I will summon every kind of terror against Gog: Summon may be translated “call for” (New Century Version), “command,” or “cause to come.” Every kind of terror is a guess, based on the Septuagint. Many other translations also follow this reading (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Although the Hebrew here is not very clear, it produces a reasonable meaning. It reads literally “And I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains” (similarly New International Version, New Living Translation, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Christian Community Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). If “sword” is taken to mean “war” (New Century Version), the meaning of this clause is that God will cause Gog to be attacked when he is marching through the hill country of Israel. “My mountains” are the mountains of the land of Israel. This interpretation fits well in the context and is supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. A way of translating it is “I will bring war on Gog in the mountains of Israel.”

The solemn formal declaration says the Lord GOD confirms God’s message (see verse 18). For the Lord GOD, see Ezek 38.3.

Every man’s sword will be against his brother means all of Gog’s soldiers will begin to fight against each other. New International Reader’s Version says “Your men will use their swords against one another.” For sword see 5.1.

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 .