Rosh is not Russia

An Interpretation of Ezekiel 38:2

Rosh is not Russia

I assume that most bible scholars would agree that Scripture is the immutable, inerrant, and eternal Word of God. However, as any student of the Bible inevitably discovers, the translation from the original text, in this case Hebrew, does not always agree when considering the numerous translations of the Bible available today. The title of this study points to the contrast and conflict that arises between exegesis—allowing the text (i.e. original language) of Scripture to speak for itself; and eisegesis—making the text say what one wants it to say. The former compares scripture with scripture and allows the contextual comparison to bring understanding of the truth in Scripture; the latter begins with a presumed interpretation then seeks to validate the same.

In this study/investigation, the passage in question, which bible scholars have been debating for generations, is found in Ezekiel.

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, (Eze. 38:2 KJV)

Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, (Eze. 38:2 NKJV)

The conflict I refer to is found in the phrases, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Those who study end-times events inevitably find themselves in one of two camps: one that interprets rosh as the adjective “chief”; and one that interprets Rosh as a nation, specifically Russia.

According to Strong’s Concordance, Rosh as a proper name is found once in Scripture (H7220), and refers to one of Benjamin’s sons (Gen. 46:21). Thus, Rosh is an Israelite and cannot refer to Russia. And Rosh is never referred in Scripture as a nation or people as in Rome, Babylon, and Persia, except, of course, in the bible translations that agree with the NKJV. There are about 45 translations of the Bible (give or take); 27 of these, [AMP, CEB, CEV, CJB, CPDV, CSV, DRC1752, ESV, GNB, GNT, GNV, GW, HCSB, JUB, LEB, NABRE, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, NMV, NRSV, OJB, RSV, TLV, WBMS, and the Latin Vulgate], agree with the KJV translation of “chief prince” as opposed to “prince of Rosh.” 

Furthermore, Rosh is not a personage among the sons of Japheth, Noah’s son; but Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are listed in Japheth’s biblical genealogy (Gen. 10:2). According to evidence based on Scripture (Gen. 10:5), all of these people groups dispersed from Mt. Ararat [which is located in northeastern Turkey] and settled in Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. 

Several scholars both biblical and historical (i.e. Block, Unger, Pliny, Hippolytus, and Maimonides) place Magog, Meshech, and Tubal in ancient Lydia (Anatolia), which is present day Turkey. At any rate, the people groups and descendants of the three sons and their chief ruler Gog are linked in Ezekiel 38:2, and had to have occupied the same general area. 

Other than the identification as a son of Benjamin, rosh (H7218) is found 598 times in scripture; the great majority (349x) of which mean “head.” The next most numerous interpretation (91x) is “chief.” Both of these are important to the translation in question.

Depending on context, head either means the physical head of an animal, person, or thing (Gen. 3:15); or the leaders of a particular group or family (Num. 1:5-16). Chief means principal (i.e. greatest) and first. These meanings are key to an accurate interpretation of Ezekiel 38:2. 

Jacob’s twelve sons, the patriarchs of Israel, are a perfect example of the chief heads—each being the first and principal ruler of their respective tribes. The combination of chief and head also brings to mind the God-given authority of the firstborn male child of every man (i.e. first-fruits: Ex. 13:2; Dt. 21:15-17), which authority is clearly seen in the succession of the kings of Israel and Judah (e.g. 2Chr. 9:31; 21:1). However, the birthright (and subsequent authority) of the firstborn could be given to whomever the patriarch deemed worthy such as Joseph over Rueben, Ephraim over Manasseh, and Solomon over Amnon. And let us not forget Jacob (Israel), who obtained the birthright from Esau by deceit, which interestingly enough coincided with God’s choice (Mal. 1:2-3), and also evidences that God undoubtedly saw in Jacob a heart worthy of firstborn status. Thus, the biblical concept of the “chief head” is that of a person, who has the greatest authority among the leaders of any particular group of people. 

Chronologically speaking, the time period of which Scripture records the dispersal of the sons of Japheth (Gen. 9:27, 10:2-5) was before the early civilizations of the Mediterranean (circa 4300 BC). And, of course, all of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean (and eventually the entire earth) descended from Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah (Gen. 9:19).

