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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Ezekiel 39:23–29. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
This is the conclusion of the whole matter going before, and has reference not only to the predictions concerning Gog and Magog, but to all the prophecies of this book concerning the captivity of the house of Israel, and then concerning their restoration and return out of their captivity.
I.God will let the heathen know the meaning of his people's troubles, and rectify the mistake of those concerning them who took occasion from the troubles of Israel to reproach the God of Israel, as unable to protect them and untrue to his covenant with them. When God, upon their reformation and return to him, turned again their captivity, and brought them back to their own land, and, upon their perseverance in their reformation, wrought such great salvations for them as that from the attempts of Gog upon them, then it would be made to appear, even to the heathen that would but consider and compare things, that there was no ground at all for their reflection, that Israel went into captivity, not because God could not protect them, but because they had by sin forfeited his favour and thrown themselves out of his protection (Eze 39:23, Eze 39:24): The heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, that iniquity which they learned from the heathen their neighbours, because they trespassed against God. That was the true reason why God hid his face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies. It was according to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions. Now the evincing of this will not only silence their reflections on God, but will redound greatly to his honour; when the troubles of God's people are over, and we see the end of them, we shall better understand them than we did at first. And it will appear much for the glory of God when the world is made to know,
1.That God punishes sin even in his own people, because he hates it most in those that are nearest and dearest to him, Amo 3:2. It is the praise of justice to be impartial.
2.That, when God gives up his people for a prey, it is to correct them and reform them, not to gratify their enemies, Isa 10:7; Isa 42:24. Let not them therefore exalt themselves.
3.That no sooner do God's people humble themselves under the rod than he returns in mercy to them.
II.God will give his own people to know what great favour he has in store for them notwithstanding the troubles he had brought them into (Eze 39:25, Eze 39:26): Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob.
1.Why now? Now God will have mercy upon the whole house of Israel,
(1.)Because it is time for him to stand up for his own glory, which suffers in their sufferings: Now will I be jealous for my holy name, that that may no longer be reproached.
(2.)Because now they repent of their sins: They have borne their shame, and all their trespasses. When sinners repent, and take shame to themselves, God will be reconciled and put honour upon them. It is particularly pleasing to God that these penitents look a great way back in their penitential reflections, and are ashamed of all their trespasses which they were guilty of when they dwelt safely in their land and none made them afraid. The remembrance of the mercies they enjoyed in their own land, and the divine protection they were under there, shall be improved as an aggravation of the sins they committed in that land; they dwelt safely, and might have continued to dwell so, and none should have given them any disquiet or disturbance if they had continued in the way of their duty. Nay, therefore they trespassed because they dwelt safely. Outward safety is often a cause of inward security, and that is an inlet to all sin, Ps. 73. Now this they are willing to bear the shame of, and acknowledge that God has justly brought them into a land of trouble, where every one makes them afraid, because they had trespassed against him in a land of peace, where none made them afraid. And, when they thus humble themselves under humbling providences, God will bring again their captivity: and,
2.What then? When God has gathered them out of their enemies' hands, and brought them home again,
(1.)Then God will have the praise of it: I will be sanctified in them in the sight of many nations, Eze 39:27. As God was reproached in the reproach they were under during their captivity, so he will be sanctified in their reformation and the making of them a holy people again, and will be glorified in their restoration and the making of them a happy glorious people again.
(2.)Then they shall have the benefit of it (Eze 39:28): They shall know that I am the Lord their God. Note, The providences of God concerning his people, that are designed for their good, have the grace of God going along with them to teach them to eye God as the Lord, and their God, in all; and then they do them good. They shall eye him as the Lord and their God,
[1.]In their calamities, that it was he who caused them to be led into captivity; and therefore they must not only submit to his will, but endeavour to answer his end in it.
[2.]In their comfort, that it is he who has gathered them to their own land, and left none of them among the heathen. Note, By the variety of events that befal us, if we look up to God in all, we may come to acquaint ourselves better with his various attributes and designs.
(3.)Then God and they will never part, Eze 39:29.
