Ezekiel 38:1-2

The Lord commanded Ezekiel to utter an oracle of judgment against Gog (cf. 1 Chronicles 5:4; Revelation 20:8), who was the prince (king) over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. His land was Magog (cf. Genesis 10:2; Revelation 20:8).

The identity of this ruler has been the subject of much study and speculation. The possibilities include a Reubenite prince (1 Chronicles 5:4), a former king of Lydia named Gugu (or Gyges), an unknown "dark" figure (from the Sumerian word gug, meaning "darkness"), a man named Gagu who ruled over Sakhi (an area north of Assyria), an unspecified official ruler (taking "Gog" as a title) of a particular land (Magog), a general personal name for an otherwise unidentified enemy of Israel, or a code name for Babylon. [Note: See Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 929; and Cooper, pp. 331-33.] It is probably safe to say at least that "Gog" refers to the name or title of a ruler who will be active in history while Israel is dwelling safely in her land (cf. Ezekiel 38:8). Perhaps Ezekiel referred to this unnamed future enemy of Israel as a dark figure (unknown and evil) calling him "Dark" much as we might refer to such a person as a new Hitler. [Note: Allen, Ezekiel 20-48, pp. 204-5.] This may be the future "king of the North" (cf. Daniel 11:40-45). I think it is here, but Gog also represents another important eschatological figure.

The land of Magog probably refers to the former domain of the Scythians, who lived in the mountains between the Black and Caspian seas. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . . ., 1:6:1. Cf. Carl Armerding, "Russia and the King of the North," Bibliotheca Sacra 120:477 (January-March 1963):50-55.] Gog will also have authority over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Rosh (lit. "head" or "chief") has not been identified either by biblical or extrabiblical references. The idea that it refers to Russia rests on etymological similarities, but the name Russia only came into existence in the late eleventh century A.D. [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 930.] Thus a linguistic connection between Rosh and Russia is very tenuous. [Note: Jon Ruthven, "Ezekiel’s Rosh And Russia: A Connection?" Bibliotheca Sacra 125:500 (October 1968):324-33, sought to support this connection.] Rosh may be an adjective describing the ruler of Meshech and Tubal. Meshech and Tubal occur together in Scripture (Ezekiel 27:13; Ezekiel 32:26; Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5) and apparently refer to regions of Anatolia (modern western Turkey), the areas that became known as Phrygia and Cappadocia. Some writers have connected Mesheck and Tubal with the Russian cities of Moscow and Tobolsk. [Note: E.g., The Scofield Reference Bible, p. 881.] Another writer concluded that Gomer referred to Germany. [Note: A. C. Gaebelein, The Prophet Ezekiel: An Analytical Exposition, p. 259.] But again the connection is only etymological similarity. There is no literary or historical support for these identifications. The whole region would be what is now parts of southwestern Russia, Georgia, eastern Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.