יחזקאל, פרק ל״ח, פסוק כ״ב

The ultimate defeat of Gog and his armies unfolds not merely as a conventional military loss, but as a calculated, devastating divine campaign. Through the raw forces of nature, God delivers a profound theological message designed to elevate and sanctify His name across the world.

The primary approach among commentators understands God's judgment as the outright punishment and destruction of enemy forces. Yet, this divine action serves a dual purpose. Beyond physical devastation, the onslaught acts as a legal argument. By bringing these specific disasters, God actively confronts His enemies, providing them with tangible proof of the sheer severity of their crime and rebellion [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון].

There is a deliberate, escalating progression to these strikes. The campaign opens with disease and bloodshed. Because such events are common, natural occurrences in any armed conflict, the enemy might initially misinterpret their losses as mere chance or the routine casualties of battle. To eliminate any doubt, the strikes rapidly transition into supernatural, heavenly punishments. Torrents of rain and blazing fire descend upon them, making it undeniably clear to everyone that this is a direct, open intervention by God [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective connects the six distinct disasters brought upon the enemy to the merit of the Messiah, who is uniquely endowed with six specific blessings [צוארי שלל, חומת אנך].

As the destruction rains down upon Gog and his battalions [שטיינזלץ], they are engulfed by burning, flammable sulfur [מצודת ציון] alongside exceptionally heavy hailstones. On a basic level, these hailstones are described as brilliantly clear, resembling a precious white stone [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. However, a deeper tradition connects this devastating ice directly to the Exodus from Egypt. According to this view, these are the very same hailstones that rained down upon the Egyptians. When Moses prayed for that plague to cease, the falling ice froze mid-air. God suspended and preserved these stones in the heavens, holding them in reserve for the distant future, specifically to strike down the armies of Gog [רש״י, צאינה וראינה].