[1.]God will pour out his Spirit upon them, to prevent their departures from him and returns to folly again, and to keep them close to their duty. And then,
[2.]He will never hide his face any more from them, will never suspend his favour as he had done; he will never turn from doing them good, and, in order to that, he will effectually provide that they shall never turn from doing him service. Note, The indwelling of the Spirit is an infallible pledge of the continuance of God's favour. He will hide his face no more from those on whom he has poured out his Spirit. When therefore we pray that God would never cast us away from his presence we must as earnestly pray that, in order to that, he would never take his Holy Spirit away from us, Psa 51:11.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
(Verse 17 and following) 'Therefore, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to every winged creature, to all the birds, and to all the beasts of the field or the countryside: Come together and hasten, gather from all around to my sacrifice that I have offered to you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, so that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the meat of the mighty or giants, and you shall drink the blood of the rulers of the land: of rams, lambs, goats, and of bulls, as well as of all the fatted ones.' And you shall eat the fat in abundance, and drink the blood to the full, of the offering that I have sacrificed for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors, says the Lord God. And I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. And all the nations shall know that the house of Israel were taken captive because of their iniquities, because they had forsaken me and I had hidden my face from them and given them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and their transgressions, I dealt with them and hid my face from them. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel: and I will be zealous for my holy name. And they shall bear their confusion (or disgrace), and all their transgressions, whereby they have transgressed against me, when they dwelt confidently (or securely) in their own land, fearing no one. And I will bring them back from the peoples (or nations), and gather them out of the countries of their enemies (or from the regions of the nations), and I will be sanctified in them in the sight (or presence) of many nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, when I have caused them to be carried away among the nations (or when I have appeared to them in the Gentiles), and have gathered them together upon their own land, and have not left any one of them there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them, for I have poured out my spirit (or fury) upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.' This which we have translated according to the Hebrew, and I will gather them together upon their own land, and will not leave any one of them there, is not found in the LXX. And again, what is placed at the end according to the Hebrews for a blessing, because I have poured out my spirit, the Septuagint translated as fury, which pertains to anger, especially since in Hebrew it is written as Ruhi, which properly means my spirit, and by no means my fury. However, everything up to that point, where the construction of the temple follows, those whom we have mentioned above, the Jews, and our Judaizing brethren, refer to the ultimate time: that Gog and all his army may be fattened like the choicest sacrifices of birds and beasts, and that Israel may be restored to its former state, and no longer be conquered by the nations, but that God may pour out his spirit upon them, so that they may dwell in their land: not all nations, but specifically the house of Israel. But following the initiated tropology, we will say this, that the Lord summons all birds and all beasts to devour the leaders of heretics as the fattest victims. Birds and beasts, however, are called so either because of their swiftness in running everywhere or because of their fierceness and cruelty, to which adversaries are handed over to be destroyed in the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved and they may learn not to blaspheme (I Tim. I). However, they will eat a large and fattest victim; not elsewhere, but on the mountains of Israel, which we ought to understand as the prophets and apostles, and holy men. For in them the teachers of contrary doctrines fall, and they perish wounded by themselves, upon whom the Church is built: and to speak more truly, upon the mountain of mountains, about which Isaiah and Micah speak: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will show us his ways (Isa. II, 3; Mic. IV, 2). But those birds and those animals, swift and cruel, will eat flesh and drink blood, which cannot possess the kingdom of God: the flesh of the mighty, or giants, who rebelled against the knowledge of God, and the blood of princes, not of heaven, but of the earth, they will drink, who have savored all earthly things: the blood of rams, and lambs, and goats, or according to the Septuagint, the blood of rams, calves, and goats, to signify the three animals that are sacrificed in the offerings to God. For heretics imitate the gentleness of the Church, but their offering does not profit for the worship of God, but for the food of demons, which is their fattest host, and they are satisfied with fatness and drink the blood of deceivers to the point of drunkenness. But God sacrifices this victim through ecclesiastical men, so that the guests of the worst kind may be satisfied with the multitude of deceivers, and they may drink to the point of vomiting and drunkenness. When you see holy men, instructed in divine Scriptures, cut down the horses of heretics and charioteers, of whom it is written: He threw the horse and its rider into the sea (Exodus XV, 1), and cut down all rebels and giants with his sword, and shed the blood of all warriors of false-named knowledge, then know that the table of the Lord has been prepared, that he may put his glory in all nations that believe in his name, and that they may understand the judgment of the Church of his holy