Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

EZEKIEL 38:17KJV
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Ezekiel 38:17 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 38:17 mean?

Ezekiel 38:17 records God asking if the enemy leader (often called Gog) is the one He had spoken about long ago through His prophets, who foretold that God would bring such an enemy against Israel. The verse points out that this coming attack is not a surprise but something God had already warned about through earlier messages to Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking through Ezekiel to the people of Israel, addressing the threat of Gog and his armies. The situation is one of warning and reassurance: God reminds Israel that He is in control and that the coming events fit into a plan He has spoken about for many years through His prophets. This frames the invasion not as random, but as something within God’s knowledge and purpose.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 38:17

  • "saith" (אָמַר, 'amar): This word is used for direct speech from God, highlighting that the message comes with authority and certainty.
  • "servants" (עֶבֶד, 'eved): God calls the prophets His "servants," emphasizing their role as faithful messengers who speak on His behalf, not their own.
  • "prophesied" (נָבָא, nava'): This word means to speak under divine inspiration. It underscores that the warnings about such an enemy were not just guesses, but messages from God given through the prophets.
  • "bring" (בּוֹא, bo'): This verb means to cause to come or to bring about. Here, it stresses that God Himself is the one allowing or directing these events, not just letting them happen by chance.

Why Ezekiel 38:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the threat from Gog is not a new or unexpected development, but something God had already revealed through earlier prophets, which can correct misunderstandings that this is a sudden or unplanned crisis.
  • It emphasizes God’s sovereignty: even hostile invasions are within His knowledge and control, which would have reassured Ezekiel’s original audience facing uncertainty.
  • By connecting the present threat to past prophecies, Ezekiel 38:17 ties together the message of earlier prophets and shows continuity in God’s dealings with Israel, helping readers see the bigger picture of biblical prophecy.

Where else these words appear

“old” Hebrew H6931 · used in 10 verses

  • 1 Samuel 24:13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
  • Ezekiel 10:19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD'S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
  • Joel 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

“prophesied” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;