With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him: God will punish Gog and his huge army by letting them die of diseases and by allowing others to kill them in a violent way. For pestilence and bloodshed, see 5.17. I will enter into judgment with him may be rendered “I will punish him” (Good News Translation; similarly New Living Translation, New Century Version).

And I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples that are with him, torrential rains and hailstones, fire and brimstone: God will also rain upon Gog and his army, that is, send rain to fall on them. This will not be ordinary rain. There will be torrential rains, that is, “heavy rain” (New International Reader’s Version, New Century Version), and hailstones (see the comments on 13.11). God will also send fire and brimstone on Gog and his army to destroy them. This was the way God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen 19.24) and threatened to destroy Assyria (see Isa 30.33) and Edom (see Isa 34.9). Brimstone (“burning sulfur” in Contemporary English Version) is a yellow substance that gives off a very bad smell when it burns, and people cannot breathe. It is most often found in volcanic areas. If brimstone or sulfur is unknown to readers, translators may say “burning powder” (Parole de Vie) or “fire that suffocates people.” It may not make sense in many languages for fire and brimstone to rain. If so, translators may end this verse with “and fire and burning powder will come down like rain.” For his hordes and the many peoples that are with him, see the comments on Ezek 38.6.

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 .