Who are Gog and Magog ?

We hear the phrase “Gog and Magog war” many times, but actually we do not really understand who, or what, are we talking about. In this page there are clues on the way to solve the mystery, but no definite solution is given.

In principle it is the last war that will take place in the world. After that war Isiah prophecy (2, 4) that “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” will be fulfilled.

The questions

The name of “Gog” as a leader of a fighting coalition of nations appears only in Ezekiel (38-39). And so it is written there (38,2)

 

“Son of Adam, set your face to Gog of the Magog land, president-head(=Rosh)of Meshech and Tuval…”

 

In English it seems ok. But in Hebrew it’s something like “face to Gog of the Magog Land“, which is hard to understand. Is Gog a name? Or is it descriptive such as “King” or “Zar”?

Also, the expression “the Magog land” is not clear. We know of a people called Magog in the Bible, but the name of the people is never accompanied by “the”: Land of Egypt, and not Land of the Egypt. Land of Israel, and not Land of the Israel…

However, beyond the names of Magog, Meshech and Tuval (some claim Rosh, the Hebrew noun for ‘head’, also stands as a nation name), Ezekiel describes more nations (38,5-6)

 

“Paras, Cush and Put are with them… Gomer and all its troops, the house of Togarma form the far north…”
And also (38,13)

 

“Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish…”

Who are these nations?

In the Hebrew part of the site we have provided vast information about this question. Because of the complexity of translating such context to English, we do not intend to do this here. Rather, we would include here the summarizing table of all the opinions about the question.

 

Magog Meshech Tuval Cush Put Gomer Gomerites Togarama Shva Dedan Tarshish
Midrash
Raba
Germanya Tunya Isanya  

 

Treaty
Land*
Afriqah Asya and
Hadif
Germanya
Germaniqia
 

 

 

 

El-
Sitrus
Targum
Yon. 1
Germaya Osya Yatinya Arabia Eliharak Afriqa Asya and
Parsoy
Barbaria Demergad Mazag Tartus
T.Y. 2 Germanya Mosya  

 

 

 

 

 

Afriqi Asya and
Parsoy
state of
Germamya
 

 

 

 

Tarsas
T.Y. 3 Gathya Mosyah  

 

 

 

 

 

Germanya  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bab.
Talmud
Kanadia Mosya Beth
Onayqi
 

 

 

 

Germamya  

 

 

 

Saqistan, Goyta
and Saqistan
Jeru.
Talmud
Githya Masya Vitinya  

 

 

 

Germamya Asya and
Hadayat
Germaniqia  

 

 

 

El-
Starsus
Yashar Elihoref
Lovav
Radon,
Zadon,
Shivshani
Arifi,
Kesed,
Taaray,
Tushqana
land
 

 

Gval,
Hadan
Cana
Eden
Francus
in land of
Fransa
Bartons
in land of
Bartania
Kuzar,
Farcinac,
Bulgar,
Aliqnus,
Ragvina,
Turqi, Buz,
Zaboc,
Ungar,
Tilman
 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaon of
Vilna
Cental
Europe
 

 

 

 

South
Asia
 

 

Germanya  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rasag Yagug Charsan El-Sin Habash Tafat El-Turc Sqalva and
Franga
Bargan Sind Hind Tirsus
Rasag’s
interp.
Iran
Iraq
Minor
Asia
from East
Iran to
India Mts.
China Ethiopia maybe
Sahara
minor
Asia and
Iran
Slavs and
Francs
Tajikistan near the
Indus
river
India Tirsus
in
Qiliqya
* “treaty land” in Hebrew “ARETZ HA-BRITH”. US in Hebrew: “ARETZOT HA-BRITH”

The nations’ names appear also at Genesis 10 and at 1 Chronicles 1.

You can find out more in Josephus Flavius’ Antiquities of the Jews (chapter 6)

 

How was “Gog” pronounced?

A key to the mystery of what or who is Gog, might be to know the way that this name was pronounced at the days of Ezekiel, in ancient Hebrew.

Gog is written in Hebrew with 3 letters. First is Gimmel with Dagesh, second Holam Male, and third Gimmel with no Dagesh. The Babylonian Jews have the longest tradition of the way of reading the Bible in the synagogues. When they read Gog, it is pronounced Gogh, which sounds in English like Gorr(“gh” like Arabic for “Baghdad’)

We can also try another way to see how it was pronounced. On the 7th century the Islamic religion arose in Arabia. In their book they used many Jewish phrases. They probably pronounced it in the way that Jews used to pronounce it back then. Gog is called in the book of Islam: Joj

So we have JOJ and we have GORR. Someone combined the two possible ways, and created the name GEORGE. But this is a big change from Gog.

Another interesting thing is that the name of Gog does appear one more time in the Bible, but in a rare place. In 1 Chronicles (5,1)

“Sons of Joel: Shmayah his son,Goghis son, Shim’i his son”