ones, which they have performed against their adversaries, and the strong hand with which they have struck them; and let the house of Israel know and understand that he is their Lord God, who spoke: I am your Lord God, from the day of the Lord's victory until eternity; and let them recall that the house of Israel was once captured by heretics and scattered throughout the entire world of perverse doctrines, because they had abandoned him who had hidden momentarily or turned his face away from them, and delivered them into the hands of heretics, and they fell, pierced by their swords, because of their impurities and iniquities; and this was the reason why he hid and turned his face away from them. But after presenting the arguments, according to what is written: There must be heresies so that those who are approved may become manifest (I Cor. XI, 19), the captivity of Israel, namely the Church, in which those who see God dwell: now it promises that it will restore the captivity of Jacob to the Church, who had supplanted the Jewish people, and was later supplanted by the tricks of the heretics: and it will have mercy on the whole house of Israel, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. And I will take up my zeal for my holy name, which was blasphemed among the nations because of heretics: so that once I have delivered them, they may be ashamed and confounded, for why have they forsaken the faith of the Church, and transgressed against me. But let them be confounded and ashamed very quickly, when they have dwelt in their land, the land of the meek, and the land of the saints, and have dwelt confidently, whether in peace, not fearing the snares of heretics. Then they will be brought back from the peoples, and will be gathered from the lands of their enemies into their own land. And the Lord will be sanctified in them in the sight of many nations, who themselves will also believe in the Lord. And the end of blessedness will be to know and recognize that he is their Lord God, because he has appeared to them among the nations, or has brought them over from the nations, and has gathered them onto his own land, the land of Judah, the land of confession, the land of gentleness, and the land of the living, and he will not even leave a trace of heretical wickedness. And he will no longer hide his face from them, nor turn away from them, because he has poured out the spirit of his grace, of which the prophet Joel also speaks: 'In the last days, I will pour out from my spirit upon all flesh' (Joel 2:28), and he will pour it out upon all the house of Israel. But if we read 'fury' according to the Septuagint, which is not found in the Hebrew, it should be understood that he will no longer hide his face from those on whom he had previously poured out his fury. Up to this point in the prophet Ezekiel, with God aiding and opening our mouth, we have spoken: not destroying the opinion of others, if anyone has written, or in the future, if they are to write, but asserting whatever is ours. But in the construction of the temple, and the order of the priests, and the division of the holy land, and the river flowing out of the temple, and the trees on both banks always green, and the fruit brought forth every month, and all the rest that is contained in the prophetic volume until the end, we frankly confess our ignorance, deeming it better to say nothing than to say too little.
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Summary
Ezekiel 39:27 presents a profound divine declaration of Israel's future restoration, following a period of dispersion and judgment. It articulates God's sovereign commitment to actively retrieve His scattered people from the lands of their adversaries. The ultimate, overarching purpose of this miraculous regathering is not merely the physical return of Israel, but primarily the public vindication and glorification of God's holy character before the vast assembly of nations, showcasing His unparalleled power and faithfulness to the entire world.
Context
Literary Context
Ezekiel 39:27 stands as a pivotal concluding statement within the dramatic prophecies concerning the defeat of Gog and his vast confederacy, detailed in Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39. This climactic battle, where God miraculously intervenes to utterly destroy Israel's enemies, serves as a powerful, undeniable demonstration of His absolute sovereignty and protective care for His people. Following this decisive judgment, the narrative seamlessly transitions from divine wrath to the profound spiritual and physical restoration of Israel, a central and recurring theme throughout Ezekiel's later prophecies, particularly from Ezekiel 36 onwards. This verse thus functions as a crucial bridge, linking the display of God's power in judgment to the subsequent, even greater, manifestation of His holiness through the comprehensive restoration of His people, echoing earlier promises of gathering them from among the nations, such as that found in Ezekiel 37:21.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecies of Ezekiel were delivered during the traumatic period of the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BC), a time of profound national humiliation and despair for the people of Israel. They had been forcibly removed from their homeland, their cherished temple was destroyed, and their very national and religious identity was under severe threat. In this desperate context, the divine promise of being "brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands" would have resonated with immense hope, signifying a miraculous intervention against seemingly insurmountable odds. Culturally, the fate of a nation was often seen as a direct reflection on the power and honor of its god. Therefore, God's act of restoring Israel was not merely a private fulfillment of a covenant but a public, cosmic declaration to the surrounding pagan nations that Yahweh, the God of Israel, was indeed the one true and living God, infinitely superior to all their impotent deities.