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In studying Ezekiel 39:2 I have noticed a similarity in what is referred to online as the phonetic rendering of the Hebrew word translated “sixth” and the word translated “bow down” or "worship".

Eze 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

H8338 שָׁשָׁא phonetically shaw-shaw (denominate by sixths in KJV), [Reference used for Eze 39:2], https://www.franknelte.net/article.php?article_id=383.

And -

H7812 שָׁחָה phonetically shaw-khaw (bow down)

Could someone please comment regarding whether there is a similarity greater than just a phonetic one?

I ask this because of the apparent conversion of some of the so-called “heathen” in Ezekiel 38:16.

I wonder if the "denominating by sixths" references any reflection upon God's act of causing the "bowing down or humbling of the heathen" which occurs in those verses?

Dividing anything by "sixths" would diminish the whole. The concept of "humbling" could then be understood through the act of division.

The concept of dividing by sixths would result in a divided group. The word is only used once in the Bible. Phonetically it resembles the word meaning to "humble" (H7812 שָׁחָה phonetically shaw-khaw (bow down). This is the only similarity I am aware of which could further define the action that God is taking in this verse. God uses division for His purposes, as He did when He divided the languages at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). It would make sense that the use of the concept with regard to His enemies in this verse would be similar. In general it could be simply so that they do not attack Israel as a unified force.

Strong's No.: H8338, Hebrew: שָׁשָׁא, Transliteration: shâshâʼ, Phonetic shaw-shaw' Bible Usage: leave but the sixth part [by confusion with H8341].

Strong's No.: H7812, Hebrew: שָׁחָה, Transliteration: shâchâh, Phonetic: shaw-khaw', Bible Usage: bow (self) {down} {crouch} fall down ({flat}) humbly {beseech} do (make) {obeisance} do {reverence} make to {stoop} worship.

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No, it has the meaning of reducing the size of Gog's army.

The KJV, BRJ, GNV, JUB have an interpreted translation at Ezek. 39:2 that the the other English translations including the Interlinear and Young's do not include.

"And have turned thee back, and enticed thee, And caused thee to come up from the sides of the north, And brought thee in against mountains of Israel," (Ezek. 39:2, YLT)

or -

"and I will turn you around and lead you on and bringing you up from far the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel" (Interlinear)

The interpretation of the "sixth part" is based upon an old primitive root "shishshah" (Strong's Gr. 8341) meaning to give a sixth part of. (1)

It helps to identify the parameters / limits of the Ezekiel prophesy.

  1. This battle was prophesied for the destruction of Jerusalem, "against the land brought back from the sword" (Ezek. 38:4) God said He was going to bring Gog upon the mountains of Israel. So this battle was a battle against the people He brought out of the Babylonian captivity and who rebuilt Jerusalem in Judea.

  2. The time of this battle was set for the "latter end of the years" (Ezek. 38:4), which did not mean the end of time, but the end of the Mosaic covenant, and the end of that animal sacrificial temple in Jerusalem. These "end of days," "last days," and "latter end" all referred to the 2nd destruction of Jerusalem. (2)

  3. The lands of Gog, or Magog, were identified in the prophesy by their Persian names, which were the names Ezekiel knew during that time under the Persian empire. As lands are named by the rulers of those lands, then the names were changed over the succeeding centuries by other rulers. But they were the same land areas and were mostly in modern day Turkey, the northern coastal area of Africa, and the Sudan along the Nile; all of which were under the rule of the ancient Roman empire in the 1st century AD. (3)

  1. The prince (rosh) who was going to be leading that army - "all thy force, horses and horsemen" (Ezek. 38:4) - was going to be led by God - "I have put hooks in thy jaws" - to lead that judgment desolation battle against Jerusalem.

The first destruction of Jerusalem had already happened when God gave the prophesy of Gog and Magog to Ezekiel. The prophesy of Ezek. 38-39 was set for a long time in the future (Ezek. 38:8, "after many days"). Therefore the next destruction of Jerusalem was the 2nd destruction of Jerusalem that occurred in the battle of the Roman-Jewish war of AD 67-70.

And, we can now identify the leader of that army, or the prince (rosh) who led that army as Vespasian, and then his son Titus to finish it. The interesting thing about the sixth part is that the number of Roman legions before the Year of Four Emperors was 28. They lost 4 of those legions in the civil wars of the Year of Four Emperors, reducing the number of legions to 24 in AD 69/70. (4)

A sixth part of 24 legions is 4. Vespasian called in 4 legions to the battle against Jerusalem and all Judea: the X Fretensis, the XII Fulminata, the V Macedonian, and the XV Apollonaris. These 4 legions destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.

The Ezekiel prophesy was fulfilled under Vespasian and his son Titus in AD 70.

See Ezekiel in Revelation - Part V: The Time of Gog ShreddingTheVeil, and Ezekiel in Revelation - Part VII: Who Was Gog here, and Ezekiel in Revelation - Part VIII: On The Mountains of Israel here.

Notes:

  1. Strong's Gr. 8338 "shasah" from Strong's Gr. 8341 "shishshah" which is a denominative from "shesh" - Biblehub

  2. See all 10 parts of my posts "It's Not The End of the World", and "Daniel and the End Times", and "The Signs of the Feasts" and many others at my blog ShreddingTheVeil

  3. See my post "Ezekiel Part VI: The Land of Gog" here

  4. The Year of Four Emperors and the Demise of Four Roman Legions here

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