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

1
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; ​
3
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! ​
4
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. ​
5
Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. ​
6
They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. ​
7
Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
8
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.
9
And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. ​

The Wall of Untempered Mortar

10
Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: ​
11
Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. ​
12
Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
14
So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
15
Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
16
To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. ​

Judgment Against False Prophetesses

17
Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, ​
18
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? ​
19
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? ​
20
Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
21
Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
22
Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: ​
23
Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall 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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