Gog and Magog in Later Traditions

Gog and Magog have been consistent features in apocalyptic rhetoric throughout history, a witness to the power of God to defeat His enemies and rescue faithful ones from oppression and violence. In describing Yahweh’s destruction of Gog’s army, Ezekiel established metaphorical patterns that became central in both Jewish and Christian apocalyptic traditions. In the Qumran War Scroll, Gog appears as the recipient of God’s final judgment (1QM 11:16–17). In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are two nations that fight on the side of Satan in the final battle against God. They are devoured by fire from heaven while the devil is cast into eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:9–10).

Jewish and Christian interpreters have long attempted to identify these elusive names and places. Gog and Magog were identified in early Judaism with the Scythians, and they appear in the later Jewish apocalyptic tradition (3 Enoch 45:5, Sibylline Oracles 3:319–322, and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan 11:26). Ancient Christian references include:

• Augustine’s interpretation that Gog and Magog represent those in whom the devil dwells and the devil himself (City of God 10.11)

• Theodoret’s identification of them with the Huns who threaten civilization (Ecclesiastical History 5.37.4).

• Christian apocalypticists have identified Gog as any number of historical enemies, from Rome and the Goths to the Mongols and the Russians.