Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Ezekiel 39:4
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, &c.] Be slain, and his carcass lie there; so the Targum, “upon the mountains of the land of Israel thy carcass shall be cast:” thou and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee; Gog and his army, auxiliaries and allies: I will give thee to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured: a great part of his army being slain, should not be buried, but be devoured by birds of prey, and savage beasts; such as eagles and vultures of the former sort, and lions, bears, wolves, &c. of the latter. This was always reckoned a very sore judgment and dreadful calamity, not to have a burial, but to be exposed to birds and beasts of prey; this was threatened to the Israelites, in case of disobedience to the law of God, (<052826>Deuteronomy 28:26) and to the wicked Jews in the times of Jeremiah; and to that evil king of Judah, Jehoiakim, (<241604>Jeremiah 16:4 22:18,19) and is lamented as one of the greatest evils that could befall good men, (<197902>Psalm 79:2), and nothing was more dreadful among the Heathens themselves; hence Homerf668, among the many calamities Achilles was the cause of to the Grecians, mentions this as one, that he was the means of giving the bodies of a great number of their heroes to the dogs, and to the fowls of the air; so Virgilf669 represents the want of a burial, and being left to be fed upon by birds of prey, as severe a punishment of a wicked man as can be wished for.
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