Commentary - Ezekiel 39:11-16

Bird's-eye view

Following the cataclysmic destruction of Gog's invading hordes, the prophet Ezekiel turns his attention to the aftermath. This is not simply a matter of cleaning up a battlefield; it is a profound act of covenantal cleansing. The sheer scale of the carnage is meant to communicate the totality of God's victory and the utter defilement that His enemies represent. The land, which is Yahweh's land, had been threatened by a pagan multitude, and so it must be ceremonially and physically purified. This section details the immense, seven-month-long project of burying the dead, a task so vast it requires the participation of all the people of Israel and even a specialized, permanent crew of buriers. The purpose is twofold: to cleanse the land and to establish a permanent memorial to the glorious victory God has won for His people. This is not just sanitation; it is sanctification. The naming of the valley and the city serves to etch this mighty act of God into the geography and memory of the nation forever.

In the grand sweep of redemption, this passage serves as a type. The historical defeat of a northern invader that threatened old covenant Israel becomes a picture of the greater victory Christ wins over His enemies. The world, groaning under the defilement of sin, is cleansed by the work of the Church, which patiently and diligently buries the old ways of death. The glory God receives here is a foretaste of the glory He receives in the triumphant advance of the gospel, which cleanses hearts and nations, making them habitable for the presence of God.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

Ezekiel 38 and 39 form a literary unit describing the invasion and subsequent annihilation of "Gog, of the land of Magog." This prophecy comes at the climax of a long section (chapters 25-32) detailing God's judgments against the pagan nations surrounding Israel. After pronouncing doom on these nations, Ezekiel turns to the glorious restoration of Israel itself (chapters 33-37), culminating in the vision of the valley of dry bones. The Gog and Magog prophecy, then, functions as the ultimate test of this restoration. Will the newly revived Israel be able to stand? The answer is a resounding yes, but not by their own strength. God Himself intervenes to protect His people and, more importantly, to vindicate His holy name among the nations. Chapter 39 focuses on the results of God's victory, showing the utter destruction of the enemy and the subsequent blessing and security of Israel. Our passage, verses 11-16, is the bridge between the description of the destruction and the theological summary of why it all happened.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

11 “And it will be in that day, that I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his multitude, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-gog.”

The first thing to notice is who is acting. "I will give Gog a burial ground." God is sovereign even in the disposal of His enemies' corpses. Gog came to seize land, and the only piece of Israel he will ever possess is a grave. This is high irony. The land he sought to conquer now conquers him, swallowing him up. The location, "the valley of those who pass by east of the sea," likely refers to a major trade route. The burial of this immense army will be so disruptive that it will literally "block off" the road. This is not a quiet, out-of-the-way affair. God's judgment is a public spectacle. It stops traffic. It disrupts the normal course of worldly affairs. The world must stop and take notice of what God has done. The naming of the place is also significant. It is no longer just a valley; it is now the valley of "Hamon-gog," which means "the multitude of Gog." The place is forever defined by the judgment that occurred there. Just as we remember Waterloo or Gettysburg, this place becomes a permanent monument to God's triumphant power over the insolent pride of man.

12 “And for seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.”

The timeframe here is staggering. Seven months. In the biblical pattern, the number seven signifies completion and perfection. This is a complete and perfect cleansing. The task is not rushed; it is done thoroughly. The defilement was great, and so the purification must be correspondingly great. This is not primarily about public health, though that is certainly a consequence. The main point is ceremonial and covenantal: "in order to cleanse the land." Under the Mosaic law, contact with a dead body rendered a person unclean (Num. 19:11-16). An unburied corpse defiled the land itself (Deut. 21:23). For the holy people to live in the holy land, this massive source of uncleanness must be dealt with. The entire "house of Israel" is involved. This is a corporate act of reconsecration. They are reclaiming the land from the defilement of the pagans and rededicating it to the Lord through this painstaking, national effort.

13 “Even all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be unto their name on the day that I glorify Myself,” declares Lord Yahweh.

This verse reinforces the corporate nature of the task. "All the people of the land" will participate. This is not a job for a designated few, but a responsibility for everyone. Why? Because the victory belongs to everyone, and so the resulting purification is everyone's duty. The result is that this act will be "unto their name," meaning it will bring them renown and a reputation. But this fame is not their own doing. It comes "on the day that I glorify Myself." Israel's renown is a direct result of God's self-glorification. When God vindicates His own name, His people are elevated along with it. Our identity and our honor are always derivative, flowing from His. We get the good name when He gets the glory. This is the fundamental principle of the covenant. God acts for His own name's sake, and in so doing, He blesses and establishes His people.

14 “Now they will set apart men who will continually pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.”

The seven-month national campaign is the first phase. But the cleansing must be absolute. So, a professional, full-time crew is commissioned. "Men who will continually pass through the land." This is their job. Their task is to find any last remnant of the defilement, any bone fragment that might have been missed. The language is meticulous. After the initial seven months of overwhelming work, they begin a systematic "search." This shows an extraordinary commitment to holiness. It is not enough to deal with the ninety-nine percent. Every last trace of death must be removed. This is a picture of sanctification. It is not enough to deal with the big, obvious sins. The Christian life involves this kind of continual, detailed searching of our hearts and lives, rooting out any remaining uncleanness, so that the land of our heart might be fully consecrated to the Lord.

15 “And those who pass through the land will pass through, and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog.”

Here we see the system in action. The responsibility extends even to the ordinary traveler. Anyone who happens upon a bone is not to touch it, lest he become unclean himself, but he is to "set up a marker." He participates in the cleansing by identifying the problem so that the specialists, "the buriers," can come and deal with it properly. This is a beautiful illustration of the body of Christ at work. Not everyone has the same function, but everyone has a role in maintaining the purity of the community. Some are gifted to identify problems, to mark them out. Others are gifted to come alongside and do the hard work of restoration and burial. The goal is the same: to remove the defilement and transport it to the designated place of judgment, the valley of Hamon-gog. Nothing is left to chance. Every last remnant of the enemy is dealt with, and the land is made clean.

16 “And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.”

Not only is the valley named, but a nearby city is also named "Hamonah," which simply means "multitude." The memory of this event is now woven into the very fabric of their daily lives. They live in a city whose name reminds them of the multitude of enemies God destroyed. Their maps are redrawn by God's salvation. This is what God's great acts in history do. They redefine our reality. The Exodus redefined Israel. The cross and resurrection have redefined the world. The conclusion is simple and emphatic: "So they will cleanse the land." This is the result of all this activity. The goal is achieved. The land is purified, the people are secure, and God is glorified. This is the pattern of God's work throughout history. He defeats His enemies, He cleanses His people, and He establishes His name forever.