The Nations of Gog and Magog
Joel Richardson
The following article represents a partial catalog of support for the view
that Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah are primarily in Asia Minor
or modern day Turkey. First, below is the map I created, detailing my
identification of the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 & 39.
What follows is a collection of maps from various Bible atlases, as well as
other biblical reference works
- The Oxford Bible Atlas says of Meshech and Tubal are, “regions in Asia Minor
[Turkey].” - The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary states, “Magog, possibly meaning
‘the land of Gog,’ was no doubt in Asia Minor [Turkey] and may refer to Lydia.” - The IVP Bible Background Commentary lists Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and
Togarmah as “sections or peoples in Asia Minor” [Turkey]. - The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, under the entry for “Magog,” states, “It is
clear that Lydia [Turkey] is meant, and that by ‘Magog,’ we must understand,
‘the land of Gog.’” - The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background s Commentary places Magog in
Anatolia, or modern-day Turkey. - The New Bible Dictionary places both Meshech and Tubal in Turkey.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “It seems more probable that . . . Magog
should be identified with Lydia [Turkey]. On the other hand, as Mosoch and
Thubal were nations belonging to Asia Minor, it would seem from the text of
Ezechiel that Magog must be in that part of the world. Finally, others with
Josephus identify Magog with Scythia, but in antiquity this name was used to
designate vaguely any northern population.” - Herodotus, a Greek historian who wrote roughly one hundred and fifty years
after Ezekiel, never once mentions “Magog”, but does discuss the Scythian
peoples quite extensively. If one agrees with first century historian Josephus
that some or all of the Scythian tribes are from Magogites, then Herodotus
provides another Turkish-Magog connection. For after discussing the various
theories for the origins of the Scythians, Herodotus expresses his preferred
belief that they came from Turkey: “There is also another different story, now
to be related, in which I am more inclined to put faith than in any other. It is
that the wandering Scythian once dwelt in Asia [The Greeks of this time
referred to Asia Minor simply as “Asia” thus modern day Turkey].” Thus,
Herodotus placed the origin of the Scythians in Turkey. By Herodotus’ day
however, the Scythians had begun their sweep north on either side of the
Black Sea, but had barely entered into Russia. As historian Michael
Kulikowski, Department Head of History at Penn State University, states,
“Herodotus’ Scythians were to be found in a bit of modern Bulgaria and
Romania, and across the grasslands of Moldova and Ukraine.” This point is
essential: In Herodotus’ day, one hundred and fifty years after Ezekiel’s oracle,
the Scythians had barely reached southern Russia. Herodotus’ record
establishes that back in Ezekiel’s day, the Scythians still dwelt in Asia Minor,
or modern day Turkey. - Concerning Meshech and Tubal, Herodotus, also identified them with a
people named the Sarmatians and Mushovites who lived at that time in the
ancient province of Pontus in northern Asia Minor, South East of the Black
Sea [Histories IV], again pointing to modern Turkey. - Hippolytus of Rome, one of the most important Christian theologians of the
third century, in his Chronicon, connected Magog to the Galatians in Asia
Minor, modern-day Turkey. - Pliny the Elder a first-century Roman military commander, author, naturalist,
and philosopher placed Magog on the border of Syria and modern day
Turkey. - Maimonides, also known as Rambam, the revered Jewish sage, in Hichot
Terumot, also identified Magog as being on the border of modern day Turkey. - Ralph Alexander, Old Testament scholar, in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary
says, “Meshech and Tubal refer to areas in eastern Turkey, southwest of
Russia and northwest of Iran.” - Daniel I. Block, Old Testament scholar, in the New International Commentary
on Ezekiel, says, “It seems best to interpret Magog as a contraction of an
original māt Gūgi, ‘land of Gog,’ and to see here a reference to the territory of
Lydia in western Anatolia [Turkey].” - Edwin Yamauchi, scholar and historian places both Meshech and Tubal in
modern day Turkey. - Dr. Michael Heiser, scholar in residence for Logos Bible software, in several of
his works, both written and podcast, repeatedly emphasizes the location of
the Gog Magog coalition in Asia Minor, and not Russia. - Mark Hitchcock, pastor, author and well-known prophecy teacher, places
Meshech and Tubal in modern day Turkey. - Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson in their Encyclopedia of Popular Bible
Prophecies, also place both Meshech and Tubal in Turkey. - Ron Rhodes, author and teacher in his book, Northern Storm Rising also
places Meshech and Tubal in Turkey. - Dr. Thomas Ice, executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center says,
“Some Bible teachers in the past have taught that Meshech is a reference to
Moscow and thus refers to Russia. This is the view of The Scofield Reference
Bible, Harry Rimmer and Hal Lindsey… The identification of Meshech with
Moscow is merely based upon a similarity of sound. There is not real historical
basis to support such a view, therefore, it must be rejected.” Ice thus agrees
with Hitchcock and places Meshech and Tubal in Turkey: “The historical
record, as was the case with Meshech, is that Tubal and his descendants
immigrated to the area southeast of the Black Sea in what is modern day
Turkey. Meshech and Tubal clearly provide the population base for the country
we now call Turkey.” - Chuck Missler in his article, “Meshech-Tubal Tensions with Syria” also places
Meshech and Tubal in modern day Turkey. - Assyrian texts & monuments locate Meshech (Mushku) and Tubal (Tabal) in
Anatolia (W.Turkey), the areas that became known as Phrygia and
Cappadocia.
