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.

Prophecy Against False Male Prophets

the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, Hear the LORD’s word:

Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

You have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, the LORD says; but the LORD has not sent them: and they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.

Haven’t you seen a false vision, and haven’t you spoken a lying divination, in that you say, the LORD says; but I have not spoken?

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the Lord GOD.

My hand shall be against the prophets who see false visions, and who divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into Eretz-Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

The Wall of Untempered Mortar

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and when one builds up a wall, behold, they plaster it with whitewash:

tell those who plaster it with whitewash, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and you, great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it.

Behold, when the wall has fallen, shall it not be said to you, Where is the plaster with which you have plastered it?

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will even tear it with a stormy wind in my wrath; and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it.

So will I break down the wall that you have plastered with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in its midst: and you shall know that I am the LORD.

Thus will I accomplish my wrath on the wall, and on those who have plastered it with whitewash; and I will tell you, The wall is no more, neither those who plastered it;

to wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says the Lord GOD.

Judgment Against False Prophetesses

You, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy against them,

and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew pillows on all elbows, and make kerchiefs for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves?

You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls who should not die, and to save the souls alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against your pillows, with which you there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls whom you hunt to make them fly.

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 you shall know that I am the LORD.

Because with lies you have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive:

Therefore you shall no more see false visions, nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand; and you 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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Ezekiel13

Prophecy Against False Male Prophets

The Wall of Untempered Mortar

Judgment Against False Prophetesses

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