TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
So will I break down H2040 the wall H7023 that ye have daubed H2902 with untempered H8602 morter, and bring H5060 it down to the ground H776, so that the foundation H3247 thereof shall be discovered H1540, and it shall fall H5307, and ye shall be consumed H3615 in the midst H8432 thereof: and ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD H3068.
Complete Jewish Bible
This is how I will break down the wall you covered with whitewash - I will smash it to the ground, so that its foundation will be revealed. The wall will fall down, and you will be consumed with it. Then you will know that I am ADONAI.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
American Standard Version
So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
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.
Geneva Bible (1599)
So I wil destroy the wall that ye haue daubed with vntempered morter, and bring it downe to the ground, so that the fundation thereof shalbe discouered, and it shall fal, and ye shalbe consumed in the middes thereof, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And I have broken down the wall that ye daubed with chalk, And have caused it to come unto the earth, And revealed hath been its foundation, And it hath fallen, And ye have been consumed in its midst, And ye have known that I am Jehovah.
In the KJVVerse 20,723 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ezekiel 13 verses 10–16
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.
We have here more plain dealing with the false prophets, and some further articles of their doom. We have seen the people made ashamed of the false prophets (though sometimes they had been fond of them) and casting them away, as they shall do their false gods, with indignation; now here we find them as much ashamed of their false prophecies, which they had sometimes depended upon with much assurance. Observe,
I. How the people are deceived by the false prophets. Those flatterers seduce them, saying, Peace, and there was no peace, Eze 13:10. They pretended to have seen visions of peace, Eze 13:16. But that could not be, for there was no peace, saith the Lord God. There was no prosperity designed for them, and therefore there could be no ground for their security; yet they told them that God was at peace with them, and had mercy in reserve for them, and that the war they were engaged in with the Chaldeans should soon end in an honourable peace, and their land should enjoy a happy repose and tranquillity. They told the idolaters and other sinners that there was neither harm nor danger in the way they were in. Thus they seduced God's people; they put a cheat upon them, led them into mistakes, and drew them aside out of that way of repentance and reformation which the other prophets were endeavouring to bring them into. Note, Those are the most dangerous seducers who suggest to sinners that which tends to lessen their dread of sin and their fear of God. Now this is compared to the building of a slight rotten wall, or, according to our Saviour's similitude, which is to the same purport with this (Mat 7:26), the building of a house upon the sand, which seems to be a shelter and protection for a while, but will fall when a storm comes. One false prophet built the wall, set up the notion that God was not at all displeased with Jerusalem, but that the city should be confirmed in its flourishing state, and be victorious over the powers that now threatened it. This notion was very pleasing, and he that started it made himself very acceptable by it and was caressed by every body, which invited others to say the same. They made the matter look yet more plausible and promising; they daubed the wall, which the first had built, but it was with untempered mortar, sorry stuff, that will not bind nor hold the bricks together; they had no ground for what they said, nor had it any consistency with itself, but was like ropes of sand. They did not strengthen the wall, were in no care to make it firm, to see that they went upon sure grounds; they only daubed it to hide the cracks and make it look well to the eye. And the wall thus built, when it comes to any stress, much more to any distress, will bulge and totter, and come down by degrees. Note, Doctrines that are groundless, though ever so grateful, that are not built upon a scripture foundation nor fastened with a scripture cement, though ever so plausible, ever so pleasing, are not of any worth, nor will stand men in any stead; and those hopes of peace and happiness which are not warranted by the word of God will but cheat men, like a wall that is well daubed indeed, but ill-built.
