The Meaning of Ezekiel 38:16 Explained

Ezekiel 38:16

KJV: 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.

YLT: And thou hast come up against My people Israel, As a cloud to cover the land, In the latter end of the days it is, And I have brought thee in against My land, In order that the nations may know Me, In My being sanctified in thee before their eyes, O Gog.

Darby: And thou shalt come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land it shall be at the end of days and I will bring thee against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be hallowed in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 38:16 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 38

1  The army
8  and malice of Gog
14  God's judgment against him

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 38:16 mean?

And You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land in latter the days it will be that I will bring you My land so that may know the nations Me when I show Myself holy in you before their eyes Gog -
וְעָלִ֙יתָ֙ עַל־ עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֶּֽעָנָ֖ן לְכַסּ֣וֹת הָאָ֑רֶץ בְּאַחֲרִ֨ית הַיָּמִ֜ים תִּֽהְיֶ֗ה וַהֲבִאוֹתִ֙יךָ֙ אַרְצִ֔י לְמַעַן֩ דַּ֨עַת הַגּוֹיִ֜ם אֹתִ֗י בְּהִקָּדְשִׁ֥י בְךָ֛ לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם גּֽוֹג ס

וְעָלִ֙יתָ֙  And  You  will  come  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עַמִּ֣י  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
כֶּֽעָנָ֖ן  like  a  cloud 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָנָן  
Sense: cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass.
לְכַסּ֣וֹת  to  cover 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בְּאַחֲרִ֨ית  in  latter 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אַחֲרִית  
Sense: after part, end.
הַיָּמִ֜ים  the  days 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
תִּֽהְיֶ֗ה  it  will  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וַהֲבִאוֹתִ֙יךָ֙  that  I  will  bring  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אַרְצִ֔י  My  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לְמַעַן֩  so  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
דַּ֨עַת  may  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
הַגּוֹיִ֜ם  the  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֹתִ֗י  Me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בְּהִקָּדְשִׁ֥י  when  I  show  Myself  holy 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: קָדַשׁ  
Sense: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.
בְךָ֛  in  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם  before  their  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, cdc, third person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
גּֽוֹג  Gog 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוג  
Sense: a Reubenite, son of Shemaiah.
ס    - 
Parse: Punctuation