Thursday, March 24, 2022

Identifying Gog and Magog




In a book titled "RETHINKING EZEKIEL'S INVASION BY GOG" by J. PAUL TANNER (here), I have excerpted the following good comments. Tanner wrote (highlighting mine):

"Yamauchi states: "Since the late nineteenth century, Assyrian texts have been available which locate Meshech (Mushku) and Tubal (Tabal) in central and eastern Anatolia respectively."14 These would be located in what is today modern Turkey. For Ezekiel, Meshech and Tubal were not Russian cities but ancient ethnic groups that carried on trade with Tyre (27:13). According to Yamauchi, the Mushki of central Anatolia eventually merged with the Phrygians from the west." (pg. 32)

"Historically the area of modern-day Turkey and northern Iraq and Iran best corresponds to the geographical names designated by Ezekiel. According to Ezek 38:5, the invading force will also be made up of armies from Iran (Persia) and North Africa (Ethiopia and Put)." (33)

"5. Evaluation of the Russia connection. The connection of the Gog passage of Ezekiel 38-39 with Russia rests on two primary arguments: the etymological relationship of the place names, and the reference to the "remote parts of the earth." As demonstrated above, the use of the place names to make an argument for Russia is extremely weak. "Rosh" is better translated "chief," and the other names are clearly identified with people groups of the Middle East. The phrase in Ezekiel translated "remote parts of the north" does not have to mean something so restricted as Russia to the far north of Israel. A careful study of yarkëtê säpon reveals that it either means a place of high elevation or that it refers to countries of the Middle East in closer proximity to Israel. "North" refers not so much to the precise geographical direction from Israel, but rather to the direction of advance and attack upon Israel (armies came against Israel from the north). This is how Jeremiah viewed Babylonia, though Babylonia was technically to the east. Consequently there is no firm basis on which to interpret Gog as Russia." (35)

I think that is right. What think ye?

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