Ezekiel – Chapter 39

Old Testament29 Verses

Chapter Summary

Ezekiel 39 opens with the words: "And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of…" Jacob stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 29 verses, two threads run through the text: holiness and sin and divine judgment. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal.

2And I will turn thee round, and I will lead thee out, and will make thee go up from the northern parts: and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.

3And I will break thy bow in thy left hand, and I will cause thy arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

4Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and thy nations that are with thee: I have given thee to the wild beasts, to the birds, and to every fowl, and to the beasts of the earth to be devoured.

5Thou shalt fall upon the face of the field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

6And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell confidently in the islands: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

7And I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and my holy name shall be profaned no more: and the Gentiles shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

8Behold it cometh, and it is done, saith the Lord God: this is the day whereof I have spoken.

9And the inhabitants shall go forth of the cities of Israel, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, the shields, and the spears, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves and the pikes: and they shall burn them with fire seven years.

10And they shall not bring wood out of the countries, nor cut down out of the forests: for they shall burn the weapons with fire, and shall make a prey of them to whom they had been a prey, and they shall rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.

11And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give Gog a noted place for a sepulchre in Israel: the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea, which shall cause astonishment in them that pass by: and there shall they bury Gog, and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog.

12And the house of Israel shall bury them for seven months to cleanse the land.

13And all the people of the land shall bury him, and it shall be unto them a noted day, wherein I was glorified, saith the Lord God.

14And they shall appoint men to go continually about the land, to bury and to seek out them that were remaining upon the face of the earth, that they may cleanse it: and after seven months they shall begin to seek.

15And they shall go about passing through the land: and when they shall see the bone of a man, they shall set up sign by it, till the buriers bury it in the valley, of the multitude of Gog.

16And the name of the city shall be Amona, and they shall cleanse the land.

17And thou, O son of man, saith the Lord God, say to every fowl, and to all the birds, and to all the beasts of the field: Assemble yourselves, make haste, come together from every side to my victim, which I slay for you, a great victim upon the mountains of Israel: to eat flesh, and drink blood.

18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and you shall drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, and of lambs, and of he goats, and bullocks, and of all that are well fed and fat.

19And you shall eat the fat till you be full, and shall drink blood till you be drunk of the victim which I shall slay for you.

20And you shall be filled at my table with horses, and mighty horsemen, and all the men of war, saith the Lord God.

21And I will set my glory among the nations: and all nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

22And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.

23And the nations shall know that the house of Israel were made captives for their iniquity, because they forsook me, and I hid my face from them: and I delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they fell all by the sword.

24I have dealt with them according to their uncleanness, and wickedness, and hid my face from them.

25Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and will have mercy on all the house of Israel and I will be jealous for my holy name.

26And they shall bear their confusion, and all the transgressions wherewith they have transgressed against me, when they shall dwell in their land securely fearing no man:

27And I shall have brought them back from among the nations, and shall have gathered them together out of the lands of their enemies, and shall be sanctified in them, in the sight of many nations.

28And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I caused them to be carried away among the nations; and I have gathered them together unto their own land, and have not left any of them there.

29And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

Important Verses in Ezekiel 39

And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal.

Ezekiel 39:1

And I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and my holy name shall be profaned no more: and the Gentiles shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Ezekiel 39:7

Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and will have mercy on all the house of Israel and I will be jealous for my holy name.

Ezekiel 39:25

And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel 39:29

Historical Context

Ezekiel belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for the exiles in Babylon, moved from despair to hope of restoration. Chapter 39 of 48 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a prophetic oracle addressed to Israel in a moment of covenant crisis or renewal with 29 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Historical attention falls on Jacob, the principal figures named in this chapter. The chapter begins: "And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the…" The final verse reads: "And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the Lord…" The wider setting of Ezekiel is this: Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in 597 BC and prophesied among the exiles through astonishing visions: God's throne-chariot, the departure of His glory from the Temple, the valley of dry bones brought to life, and a new… The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

Who Wrote It

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile

When It Was Written

About 593-571 BC, in Babylon

Catholic Commentary

At the literal level, this oracle names the sins, judgments, or promises relevant to its original hearers. A pivotal line is verse 1: "And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal." The passage repeatedly touches on holiness before God.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 133). Here, Ezekiel's visions inform Catholic understanding of heaven and liturgy (CIC 1137). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize holiness before God as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that God will give His people a new heart. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, Ezekiel 39 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • 'Be holy, for I am holy': God calls His people to be set apart for Him in every area of life.
  • Sin has real consequences, but God's judgment always aims at conversion and restoration.
  • The Lord is a refuge and deliverer for all who call upon Him in trouble.

People in This Chapter

Jacob1 mention

Reflection for Today

When the Church proclaims Ezekiel Chapter 39 at Mass or in the Liturgy of the Hours, she treats this text as the living voice of God.

In the four senses of Scripture—literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical—the Church finds rich meaning in Ezekiel Chapter 39. At the moral level, stewardship of creation challenges us to examine conscience and amend our lives (CIC 2215).

If this passage raises questions, seek the Church's teaching through the Catechism, a faithful priest, or sound Catholic commentaries. Private interpretation must remain in harmony with the Magisterium (CIC 2578).

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ezekiel Chapter 39 about?

Ezekiel 39 contains 29 verses. It opens with "And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the…" and closes with "And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the Lord…". The book as a whole is prophetic visions and oracles.

What is a key verse in Ezekiel 39?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Ezekiel Chapter 39?

This chapter mentions Jacob.

Who wrote Ezekiel and when?

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile. About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

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