoration; for that the last verse of this chapter refers to the effusion of Gospel-grace, there can be no doubt. The last clause of it should be rendered, After, or when I shall have poured out my Spirit, &c. according to Houbigant. Certainly, it is as reasonable to understand this of Cyrus as of Cambyses; and Calmet has well observed, that it is nothing extraordinary in the style of the prophets, to disguise the proper names of the princes or persons of whom they speak. If they were always to name persons, and to express them in a formal and exact manner, the prophesy would differ nothing from a history. I would just add, that, to understand this of the fall of Babylon, and the restoration of the Jews, seems far more consonant to the general tenor of Ezekiel’s prophesies, than to refer it to any distant and unknown people and event; and we shall find by turning back to those great prophets, whom we have before considered, that they have not failed to foretel this event; and it is reasonable to suppose, that Ezekiel, who is so similar to them in subject throughout, would not omit to do so. The reader will observe several very similar traces in their prophesies respecting the fall of Babylon, to this of Ezekiel’s, concerning the fall of Magog; and if Ezekiel’s prophesy (on this subject suppose) be more dark and obscure than theirs, we have a very sufficient reason for that obscurity in the circumstances and situation of Ezekiel, who was a captive in the land of the Chaldeans; and who, having foretold the fall of Egypt by the Babylonians, (see chap. Eze 30:24.) could not well predict the fall of the Babylonians themselves, otherwise than in dark and figurative terms.

REFLECTIONS.1st, When God begins he will make an end; his enemies shall feel his vengeance and perish utterly.

1. He threatens the destruction of Gog and his army, and the desolation of his country. His soldiers, for whom he drained his kingdom, and left but a sixth part behind him, shall be disabled from hurting God’s people, and fall upon the mountains of Israel, a prey to every beast and bird; and, while the king with his army miserably perishes there, the fire of God, some consuming judgment, shall devour his country; and even the isles of his dominion, which promised themselves security from their situation, shall be consumed together: for, when God riseth up to judgment, no place or person is privileged, or may hope for exemption. Note; (1.) The mightiest armies before God are as easily crushed as the moth. (2.) While the ambitious unjustly labour to usurp the rights of others, God justly punishes them with the loss of what was their own.

2. God will thus make himself known and glorious. His people will prove his power, faithfulness, and grace, signally manifested on their behalf, and be engaged thereby, renouncing all their former idolatries, to cleave to him alone: for nothing tends to separate the heart from sin so effectually as the right knowledge of God. And his enemies the heathen shall know him too by these examples of his vengeance, shall fear to provoke his jealousy, nor dare any more to molest his people. Note; The judgments of God on others should be our warnings.

2nd, What God hath spoken as absolutely to be accomplished, is as sure as if it were already done. It is come, it is done: for faith realizes both as present.

By three things the dreadful destruction of the army of Gog is represented.
1. By the vast quantity of weapons of war which, among other spoil, should be collected, and furnish the people of Israel with fuel during seven years; and every chip that they burned would serve to remind them of God’s mercy, and to awaken their gratitude.
2. By the length of time which it will take to bury the dead, and the numbers employed in the service. The whole house of Israel, assisted by the passengers, who would willingly labour to remove so great a nuisance, shall be no less than seven months employed in cleansing the land, and collecting the bodies to their burying-place, the valley of the passengers, on the east of the sea, of the sea of Gennezareth, which shall from this event receive a new name, and be called the valley of Hamon-gog, and the city near thereunto Hamonah, alluding to the multitudes there buried. And it shall be a renown to Israel in that day, when God shall be glorified; such an astonishing instance of the divine interposition in their favour shall make them respected, and their humanity to the dead redound greatly to their honour. And at the seven months’ end, when the multitudes that fell together are covered in the earth, certain persons shall be appointed to go through the land, and bury the scattered corpses; whilst every traveller who passes by, when he sees a bone, shall set up a mark for the notice of the searchers appointed, until the land be thoroughly cleansed. Note; (1.) When our nostrils are offended with the putrefaction of a corpse, we should remember the sin which has made these bodies so vile. (2.) They who have experienced great national mercies, should unite in their labour to cleanse their land from every pollution of sin; and to this every lover of his country will gladly lend a helping hand. (3.) To advance God’s glory is Israel’s great renown.

3. There will be enough for every bird and beast to feed upon; and they are commanded to come and devour the slain, sacrificed to divine justice. Corpses enough there will be, not merely for a meal, but to fatten them; and this not only of the common soldiers, but of the mighty, and the princes of the earth, strewed around with their horses and chariots, fallen in one promiscuous ruin.

Thus God will make the heathen to see and observe his judgments against the enemies of his people, and will advance his own great glory thereby: while the house of Israel shall exult in his salvation, and receive fresh confirmation of God’s care and love, engaging their confidence in him from that day forward. Let God’s Israel then to the end of time trust in the Lord, yea, for ever: for he will never disappoint the expectations of them who place their whole confidence in him.

3rdly, Much had the people of God suffered from the blasphemies of their enemies, much under the heavy hand of God upon them in afflictions; but now he will deliver them out of all their troubles.
1. The heathen shall be silenced, and convinced of God’s designs in the sufferings of his people. They thought the captivity of Israel was owing to their weakness, or the inability of their God to protect them; but by this amazing exertion of divine power on their behalf, they shall see that the only cause of their suffering was their sin, for which they were given into their enemies’ hands; and that God dealt with them according to their transgressions, in all the evils that he brought upon them. So that what he did was with a view to his own glory, visiting their iniquity with a rod; yet, as by the event appeared, not suffering his truth to fail, nor wanting power to recover and restore them to their former splendour, when they had smarted sufficiently under his corrections.
2. God’s faithful people shall know his designs of grace towards them, notwithstanding all that they have suffered. Jealous for his own honour, which the heathen had reproached, he will magnify himself in Israel’s deliverance, since they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses, and testified unfeigned repentance for their provocations, aggravated by the mercies, peace, and comforts that they had enjoyed, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. Therefore he will now turn his hand, recover them from their dispersion, and bring them to their own land; and hereby God will be sanctified in the sight of many nations, who will own his dispensations towards his Israel to have been righteous, just, and good. And the faithful, while they acknowledge God’s justice in their sufferings, shall experience his rich grace in their salvation, and know him to be their God, their covenant God, who will no more withdraw the light of his countenance from them as a nation, but will pour out his Spirit upon them in a most glorious manner. Note; (1.) True penitents are willing to bear their shame, and own their sufferings to be less than their iniquities deserve. (2.) When by divine grace we return to God, he will return to us, and lift up again upon us the light of his countenance.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Eze 39:28 Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

Ver. 28. And have left none of them any more there. ] Here the Jews triumph and say, When was this promise ever fulfilled? and how, then, can the Messiah be come already? Hereunto it is rightly answered, that this prophecy is to be taken partly literally, and so it was fulfilled at the return of the captives out of Babylon. See Ezr 3:1 . Partly spiritually; and so Christ will at the last day raise up every one of his elect, – that Israel indeed, – and gather them to himself; not one of them shall be missing. a

a Lavat. in loc.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)