And you shall be filled at my table with horses and riders, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors: At my table refers to the feast that God will prepare. Here he pictures all the food laid out on a table, and the birds and animals sitting around it and eating. Of course, the birds and animals will be eating the bodies of the dead soldiers on the ground, but it is good to keep the picture if possible. If a table is unknown in some cultures, translators may use another appropriate term for a place where food is laid out ready to be eaten, for example, “banana leaves.” Or they may use a generic expression, such as “place [or, furniture] where people eat.” A model for at my table is “at the place I prepare for you to have your feast.” Horses and riders and mighty men and all kinds of warriors refer to the food that the birds and animals will eat. Gog’s army will have many cavalry troops in it, and it is likely that many of the horses (see 17.15) will be killed at the same time as their riders, so they will become part of the food that the birds and animals will eat. The Hebrew word for riders refers both to those who actually ride the horses and to the men who drive the chariots that the horses pull along. For mighty men, see verse 18. The Hebrew expression for all kinds of warriors refers to all kinds of soldiers. They may include those who fight with spears, swords or clubs, those who fight on horseback or ride on chariots, those who shoot with bows and arrows, and so on. A model for this whole sentence is “When you eat my food at this feast, you will have horses and their riders to eat. You will have great heroes and soldiers of all kinds to eat. You will eat so much food that you will become completely full.”

Says the Lord GOD: This formal declaration highlights again the importance of what God is saying (see Ezek 39.5).

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .