Ezekiel13

Ezekiel 13 condemns the false prophets and prophetesses of Israel who speak from their own hearts, not from the Lord. They offer vain visions and lying divinations, promising peace when there is none, likened to daubing a weak wall with untempered mortar. The Lord declares His judgment against them, promising to tear down their false security and deliver His people from their deceptive practices. Both male and female deceivers face divine wrath for their spiritual manipulation and lies.

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Prophecy Against False Male Prophets

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, yet have seen nothing.

Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins.

You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD.

They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.

Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

The Wall of Untempered Mortar

Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,

tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth.

Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury.

I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And after I have vented My wrath against the wall and against those who whitewashed it, I will say to you: ‘The wall is gone, and so are those who whitewashed it—

those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’

Judgment Against False Prophetesses

Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?

You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds.

I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,

therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Study Notes for Ezekiel 13

Verse 2

Ezekiel's ministry often involved confronting those who claimed divine authority but spoke falsehoods, a critical issue during the Babylonian exile and the decade leading up to Jerusalem's fall.

Verse 3

The core charge against false prophecy is that it originates from human desire or imagination ('their own spirit'), not divine revelation. They speak without having received any true vision from God.

Verse 4

Foxes symbolize cunning, destructiveness, and failure to guard the flock. The prophets are ineffective scavengers rather than strong protectors needed to defend Israel.

Verse 5

This military metaphor means the prophets failed to stand in the breach or defend the city (or the people's spiritual well-being) against God's impending judgment.

Verse 6

The visions they claim to receive are 'vanity' (Hebrew: *shav*), meaning empty, worthless, and deceitful, yet they used them to manipulate the people into believing the false message.

Verse 9

This is a severe triple curse: exclusion from the covenant community (assembly), removal from the register of citizens (writing of Israel), and denial of return to the promised land.

Verse 10

The prophets offered a message of 'Peace' when war and judgment were imminent, echoing the false comfort criticized by Jeremiah (Jer. 6:14). Untempered mortar is weak plaster mixed without proper binding agents, symbolizing a flimsy, temporary cover over a structurally unsound situation.

Verse 11

The judgment is described using natural disaster imagery (hailstones, stormy wind), showing that God’s powerful wrath will easily destroy the weak structure the prophets attempted to uphold.

Verse 16

This reiterates the central theological failure: the false prophets offered immediate, unconditional comfort instead of calling the people to repentance in the face of imminent destruction.

Verse 17

This indicates that women also functioned as prophets or diviners in Israel, often associated with cultic practices or domestic magic, and they are held equally accountable for their falsehoods.

Verse 18

The 'pillows' and 'kerchiefs' (veils/bands) are likely ritualistic or magical items used by the prophetesses to control or manipulate those seeking guidance, perhaps symbolizing comfort or ensnarement. The goal is to 'hunt souls' for personal gain.

Verse 19

The prophetesses commercialized their supposed power, selling cheap divination for basic necessities (barley and bread), thus profaning God’s reputation among the people for personal gain.

Verse 22

The false message confused moral boundaries: it discouraged the faithful (who knew judgment was coming) and gave false assurance to the wicked, preventing them from turning back to God through repentance.

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Ezekiel13

Prophecy Against False Male Prophets

The Wall of Untempered Mortar

Judgment Against False Prophetesses

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