The Meaning of Ezekiel 38:17 Explained

Ezekiel 38:17

KJV: 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?

YLT: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in former days, By the hand of My servants, prophets of Israel, Who are prophesying in those days -- years, To bring thee in against them?

Darby: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou not he of whom I have spoken in old time through my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days, for many years, that I would bring thee against them?

ASV: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Ezekiel 38:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord asked rhetorically if it was Gog about whom He had spoken through His other servants the prophets many years earlier. "Are you he of whom the prophets spoke?" Yes, he was. This was not the first revelation of a powerful enemy whom God would bring against the Israelites (cf. Deuteronomy 31:17; Psalm 2:1-3; Isaiah 14:24-25; Isaiah 26:20-21; Isaiah 29:1-8; Jeremiah 4:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Jeremiah 30:18-24; Joel 2:20; Joel 3:9-21; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Zephaniah 3:8; Zephaniah 3:15-20; Zechariah 12:2-3; Zechariah 14:2).

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 38:17 mean?

thus says the Lord GOD Are [you] he of whom I have spoken in days former by My servants the prophets of Israel who prophesied in days those for years that I would bring you against them -
כֹּֽה־ אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הַֽאַתָּה־ ה֨וּא אֲשֶׁר־ דִּבַּ֜רְתִּי בְּיָמִ֣ים קַדְמוֹנִ֗ים בְּיַד֙ עֲבָדַי֙ נְבִיאֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַֽנִּבְּאִ֛ים בַּיָּמִ֥ים הָהֵ֖ם שָׁנִ֑ים לְהָבִ֥יא אֹתְךָ֖ עֲלֵיהֶֽם ס

כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֞ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֗ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
הַֽאַתָּה־  Are  [you] 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
אֲשֶׁר־  of  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
דִּבַּ֜רְתִּי  I  have  spoken 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
בְּיָמִ֣ים  in  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
קַדְמוֹנִ֗ים  former 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: קַדְמֹנִי  
Sense: former, ancient, eastern.
עֲבָדַי֙  My  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
נְבִיאֵ֣י  the  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  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.
הַֽנִּבְּאִ֛ים  who  prophesied 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
בַּיָּמִ֥ים  in  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הָהֵ֖ם  those 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
שָׁנִ֑ים  for  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
לְהָבִ֥יא  that  I  would  bring 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עֲלֵיהֶֽם  against  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
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.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation