*H Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal: and prophesy of him,
Ver. 2. Gog. This name, which signifies hidden, or covered, is taken in this place either for the persecutors of the Church of God in general, or some arch persecutor in particular; such as Antichrist shall be in the latter days. See Apoc. xx. 8. And what is said of the punishment of Gog, is verified by the unhappy end of persecutors. — Magog. Scythia or Tartary, whence the Turks and other enemies of the Church of Christ originally sprung. Ch. — These are supposed to be the princes of some northern and barbarous country, (W.) peopled by the son of Japhet. S. Jer. — S. Aug. (de Civ. Dei. xx. 11.) observes, that as the Church is spread everywhere, so also are persecutors. But Christ will overcome them all. W. — This prophecy is very difficult. It seems literally to refer to Cambyses, who invaded Judea about seventy years after the temple had been destroyed, and perished by the hand of God, at Ecbatana, upon Mount Carmel. It is very usual with the prophets to give fictitious names; as the king of Tyre is called a cherub, and Jerusalem Ooliba. Cambyses ruled over Scythia, in Iberia; styled Gogarene, by Strabo. xi. C. — The proper Scythia withstood all the attempts of his successors, and defeated Darius. H.
* Footnote * Apocalypse 20 : 7
And when the thousand years shall be finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go forth and seduce the nations which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog: and shall gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.*H And I will turn thee about, and I will put a bit in thy jaws: and I will bring thee forth, and all thy army, horses and horsemen all clothed with coats of mail, a great multitude, armed with spears and shields and swords.
Ver. 4. Jaws. Thus Cambyses treated the son of Psammenites. God has the most absolute dominion over all monarchs. v. 7.
*H After many days thou shalt be visited: at the end of years thou shalt come to the land that is returned from the sword, and is gathered out of many nations, to the mountains of Israel which have been continually waste: but it hath been brought forth out of the nations, and they shall all of them dwell securely in it.
Ver. 8. Visited, or rather "shall visit" Judea. Chal. Grot. — Cambyses invaded Egypt twelve years after the Jews had returned, and came upon them two years later, designing to plunder them, at the instigation of their malevolent neighbours. He had sustained great losses in Egypt, and was arrived at Carmel when news was brought that the false Smerdis had declared himself king. See Herod. iii. 61.
*H To take spoils, and lay hold on the prey, to lay thy hand upon them that had been wasted, and afterwards restored, and upon the people that is gathered together out of the nations, which hath begun to possess and to dwell in the midst of the earth.
Ver. 12. Midst. Lit. "navel." Heb. "Thabor," intimating a mountain rising in a plain. Judg. ix. 7. C. — Alluding to this intended blunder of the Jews lately returned, he speaks of Antichrist and of all heretics, who seek to pervert or suppress Catholics rescued from the power of the devil, by the sacraments of Christ. W.
*H Saba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tharsis, and all the lions thereof shall say to thee: Art thou come to take spoils? behold, thou hast gathered thy multitude to take a prey, to take silver, and gold, and to carry away goods and substance, and to take rich spoils.
Ver. 13. Tharsis. Sept. "Carthage, and all their villages." The merchants or naval forces of Cambyses spurred him forward, (see Ps. lxxvii. 6.) as well as the Arabs, Cuthites, &c. 1 Esd. iv. 8. C.
*H And thou shalt come upon my people of Israel like a cloud, to cover the earth. Thou shalt be in the latter days, and I will bring thee upon my land: that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
Ver. 16. Latter. Antichrist shall persecute the Church at the end of the world. W. — After Cambyses had punished Egypt, his turn came, and all his designs were baffled.
*H Thus saith the Lord God: Thou then art he, of whom I have spoken in the days of old, by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in the days of those times that I would bring thee upon them.
Ver. 17. Prophets. See Is. xiv. & xvi. 21. and xxvi. 1. Jer. xxx. 3. and 23. Joel ii. 30. iii. 1. &c.
*H And I have spoken in my zeal, and in the fire of my anger, that in that day there shall be a great commotion upon the land of Israel:
Ver. 19. Israel. The Jews shall be full of dismay, (v. 20.) as the tyrant will vent some threats; (C.) or this commotion was in his own army. H.
* Footnote * Matthew 24 : 29
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be moved.* Footnote * Luke 21 : 25
And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea, and of the waves:*H And I will call in the sword against him in all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be pointed against his brother.
Ver. 21. Sword. The Jews were not in a condition to make resistance. C. — Cambyses had his brother Smerdis slain. But another was set on the throne; whereupon, mounting his horse in a fury, he wounded himself with his sword in the thigh, which mortifying, caused his death after twenty days. Herod. iii. 21. &c. — The historian does not mention what became of his army; but it seems to have perished by discord, as was very common among such a collection of nations. See Jud. vii. 22. Judith xv. 1. and 1 K. xiv. 20. and 4 K. ii. 21. C. — They were now without a head. H. — In the whole universe, God will at last destroy Antichrist and all his adherents. W.
*H And I will judge him with pestilence, and with blood, and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many nations that are with him.
Ver. 22. Pestilence. His wound might be thus described. — Blood. Thus was he punished for shedding that of innocent people. C.