So that the fishes of the sea shall shake at my presence,.... From whence it appears that this great shaking shall not be on account of the army of Gog, and the devastations that it shall make; but on account of the powerful presence of God, which will be manifest in the destruction of his army: and what is here said of the shaking of the fishes of the sea,and the fowls of the heaven, and the beast of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the earth, must be understood figuratively and hyperbolically, as Kimchi observes, and in allusion to earthquakes, which both shake and terrify all kind of creatures; the blow given to Gog will be so terrible, that all nature will seem to be thrown into a convulsion and agitation by it; see Jer 4:24:and the mountains shall be thrown down; as they are sometimes by earthquakes; and as the mount of Olives will at this time cleave asunder; and perhaps other mountains will, as Kimchi observes, see Zec 14:2:and the steep places shall fall; the Targum renders the word "towers"; and so the Syriac version, and Piscator: the word signifies stairs or steps , such as in a ladder; and is translated "stairs", So 2:14 it seems to me to design such mounts as are raised by besiegers of a city, by means of which they may be able to scale the walls of it, which Jarchi suggests; though he says he had heard it said that these, are rocks bending over and hanging, and appear as if they were falling; which agrees with our version; and it may be observed, in some of those precipices, there are like stairs or steps to go up them:and every wall shall fall to the ground: this shows that the words are not to be taken literally, but figuratively; only to express how sensibly the power of God should be felt and perceived by all creatures, and in all parts of the land; since now the Jews will dwell in a land of unwalled villages, and in cities without walls, bars, and gates; see Eze 38:11.
Bible Commentary
Ezekiel 38:20
Ezekiel 38:20
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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Ezekiel 38 — OverviewEzekiel 38 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThis chapter, and that which follows it, are concerning Gog and Magog,
a powerful enemy to the people of Israel, that should make a formidable
descent upon them, and put them into a consternation, but their army…Ezekiel 38 — OverviewEzekiel 38 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeEzekiel 38:1, The army, Ezekiel 38:8, and malice of Gog; Ezekiel 38:14, God’s judgment against him.Ezekiel 38 — OverviewEzekiel 38 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThis chapter gives an account of an enemy of the Jews, under the name of Gog, that shall invade their land, and disturb their peace, after they are settled in it; who is described by the countries over which he rules;…Ezekiel 38:14-23Ezekiel 38:14-23 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThis latter part of the chapter is a repetition of the former; the
dream is doubled, for the thing is certain and to be very carefully
regarded.
I. It is here again foretold that this spiteful enemy should make a…Ezekiel 38:20Ezekiel 38:20 · Treasury of Scripture Knowledgethe fishes: Jeremiah 4:23-26; Hosea 4:3; Nahum 1:4-6; Zechariah 14:4-5; Revelation 6:12-13
steep places: or, towers, or stairs, Isaiah 30:25; 2 Corinthians 10:4