Ezekiel 38:11-12 - Exposition

give voice to the things that should come into Gog's mind and incite him to his enterprise against Israel. The spectacle of Israel dwelling safely, i.e. securely and confidently, in a land of un-walled villages —literally, a land of open places , as opposed to fortified cities— i.e. of towns without walls , and having neither bars nor gates (comp Zechariah 2:4 , Zechariah 2:5 ; Deuteronomy 3:5 ; 1 Samuel 6:18 ), because of being no more apprehensive of invasion, should excite within his bosom the thought that Israel would fall an easy prey to his assault; and this thought again should kindle in his bosom the lust of conquest which should finally impel him to the sinful project described, viz. to take a spoil and to take a prey; literally, to spoil the spoil (comp. Ezekiel 29:19 ; Isaiah 10:6 ) and to prey the prey ( Isaiah 33:23 ). In execution of this he would fall upon the once desolate but then inhabited places, upon the once scattered but then collected population, upon the previously poor but then wealthy inhabitants, who should then have gotten cattle and goods ( cattle and chattel best renders the Hebrew parouomasia, mikneh vekinyan ), as the patriarchs of their nation had once done ( Genesis 34:23 ; Genesis 36:6 ), and who should then be dwelling in the midst of the land ; literally, in the height , or, navel ( LXX ; Vulgate), of the earth (comp. 9:37 ), the Hebrews generally regarding Palestine as the Greeks did Delphi, both as the middle (Ezekiel v 5) and perhaps therefore if not as the highest (Gesenius), at least as the fairest and most fertile portion of the earth.