Ezekiel 38:16

Authorized King James Version

And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וְעָלִ֙יתָ֙
And thou shalt come up
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
#2
עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#3
עַמִּ֣י
against my people
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
#4
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
of Israel
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
#5
כֶּֽעָנָ֖ן
as a cloud
a cloud (as covering the sky), i.e., the nimbus or thunder-cloud
#6
לְכַסּ֣וֹת
to cover
properly, to plump, i.e., fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy)
#7
אַרְצִ֔י
the land
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
#8
בְּאַחֲרִ֨ית
it shall be in the latter
the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity
#9
הַיָּמִ֜ים
days
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
#10
תִּֽהְיֶ֗ה
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
#11
וַהֲבִאוֹתִ֙יךָ֙
and I will bring
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
#12
עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#13
אַרְצִ֔י
the land
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
#14
לְמַעַן֩
properly, heed, i.e., purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
#15
דַּ֨עַת
may know
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
#16
הַגּוֹיִ֜ם
that the heathen
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
#17
אֹתִ֗י
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
#18
בְּהִקָּדְשִׁ֥י
me when I shall be sanctified
to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)
#19
בְךָ֛
H0
#20
לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם
before their eyes
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
#21
גּֽוֹג׃
in thee O Gog
gog, the name of an israelite, also of some nothern nation

Analysis

This verse develops the salvation theme central to Ezekiel. The concept of covenant community reflects the development of salvation within biblical theology. The literary structure and word choice here contribute to biblical literature contributing to the canon's theological witness, advancing the author's theological argument. The original language emphasizes careful word choice that would have carried specific theological weight for the original audience, providing deeper understanding of the author's theological intention.

Historical Context

The literary and historical milieu of the literary conventions and historical circumstances of biblical literature shapes this text's meaning. The historical development of salvation within the theological tradition of Ezekiel Understanding the ancient worldview that shaped the author's theological expression helps modern readers appreciate why the author emphasizes covenant community in this particular way.

Questions for Reflection

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