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prevalent in Ezekiel and the broader prophetic corpus. It underscores Divine Restoration, highlighting God's unwavering commitment to His covenant promises despite Israel's profound unfaithfulness and subsequent dispersion. This promised gathering is a testament to God's omnipotence to fulfill His word and His compassionate desire to redeem His chosen people. Crucially, the verse emphasizes God's Sanctification and Glory. The primary purpose of this restoration is explicitly stated: "and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations." God's inherent holiness, His perfect righteousness, and His unique divine nature are not only vindicated but dramatically displayed through His actions concerning Israel. Their return from exile, against all human expectations and political realities, serves as an irrefutable demonstration of His unique power and unwavering faithfulness to the surrounding nations, compelling their acknowledgment of His supremacy. Finally, it highlights Witness to the Nations. The phrase "in the sight of many nations" underscores the global, public impact of God's redemptive work. Israel's restoration is not an insular or private affair but a public spectacle meticulously designed to reveal God's character and power to the entire world, aligning with the broader biblical theme of God's desire for His glory to be known among all peoples, as powerfully articulated in Ezekiel 36:23.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root signifies "to turn back," "to return," or "to restore." In this context, it emphasizes God's active, intentional reversal of Israel's exile. It is not merely a passive return on Israel's part, but a divine act of bringing them back to their land, signifying a comprehensive restoration of their covenant relationship and national identity. This verb highlights God as the primary agent of this profound reversal.
Meaning "to grasp" or "to collect," this word reinforces the active, deliberate, and comprehensive nature of God's work. It implies a thorough collection of scattered individuals from diverse, often hostile, locations, highlighting the completeness of the restoration from "their enemies' lands." This gathering is a divine assembly, demonstrating God's power over all geographical and political barriers that had dispersed His people.
This root means "to be clean," "to be holy," or "to be set apart." In the Niphal stem, as used here, it conveys the sense of "to be shown holy" or "to show oneself holy." It is not that God becomes holy, but that His inherent holiness, righteousness, and unique divine nature are publicly revealed and acknowledged through His mighty actions concerning Israel. His dealings with His people and their enemies serve as a dramatic, undeniable vindication of His character and a public display of His set-apartness before the entire world.
Verse Breakdown
"When I have brought them again from the people"
This initial clause establishes God's sovereign initiative in reversing the exile. The phrase "from the people" refers to the various nations, or peoples, among whom Israel had been dispersed, emphasizing their scattered and often assimilated state. God's action is presented as a powerful, decisive reversal of their punishment and a direct act of divine intervention.
"and gathered them out of their enemies' lands"
This phrase further clarifies and intensifies the previous clause. It specifies that the gathering is not just from any people, but explicitly from "their enemies' lands," underscoring the hostile, oppressive, and often dangerous environments from which God miraculously delivers His people. This speaks to a comprehensive, triumphant retrieval, demonstrating God's power over those who sought to oppress Israel.
"and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;"
This final and climactic clause reveals the ultimate, overarching purpose and cosmic significance of the entire restoration. God's inherent holiness, His perfect righteousness, and His unique divine nature will be made evident and glorified through His dealings with Israel. Their miraculous return, against all human expectations, serves as an irrefutable testimony to His power, faithfulness, and righteousness, witnessed by a global audience. This public display forces the surrounding world to acknowledge His supremacy.
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 39:27 employs several significant literary devices that amplify its profound message. Parallelism is prominently featured in the phrases "brought them again from the people" and "gathered them out of their enemies' lands," which serve to reiterate and intensify the divine act of restoration. This synonymous repetition emphasizes the certainty, comprehensiveness, and divine agency behind God's promise. The entire verse is a potent example of Divine Action, with God explicitly declaring "I have brought," "gathered," and "am sanctified," underscoring His sovereign agency as the sole initiator and perfect fulfiller of this prophecy. Furthermore, the verse functions as a profound Theological Statement, articulating the ultimate purpose behind God's redemptive work for Israel: His own glory and the public manifestation of His holiness to the world. The concluding phrase "in the sight of many nations" highlights the Universal Scope of God's redemptive plan, ensuring His name is exalted and His character vindicated far beyond the borders of Israel.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Ezekiel 39:27 profoundly articulates God's unwavering commitment to His covenant promises and His ultimate, overarching purpose in all of history: the revelation of His own glory. The restoration of Israel, a seemingly impossible feat from a human perspective, serves as a dramatic stage upon which God demonstrates His unique power, faithfulness, and inherent holiness to a watching world. This act of divine intervention not only vindicates His name, which had been profaned among the nations due to Israel's exile, but also serves as a potent prophetic sign, pointing to a future day when His glory will indeed fill the earth. It underscores that all of God's actions, whether in judgment or redemption, are always ultimately designed to display His inherent righteousness and sovereignty to all creation, inviting both awe and worship from every nation and people.
