Ezekiel 38:11
in Ezekiel 38You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates—
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates;
KJV
And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
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This verse in Ezekiel 38
Commentary
6 notes on this verseBut see here how the clouds return after the rain in this world, and what little reason we have ever to be secure till we come to heaven. It is not long since Israel was brought back from the sword of one enemy, and behold the sword of another is drawn against it.
This site's exposition
you will devise an evil plan
on Ezekiel 38:10-13
The Lord names Gog's thought before he acts on it. Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish state the motive, naming “silver and gold” and “cattle and goods” as the plunder. Gill notes the irony that the merchants ask the very question the reader is meant to ask.
This site's exposition
a land of unwalled villages
Unwalled villages mean a people living without defenses, trusting the protection God promised in 34:25 to 28. Gog reads that security as weakness. Matthew Henry draws the lesson that believers should expect no lasting rest from enemies, since Israel had just returned when a new sword was drawn.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter XXXVIII.) \"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of the head (or head of) Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. And you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of the head (or head of) Meshech and Tubal.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
I will go and disturb those that are at rest, without giving them any notice, not to crush their growing greatness, or chastise their insolence, or make reprisals upon them for any wrong they have done us (they had none of these pretences to make war upon them), but purely to take a spoil and to take a prey " (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
And thou shall say,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
to return your hand upon the resettled ruins To destroy a second time the cities that were in ruins until now, and now have been settled.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Thus said Hashem Elokim: And it shall come to pass at that time that thoughts shall arise in your heart, and you shall devise evil schemes.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶֽעֱלֶה֙ | ʾeeleh | I will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶ֣רֶץ | ʾeretz | a land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| פְּרָז֔וֹת | perazot | villages | H6519 → | |
| אָבוֹא֙ | ʾavo' | I will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַשֹּׁ֣קְטִ֔ים | hashoketim | those at peace | H8252 → | 41 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֖י | yoshevei | [who] dwell | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| לָבֶ֑טַח | lavetach | to security | H983 → | 42 times |
| כֻּלָּ֗ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹֽשְׁבִים֙ | yoshevim | [are] dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּאֵ֣ין | beein | with not | H369 → | 789 times |
| חוֹמָ֔ה | chomah | a wall | H2346 → | 133 times |
| וּבְרִ֥יחַ | uveriach | and bar[s] | H1280 → | |
| וּדְלָתַ֖יִם | udelatayim | and gates | H1817 → | 88 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | [belong] to them |
וְאָמַרְתָּ֗and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֶֽעֱלֶה֙I will go up
ʾeelehH5927 →890 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אֶ֣רֶץa land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
פְּרָז֔וֹתvillages
perazotH6519 →
אָבוֹא֙I will go
ʾavo'H935 →2568 times
הַשֹּׁ֣קְטִ֔יםthose at peace
hashoketimH8252 →41 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֖י[who] dwell
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
לָבֶ֑טַחto security
lavetachH983 →42 times
כֻּלָּ֗םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
יֹֽשְׁבִים֙[are] dwelling
yoshevimH3427 →1079 times
בְּאֵ֣יןwith not
beeinH369 →789 times
חוֹמָ֔הa wall
chomahH2346 →133 times
וּבְרִ֥יחַand bar[s]
uveriachH1280 →
וּדְלָתַ֖יִםand gates
udelatayimH1817 →88 times
אֵ֥יןnot
ʾeinH369 →789 times
לָהֶֽם׃[belong] to them
lahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 15:9The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
it leads to
- Judges 5:30
‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’
- Exodus 14:5
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
- Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the…
- Luke 11:22
But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.
- Judges 5:30
Through
Judges 18:7So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive…
it leads to
- Joshua 19:47
(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there,…
- Joshua 19:47
Through
Ezekiel 38:8After a long time you will be summoned. In the latter years you will enter a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel,…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 38:16
You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations…
- Isaiah 24:22
They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.
- Ezekiel 38:11–12
You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates—
- Ezekiel 38:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.