Limitless Word
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
Ezekiel 38:5 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
  • KJV Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
  • BSB Persia, Cush, and Put will accompany them, all with shields and helmets,
  • NASB Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with buckler and helmet;
  • NLT Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Persia, Cush, and Put join Gog's army with shield and helmet. The coalition gathers nations from far-flung regions.

Overview

Distant peoples from the south and east are listed among Gog's allies, picturing a vast confederation against God's people. The sweep of nations underscores the scale of the threat. Yet the gathering of many enemies only sets the stage for the greater display of God's delivering power.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Ezek 27:10Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in you; they showed your beauty.
  • Gen 10:6The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
  • Ezek 30:5Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all the mixed people, and Cub, and the children of the land that is allied with them, shall fall with them by the sword.
  • 1 Chr 1:8The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
  • Nah 3:9Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
  • Gen 10:8Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 38:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.

How Ezekiel 38:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.