In last week’s blog, we discovered that Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 38:1-6 described a “prince” (or a significant official) by the name of “Gog” in the land of “Magog” who would come against God’s people “advancing like a storm” and “covering the land like a cloud” in order to “seize spoil and carry off plunder.” Ezekiel further identified Gog as the “prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal which are smaller nations in the Persian Empire under the authority of Gog. And we discovered that all of the nations mentioned in the prophecy were part of the growing Persian Empire after they defeated the Babylonians, and that Gog was the chief prince or ruling authority over those Persian nations.  

We also asked the question: “Why was Ezekiel warning his people of a coming ‘invasion’ by Gog as he leads the nations of Magog into battle against God’s people during a time of relative peace in the Persian Empire?” We discovered last week that Ezekiel’s vision was seen in around 580 BC, and although this prophecy would focus upon those Jews who remained in Persia, the ramifications would extend across the empire to the land of Israel itself, where tens of thousands had already returned to their homeland before the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt.

Looking ahead, Ezekiel’s vision and prophecy in about 580 BC was actually fulfilled in about 480 BC (100 years later) during the reign of the Persian King Ahasuerus (his name in Hebrew) or Xerxes (his name in Greek). This was also the time when Esther was queen in the ancient Persian Empire. Furthermore, as previously noted, this was also a time of relative peace for the Jews, whether they were living in Persia or in Israel.  Now it’s time for us connect the dots from Ezekiel’s prophecy to the events in the Book of Esther.

In the book of Esther, we are introduced to a man named Haman who loved power, prominence, and riches, one who perfectly fits the description of Gog in Ezekiel’s prophecy a hundred years prior. Let’s look at the Book of Esther as the author describes Haman who:

“…recounted the glory of his riches, and the number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him, and how he had promoted him above all the princes and servants of the king” (Esther 5:12).

Furthermore, we find that Haman was “the enemy of all the Jews” (Esther 8:1) who “schemed against them to destroy them” (Esther 9:24). In short, Haman’s primary objective was to:

“Destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in a single day: the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and to seize their possessions” (Esther 3:13).

Let’s dig a little deeper into who Haman actually was. The Book of Esther tells us that Haman was an Agagite (Esther 3:1, 10; 8:3,5; 9:24). That means, he was a descendant of Agag, the King of the Amalekites whom King Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin) was supposed to “blot out” about 500 years earlier (see Deut 25:19; 1 Sam 15:2-3). And so, Haman the Agagite was descended from Agag, King of Israel’s ancient enemy, the Amalekites. Interestingly, Mordecai (Esther’s adopted father, Esther 2:7) was a descendant of Saul, both being from the Tribe of Benjamin. The ancient conflict that was unfinished over 500 years prior during the reign of Saul is now brought to a head in the Book of Esther.

But there is more to the story. Interestingly, there is a connection between Gog and Agag, ancient king of the Amalekites. They both appear in the Old Testament in the Book of Numbers which refers to a prominent official who will be “raised up” and “his kingdom will increase” (Numbers 24:7). Interestingly, the Hebrew translation of this verse refers to this official as Agag, while in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) refers to him as Gog. If we favor the Septuagint translation, then we could refer to Haman as a “Gogite” instead of an “Agagite.” Of course, this would fit Ezekiel’s prophecy perfectly. (Note: A special “thank you” to Robert Cruickshank for his insights on the background and derivation of the names of Agag and Gog).

If you have read the Book of Esther, you are aware that Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews was uncovered and the King of Persia actually had Haman and his family hung on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The “Gog” of Ezekiel turned out to be the “Gog” of Esther, that is, Haman the “Agagite” is actually Haman the “Gogite.” Finally, the ancient enemy of the Jews (the Amalekites, with Agag, their king during Saul’s time) were finally exterminated when Haman, the descendent of Agag, was hung on his own gallows.

So, in my opinion, there is no need to continue making prognostications about the lands to the north invading Israel in order to exterminate the Jews. It was Gog, or Haman, the ancient “Prince” of Magog, and his entire family who were exterminated during the days of Esther the Queen of Persia. And that’s the real story of Gog and Magog!