Ezekiel13
New American Standard
1Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord!
3This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.
5You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.
6They see deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word!
7Did you not see a false vision and tell a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”
8Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have spoken deceit and have seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord God.
9“So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, so that you may know that I am the Lord God.
10It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash;
11so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out.
12Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’”
13Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and hailstones to consume it in wrath.
14So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and hurl it down to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will perish in its midst. And you will know that I am the Lord.
15So I will expend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone and those who plastered it are gone,
16along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who see a vision of peace for her when there is no peace,’ declares the Lord God.
17“Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are talking like prophets from their own imagination. Prophesy against them
18and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves?
19For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death some who should not die, and to keep others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”
20Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you capture souls there as birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let them go, those souls whom you capture as birds.
21I will also tear off your veils and save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as prey; and you will know that I am the Lord.
22Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way to keep him alive,
23therefore you women will no longer see deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will save My people from your hands. So you will know that I am the Lord.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 13.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Heavy judgments against lying prophets. (1-9). The insufficiency of their work. (10-16). Woes against false prophetesses. (17-23).
vv1-9
Where God gives a warrant to do any thing, he gives wisdom. What they delivered was not what they had seen or heard, as that is which the ministers of Christ deliver. They were not praying prophets, had no intercourse with Heaven; they contrived how to please people, not how to do them good; they stood not against sin. They flattered people into vain hopes. Such widen the breach, by causing men to think themselves deserving of eternal life, when the wrath of God abides upon them.
vv10-16
One false prophet built the wall, set up the notion that Jerusalem should be victorious, and made himself acceptable by it. Others made the matter yet more plausible and promising; they daubed the wall which the first had built; but they would, ere long, be undeceived when their work was beaten down by the storm of God's just wrath; when the Chaldean army desolated the land. Hopes of peace and happiness, not warranted by the word of God, will cheat men; like a wall well daubed, but ill built.
vv17-23
It is ill with those who had rather hear pleasing lies than unpleasing truths. The false prophetesses tried to make people secure, signified by laying them at ease, and to make them proud, signified by the finery laid on their heads. They shall be confounded in their attempts, and God's people shall be delivered out of their hands. It behoves Christians to keep close to the word of God, and in every thing to seek the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Let us so trust the promises of God as to keep his commandments.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
נָבָא: to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse)
נָבִיא: a prophet or (generally) inspired man
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
שָׁמַע: to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
Cross References
Ezekiel 13Ezekiel's sister passage uses the identical metaphor of standing in the gap to defend the land from destruction.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jeremiah similarly denounces false prophets who speak visions out of their own hearts, not from God's mouth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Moses represents the true prophet who 'stood in the breach' before God to turn away His wrath.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jeremiah shares the identical phrase condemning false prophets who say 'Peace, peace' when there is no peace.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jeremiah specifically names false prophets in Babylon who feed the exiles lying expectations.
Supported by JFB
Micah exposes the people's desire for false prophets who speak pleasing lies of wine and strong drink.
Supported by John Calvin
Moses warns that God permits false prophets to test whether Israel truly loves Him with all their heart.
Supported by John Calvin
Jesus warns of false prophets who are inwardly ravenous, matching Ezekiel's comparison to predatory desert foxes.
Supported by Matthew Henry
God's register of His people contrasts with false prophets being blotted out of Israel's writing.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The fall of the house in Jesus' parable echoes Ezekiel's falling wall swept away by storm and rain.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Lamentations mourns that false prophets saw vain and foolish things instead of exposing Israel's iniquity.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Peter warns of false teachers bringing destructive heresies, just as false prophets plagued ancient Israel.
Supported by John Calvin
Nehemiah encounters Noadiah, a false prophetess hired to make him afraid, demonstrating female false prophets.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The corrupt prophets polluting God for 'pieces of bread' parallels Eli's sons begging for pieces of silver.
Supported by Matthew Henry