Reflection and Application
This verse offers profound encouragement and a powerful challenge for believers today. It serves as a potent reminder that God is utterly faithful to His promises, even when circumstances appear dire or when His people have strayed far from His path. Just as He sovereignly gathered Israel from the depths of their exile, He continues to work in our individual lives, bringing us back to Himself, restoring what was lost, and demonstrating His power and grace through our weaknesses and brokenness. Our personal redemption and ongoing transformation are not merely for our individual benefit; rather, God purposefully uses our lives—our deliverance from the bondage of sin, our growth in faith, and our perseverance through trials—to display His power and holiness to the world around us. This understanding should profoundly motivate us to live lives that consistently honor Him, knowing that our conduct, character, and witness, however seemingly small, contribute directly to His great name being sanctified "in us" for "many nations" to see. We are called to embody His holiness and reflect His glory in every sphere of life.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean for God to be "sanctified in them"?
For God to be "sanctified in them" means that His inherent holiness, perfect righteousness, and unique divine nature are publicly revealed, acknowledged, and glorified through His actions concerning His people, Israel. It is not that God becomes holy, as He is eternally and intrinsically holy, but rather that His existing holiness is dramatically demonstrated and vindicated before the world. In the specific context of Ezekiel 39:27, Israel's miraculous return from a seemingly hopeless exile, against all odds and in defiance of their powerful enemies, serves as an undeniable and irrefutable proof of God's omnipotence and unwavering faithfulness. This public display compels the surrounding "nations" to recognize that Yahweh is the one true God, distinct and infinitely superior to all other deities, thereby bringing immense glory to His name. This concept is also powerfully articulated in Ezekiel 36:23, where God declares He will sanctify His great name, which has been profaned among the nations, through His redemptive actions for Israel.
How does this verse relate to the Gog and Magog prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39?
Ezekiel 39:27 directly follows the dramatic and climactic account of the defeat of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39. The utter destruction of this massive, hostile coalition, which sought to annihilate Israel, is presented as a spectacular and undeniable demonstration of God's power and His unwavering protection over His people. This divine intervention serves as the immediate backdrop and the powerful catalyst for the subsequent restoration and sanctification mentioned in verse 27. The crushing defeat of Gog makes it unequivocally clear to "many nations" that the God of Israel is supreme, sovereign, and faithful. This public vindication of God's name through a mighty act of judgment then seamlessly transitions into His public vindication through the miraculous gathering and restoration of His people, reinforcing the profound message that all of God's actions, whether in judgment or salvation, ultimately serve to display His glory and inherent holiness to the entire world.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Ezekiel 39:27, with its profound promise of divine gathering and God's self-sanctification in the sight of many nations, finds its ultimate and most glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His universal Church. While the verse speaks of a physical return of Israel, the New Testament reveals a deeper, spiritual, and all-encompassing reality. Christ is the true and ultimate gatherer, not merely of a physical nation, but of all God's elect from every "people" and from the "enemies' lands" of sin, spiritual death, and alienation from God. Through His perfect atoning sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection, Jesus perfectly "sanctified" God's name, demonstrating His holiness, justice, and boundless love in a way unparalleled in human history. The Father's holiness was fully displayed in the Son's perfect obedience unto death, and the Son's divine nature was powerfully vindicated in His resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Furthermore, the Church, composed of both Jew and Gentile gathered into one new humanity by Christ's reconciling blood, becomes the primary vehicle through which God's holiness is now displayed "in the sight of many nations" (Ephesians 2:11-22). Believers, as a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession," are called to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). The Great Commission to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19) is the ongoing fulfillment of God's desire to be sanctified among all peoples, as the Gospel of Christ continues to gather a people for His name from every tribe and tongue, making His glory known to the very ends of the earth (Revelation 7:9-10).