Hebrew word · H1463

גּוֹג

gog

Gog

A personal name. In Ezekiel it is the name of the ruler 'of the land of Magog' (38:2). The same name belongs to a Reubenite in 1 Chr 5:4. The Septuagint also puts it in Num 24:7 and Amos 7:1.

Appears 10 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

Gog = "mountain"

the land of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and Magog

Also named: Gōg (Γώγ "Gog" G1136)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 39:1

Range of meaning: A personal name. In Ezekiel it is the name of the ruler 'of the land of Magog' (38:2). The same name belongs to a Reubenite in 1 Chr 5:4. The Septuagint also puts it in Num 24:7 and Amos 7:1.
Against the English: English versions all transliterate the name. The question is not translation but identity.
Used elsewhere in the period: Most scholars connect it with Gyges (Akkadian Gugu), king of Lydia in western Anatolia (c. 680–644 BC). He appears in Ashurbanipal's annals as a ruler from a distant land. 'Magog' may mean 'land of Gog' (ma- as a place prefix, though this is debated). Later Jewish tradition (Targums, rabbinic writings) and Revelation 20:8 turn 'Gog and Magog' into symbols of the nations' final assault on God's people.

From the study of Ezekiel 38:2

Range of meaning: Gog is a personal name. Magog is a people or land. In Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5, Magog appears beside Gomer, Madai, Javan, Tubal and Meshech among the sons of Japheth: the northern and western peoples on the edge of Israel's map. Here the land is 'the Magog', and some take the 'ma-' as a place prefix ('Gog-land').
Against the English: KJV, 'Gog, the land of Magog', can make it sound as if Gog is the land. The Hebrew sets 'the land of Magog' beside Gog as his home, and most modern versions add 'of': 'Gog, of the land of Magog'.
How it drifted: Later Jewish and Christian tradition (Revelation 20:8; rabbinic 'war of Gog and Magog') turned 'Gog and Magog' into a pair of names for the final hostile nations in general. Readers then carry that back into Ezekiel, where Gog is a ruler and Magog is his land.
Used elsewhere in the period: Assyrian annals of Ashurbanipal name Gugu (Gyges) of Lydia, a 7th-century Anatolian king, as a famous far-off ruler. Josephus (Antiquities 1.123) identifies Magog's descendants with the Scythians. The Septuagint inserts Gog in Numbers 24:7 (in place of Agag) and in Amos 7:1, which shows that by then Gog had become a symbol of an end-time enemy.

From the study of Ezekiel 38:16

Range of meaning: A personal name or title for the ruler 'of the land of Magog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal' (38:2). Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible the name appears only in 1 Chr 5:4, as an unrelated Reubenite.
Against the English: All the versions transliterate it. NIV and BSB move the vocative earlier in the sentence. The Hebrew puts it last, for emphasis.
How it drifted: Modern prophecy teaching has linked Gog with Russia or other present-day powers. That rests mostly on reading 'Rosh' in 38:2 as a place name and on similar-sounding names (Meshech/Moscow), not on Hebrew or historical evidence.
Used elsewhere in the period: Many scholars connect the name with Gyges (Akkadian Gugu), a 7th-century BCE king of Lydia in western Anatolia (modern Turkey), known from the annals of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. Meshech and Tubal are the Mushki and Tabal of Assyrian texts, peoples of central and eastern Anatolia. Later Jewish and Christian writing turned 'Gog and Magog' into a symbol for the final enemies of God (Rev 20:8; Sibylline Oracles 3).

Where it appears

1 Chronicles · 1

1 Chronicles 5:4 גּ֥וֹג Gog

The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

Ezekiel · 9

Ezekiel 38:2 גּוֹג֙ Gog

“Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him

Here: The personal name of the ruler being addressed. He is a figure from the far northern edge of the known world. His identity is debated; one proposal links him to Gyges (Assyrian 'Gugu'), the 7th-century king of Lydia.
Ezekiel 38:3 גּ֔וֹג O Gog

and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Ezekiel 38:14 לְג֔וֹג to Gog

Therefore prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog that this is what the Lord GOD says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not take notice of this?
Ezekiel 38:16 גּֽוֹג׃ ס O Gog

You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy in you before their eyes.

Here: 'O Gog.' God addresses the invading ruler directly. In Hebrew the name comes last, which gives it emphasis: the whole verse is spoken to his face.
Ezekiel 38:18 גוֹג֙ Gog

Now on that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, My wrath will flare up.
Ezekiel 39:1 גּ֔וֹג גּ֔וֹג Gog, O Gog

“As for you, O son of man, prophesy against Gog and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

Here: The ruler at the centre of chapters 38–39. He leads a vast coalition from the far edges of the known world. The name probably echoes a known Anatolian king (see studies), but here it works as the name of the last great enemy.
Ezekiel 39:11 לְגוֹג֩׀ גּוֹג֙ to Gog, Gog

And on that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.