Hamon-Gog

Hamon-gog — "the multitude of Gog" — is the name given to the burial-valley where Gog and his army are interred after their defeat. It surfaces only in Ezekiel 39, in two complementary moments: the founding announcement and the cleansing protocol that follows.

The valley named for Gog's multitude

The naming oracle places the burial-ground east of the sea, on a route used by travellers: "And it will come to pass in that day, that I will give to Gog a place of renown for burial in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east of the sea; and it will stop those who pass through: and there they will bury Gog and all his multitude; and they will call it The valley of Hamon-gog" (Eze 39:11). The site is given to Gog as a "place of renown" — the burial massive enough to obstruct the through-traffic that defines the route — and the name fastens to the valley because of what the multitude leaves there.

Cleansing the land

A second notice describes the systematic search that completes the burial. Searchers move through the land marking remains so the work can be finished: "And those who pass through the land will pass through; and when any sees man's bone, then he will set up a sign by it, until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog" (Eze 39:15). The two verses fit together — the first establishes the place and its name, the second describes the protocol that fills it.