What follows are some sources which DO NOT support an Ezekielian
understanding of Magog as Russia, but which are commonly cited on the
internet as if they did. The following three claims in particular are floating around
the internet and have been repeated many times, obviously without anyone ever
checking the original sources: - Hesiod: The claim is that Hesiod, in the 7th Century B.C. linked Magog to the
Scythians and southern Russia. This is entirely inaccurate. Hesiod mentions
Magog as the real name of Prometheus who lived “near the Caucasus”.
Nothing of the Scythians or Russia is ever mentioned by Hesiod in regard to
Magog. - Philo: Another claim holds that Philo in the first century, linked Magog to
Russia. I have found this claim in more than one popular prophecy book. This
also is a fabricated claim. In all of the works of Philo, he never mentions
Magog. There is however, a work called Pseudo-Philo, which mentions
Magog, but only as a descendant of Noah. Nowhere does Pseudo-Philo ever
make any connection between Magog and Russia, or any other location for
that matter. - Herodotus: The third claim is that Herodotus makes references to a people
called “the Gargarians” who lived in or near Russia. No such reference exists
in any of Herodotus’ works. Herodotus does make two references to a people
called “Gandarians” but they are said to have lived in “Asia” which was the
term Herodotus used to refer to Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey. - Where the false claim above derives from may be a reference found in the
works of Strabo, a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher from the first
century. Strabo spoke of an all male tribe called the Gargaeans who would
once a year mate with the Amazons (a tribe of all women). The two lived on
the south of the Caucasian mountains in what would be Turkey, Georgia or
Azerbaijan. Strabo lived roughly six hundred years after Ezekiel. Once more,
despite its obviously mythological nature, this story does nothing to establish
an Ezekielian understanding of Magog as Russia.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, many Christians still hold to the
popular view that Ezekiel was speaking of Russia. Of course, this debate is not
new. As far back as 1706, Matthew Henry, in his classic Bible commentary,
acknowledged this precise difference of opinion among fellow scholars and
believers: “Some think they find them [Gog and Magog] afar off, in Scythia,
Tartary, and Russia. Others think they find them nearer the land of Israel, in
Syria, and Asia the Less [Turkey].”
When one surveys the many efforts to equate Magog with Russia, they
almost universally follow the method which attempts to track the blood lines, the
lineage, intermingling and migration patterns of the sons of Magog throughout
the centuries. This often becomes chaotic, produces a wide-range of views, and
is somewhat impossible for the lay-student to wade through all of the numerous
opinions down throughout the centuries. As an example of how absurd this
method can become: if one traces the bloodlines and migration patterns of the
Gomerites, they eventually become the Celts who came to settle Ireland,
England, Scotland etc. Yet how many books have we seen that predict an Irish
invasion of Israel?
The historical-grammatical method simply seeks to understand how
Ezekiel the prophet would have understood the terms Magog, Meshech and
Tubal, etc. This would have been formed through the location of these peoples
during Ezekiel’s day as well his familiarity with the Table of Nations found in
Genesis 10 & 11. Simply stated, Ezekiel would have understood Magog to be
equated with Asia Minor in the region of modern day Turkey.
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