Maps and historical commentaries differ with respect to Magog, their descendants, and the territory in which they dwelled. This is where comparison of Scripture with historical record is necessary. Daniel chapters 3, 8, and 11 are important because they speak to end-times and the rise of the antichrist, who bible scholars equate with Gog of Magog. The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 3 identifies four kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece (Macedonia), and Rome. None of these kingdoms at their respective heights extended north of the Black Sea or the present day Republic of Georgia. The two iron legs coming out of the bronze belly and thighs (Macedonian Empire) represent Alexander’s Empire, which after his death was split between his four generals Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus (Dan. 8:8, 22). It is recorded that Cassander died of dropsy (edema), and Lysimachus died in battle against Seleucus, making the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid Empires (Egypt and Syria respectively) the two legs, and the iron reflecting the conquests of these two empires by the Romans. Daniel 8:23-25 and 11:21-45 identify Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the self-appointed ruler of the Seleucid Empire, who died suddenly from disease in 164 BC before he could fulfill all of his intention of dominance of the known world. Antiochus Epiphanes is a type (or foreshadow) of the antichrist every bit as much as Gog of Magog (Eze. 38:18-23), since Epiphanes is the little horn coming out of one of the four horns—Alexander’s four generals, Seleucus specifically (Dan. 8:8-9). And, the Seleucid Empire at its height extended northward from Israel to Syria and westward into most of Turkey and to the Dardanelles and the Bosporus strait, which establishes the link between Epiphanes and Gog of Magog with regard to the antichrist.  

Ezekiel places Javan, Tubal and Meshech within the area of Greece and the Middle East, since they had commerce with Tyre (Eze. 27:1-3, 12-14) before it’s downfall at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in 585-572 BC (Eze. 26:7; 28:7). Ezekiel prophesied from Tel-Abib (Tel-Aviv) during the captivity in Babylon (586-516 BC). Japheth and all of his sons were long deceased by that time [assuming that they would have lived approximately as long as Shem and his sons (400-600 years individually) (re: Gen. 11:10-12)]. Thus, Ezekiel in his prophecy to the captive Israelites (descendants of Shem) was purposefully referring to the descendants of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal, as well as Javan and the rest, who had to still be living in the lands in which their forefathers settled, because of the necessity of dwelling near the established trade routes at the time all of which were centered around the Mediterranean, and which were likely established by Javan’s descendants (Gen. 10:5). Commercial trade was important to the survival of the Mediterranean nations that descended from the sons of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, making it necessary for these people groups to be within traveling distance of the ports of this ancient network, of which Tyre was a part. Following biblical and historical evidence, the dispersion of the sons of Japheth would have proceeded toward the Mediterranean not away from it, which is supported by the cartographic evidence (maps) of the all the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern empires, none of which extended north of the Black Sea.

An investigation based upon the biblical and historical record into the sons of Japheth renders these plausible conclusions: all of the sons of Japheth likely occupied present day Turkey, parts of Greece, and the Mediterranean islands. Gomer’s sons likely occupied eastern Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; and Javan’s sons likely occupied areas close to seaports in southern Spain, Greece, and the Mediterranean islands (probably Cyprus and Rhodes) (re: Gen. 10:5; Eze. 39:6; Isa. 66:19).

When we take into consideration the Hebraic tradition of the firstborn along with the context of relevant Scripture, the inescapable conclusion is that “chief (rosh) prince” is the correct and accurate interpretation. This is my amplified translation of Ezekiel 38:2:

Son of man, set your face against Gog, [who comes from] the land [in which the descendants] of Magog [dwell], [and who is himself] the chief prince [the first, foremost, and highest authority among all the princes; their lord of lords] of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. 

Besides the biblical record, we have the historical record that traces the probable origin of Russia to the Rus (circa 800 AD), a Scandinavian people group that were ruled, and had genetic ties to the Vikings. And their state (i.e. principality, kingdom) was established first in Staraya Ladoga and Veliky Novgorod southeast of Finland and expanded from there toward the south and east. And if these people groups have any link to the son’s of Noah as Genesis 9:19 records, it was obviously many generations removed from the descendants of Noah, and, in my opinion, more than likely linked to Javan’s descendants, the seafarers, through the Mediterranean trade routes, which eventually reached the British isles and Scandinavia, and into the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland to Staraya Ladoga and Veliky Novgorod both of which lay on the trade routes into the region. 

Thus, Magog cannot be Russia, since according to biblical and historical record “the land of Magog” is in Turkey. 

Those who hold to the identity of Rosh (and Magog) as Russia [a manufactured identity based on conjecture] point to the end-time battle of Armageddon that takes place before the Millennium, during which, presumably, a coalition of antagonistic nations will be lead by Russia to war against the returning Christ Jesus; as opposed to an Islamic coalition headed by the chief head, the antichrist as a leader out of Turkey, which lies directly north of Israel, and represents the historical and biblically accurate conflict between Isaac (Judaism/Christianity) and Ishmael (Islam), which is further confirmed by the biblical fact that the 7-year peace treaty will be established between the descendants of these two ancient enemies (Dan. 9:27).

So, there’s the evidence. You decide for yourself: “Is Rosh Russia or simply chief?” I think it’s obvious where I stand on the matter. At any rate, don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself. Be a good Berean (Acts 17:11) and compare this interpretation to the rest of Scripture, and let the Word (and the Spirit) confirm the truth.