The biblical story is full of vivid descriptions of Israel’s turbulent past that are frequently entwined with themes of war, conquest, and divine intervention. Prophecies, visions, and historical events illustrate Israel’s fate throughout sieges and attacks throughout the Old and New Testaments. In this investigation, we focus on specific verses that clarify how the Bible depicts Israel being invaded, looking at themes of heavenly defense, historical conquest, and the final realization of the prophecy.
Bible Verse About Israel Being Attacked
These verses provide significant insights into the spiritual importance and ultimate fate of the country of Israel, in addition to serving as chronicles of historical struggles. The Bible offers a patchwork of viewpoints on Israel’s suffering, ranging from the Old Testament prophecies that predicted Israel’s demise to the New Testament’s apocalyptic Armageddon visions.
1. Ezekiel 38:16
“You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land.”
2. Zechariah 12:3
“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.”
3. Joel 3:2
“I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
4. Jeremiah 6:22-23
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy.'”
5. Isaiah 29:7-8
“All the nations that fight against Ariel, all that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night— as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking, but awakens faint and thirsty still.”
6. Amos 9:14-15
“I will bring my people Israel back from exile. ‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the Lord your God.”
7. Zephaniah 3:19-20
“At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.”
8. Micah 4:11-12
“But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, ‘Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!’ But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.”
9. Hosea 5:9
“Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain.”
10. Isaiah 31:4
“This is what the Lord says to me: ‘As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey—and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.'”
The Siege of Jerusalem
11. 2 Kings 25:1-2
“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it.”
12. Jeremiah 39:1-2
“In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.”
13. Lamentations 2:8-9
“The Lord determined to tear down the wall around Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament; together they wasted away. Her gates have sunk into the ground; their bars he has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets receive no vision from the Lord.”
14. Ezekiel 4:1-2
“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.”
15. Zechariah 14:1-2
“A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.”
16. 2 Chronicles 32:1-2
“After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.”
17. Nehemiah 4:7-8
“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”
18. Isaiah 22:1-2
“A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry? Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle.”
19. Joel 2:9-10
“They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.”
20. Nahum 3:7-8
“All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you? Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall.”
Divine Protection or Historical Conquest
21. Deuteronomy 20:4
“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
22. Joshua 23:10
“One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.”
23. 2 Chronicles 20:15
“He said: ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.””
24. Psalm 20:7
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
25. Psalm 46:9
“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”
26. Isaiah 31:5
“Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
27. Isaiah 54:17
“‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.”
28. Jeremiah 1:19
“They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.”
29. Nahum 1:7
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
30. Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Psalms of Deliverance
31. Psalm 18:2
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
32. Psalm 91:7-8
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.”
33. Psalm 121:7-8
“The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
34. Psalm 144:1-2
“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.”
35. Psalm 18:32-34
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
36. Psalm 37:39-40
“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”
37. Psalm 138:7
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.”
38. Psalm 140:7
“Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.”
39. Psalm 144:10
“to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David. From the deadly sword deliver me; rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.”
40. Psalm 146:9
“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”
Ezekiel’s Visions
41. Ezekiel 38:16-17
“‘You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.'”
42. Ezekiel 39:3-4
“Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals.”
43. Ezekiel 39:8-9
“It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of. Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.”
44. Ezekiel 39:12-13
“For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
45. Ezekiel 39:21-22
“I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them. From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.”
46. Ezekiel 38:18-19
“This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.”
47. Ezekiel 38:22-23
“I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
48. Ezekiel 39:17-18
“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.'”
49. Ezekiel 39:29
“I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
50. Ezekiel 39:25-26
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid.”
Armageddon Approaches
51. Revelation 16:16
“Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
52. Revelation 19:11-16
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”
53. Revelation 19:19-21
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
54. Revelation 20:7-9
“When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”
55. Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'”
Conclusion
The idea of Israel being invaded appears as a thread woven across history and prophesy in the context of biblical literature. The Bible depicts Israel’s conflicts with foreign powers in a wide range of ways, from the siege of Jerusalem to Ezekiel’s prophecies and the Armageddon apocalyptic battles. A glimmer of hope, however, is visible amid the mayhem and upheaval: the assurance of divine protection and final salvation.
Upon contemplation of these sections, we are reminded of Israel’s ongoing importance in the biblical story as well as the important lessons they teach about the character of God’s sovereignty, human conflict, and the accomplishment of divine purpose. In the end, the biblical passages describing Israel’s attack serve as historical documents, but also serve as enduring reminders of the strength of faith, the assurance of God’s promises, and the accomplishment of His unchanging purpose.