II. How they will be soon undeceived by the judgment of God, which, we are sure, is according to truth. 1. God will in anger bring a terrible storm that shall beat fiercely and furiously upon the wall. The descent which the Chaldean army shall make upon Judah, and the siege which they shall lay to Jerusalem, will be as an overflowing shower, or inundation (such as Solomon calls a sweeping rain that leaves no food, Pro 28:3), will bear down all before it, as the deluge did in Noah's time: You, O great hailstones! shall fall, the artillery of heaven, every hailstone like a cannon-ball, battering this wall, and with these a stormy wind, which is sometimes so strong as to rend the rocks (Kg1 19:11), much more an ill-built wall, Eze 13:11. But that which makes this rain, and hail, and wind, most terrible is that they arise from the wrath of God, and are enforced by that; it is that which sends them; it is that which gives them the setting on (Eze 13:13); it is a stormy wind in my fury, and an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in my fury. The fury of Nebuchadnezzar and his princes, who highly resented Zedekiah's treachery, made the invasion very formidable, but that was nothing in comparison with God's displeasure. The staff in their hand is my indignation, Isa 10:5. Note, An angry God has winds and storms at command wherewith to alarm secure sinners; and his wrath makes them frightful and forcible indeed; for who can stand before him when he is angry? 2. This storm shall overturn the wall: it shall fall, and the wind shall rend it (Eze 13:11), the hailstones shall consume it (Eze 13:13); I will break it down (Eze 13:14) and bring it to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered; it will appear how false, how rotten it was, to the prophetical reproach of the builders. When the Chaldean army has made Judah and Jerusalem desolate then this credit of the prophets, and the hopes of the people, will both sink together; the former will be found false in flattering the people and the latter foolish in suffering themselves to be imposed upon by them, and so exposed to so much the greater confusion, when the judgment shall surprise them in their security. Note, Whatever men think to shelter themselves with against the judgments of God, while they continue unreformed, will prove but a refuge of lies and will not profit them in the day of wrath. See Isa 28:17. Men's anger cannot shake that which God has built (for the blast of the terrible ones is but as a storm against the wall, which makes a great noise, but never stirs the wall; see Isa 25:4), but God's anger will overthrow that which men have built in opposition to him. They and all their attempts, they and all the securities wherein they intrench themselves, shall be as a bowing wall and as a tottering fence (Psa 62:3, Psa 62:10); and when their vain predictions are disproved, and their vain expectations disappointed, then it will be discovered that there was no ground for either, Hab 3:13. The day will declare what every man's work is, and the fire will try it, Co1 3:13. 3. The builders of the wall, and those that daubed it, will themselves be buried in the ruins of it: It shall fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst thereof, Eze 13:14. And thus the threatenings of God's wrath, and all the just intentions of it, shall be accomplished to the uttermost, both upon the wall and upon those that have daubed it, Eze 13:15. The same judgments that will prove the false prophets to be false will punish them for their falsehood; and they themselves shall be involved in the calamity which they made the people believe there was no danger of, and become monuments of that justice which they bade defiance to. Thus, if the blind lead the blind, both the blind leaders and the blind followers will fall together into the ditch. Note, Those that deceive others will in the end prove to have deceived themselves; and no doom will be more fearful than that of unfaithful ministers, that flattered sinners in their sins. 4. Both the deceivers and the deceived, when they thus perish together, will justly be ridiculed and triumphed over (Eze 13:12): When the wall has fallen shall it not be said unto you, by those that gave credit to the true prophets, and feared the word of the Lord, "Now where is the daubing wherewith you have daubed the wall? What has become of all the fine soft words and fair promises wherewith you flattered your wicked neighbours, and all the assurances you gave them that the troubles of the nation should soon be at an end?" The righteous shall laugh at them, the righteous God shall, righteous men shall, saying, Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, Psa 52:6, Psa 52:7. I also will laugh at your calamity, Pro 1:26. They will say unto you (Eze 13:15), "The wall is no more, neither he that daubed it; your hopes have vanished, and those that supported them, even the prophets of Israel," Eze 13:16. Note, Those that usurp the honours that do not belong to them will shortly be filled with the shame that does.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–16. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 10 and following) Because they have deceived my people, saying: peace, and there is no peace. And he was building a wall: but they were plastering it with mud without straw. Say to those who plaster without mortar, that it will fall. For there will be a overflowing rain: and I will give great stones falling from above, and a stormy wind blowing. Indeed, behold, the wall has fallen. Will it not be said to you, where is the whitewash that you plastered? Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I will unleash the spirit of storms in my anger; and there will be a torrential rain in my fury, and great stones of wrath will be poured out, and I will destroy the wall that you have whitewashed without mortar, and I will level it to the ground; its foundation will be exposed, and it will fall and be consumed in its midst; and you will know that I am the Lord. And I will fulfill my anger against the wall and against those who whitewashed it without mortar; and I will say to you: The wall is no more, and there are no longer any who whitewash it. The prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem see a vision of peace, but there is no peace, says the Lord God. LXX: For they have deceived my people, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. And this one builds a wall, and these ones plaster it with folly. Say to those who plaster with folly, it will fall. There will be a flooding rain, and I will give great stones for their joints and they will fall. And a wind will come and tear it apart. And behold, the wall has fallen, and they will not say to you, 'Where is the whitewash that you whitewashed with?' Therefore, thus says the Lord Adonai: I will break the spirit of fury that carries away, and rainwill overflow in my anger, and I will bring great stones in fury to a consummation, and I will dig up the wall that you have plastered, and it will fall. And I will put it on the ground, and its foundations will be exposed, and it will fall. And you will be consumed with reproach, and you will know that I am the Lord. And I will complete my fury on the wall, and on those who plaster it, it will fall. And I said to you: There is no wall, nor those who plaster it, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and see peace for her: there is no peace for them, says the Lord God. The prophets of Israel, who will not be in the assembly of the people of God, nor be written in the scriptures of the house of Israel, nor enter the promised land, therefore suffer these things because they have deceived my people, proclaiming peace and prosperity by the severity of repentance and the wrongfulness of conversion, according to what is said elsewhere: Peace, peace, where is peace? (Jeremiah 8:11) Therefore, God figuratively built a wall for them through the commands of the law and the words and warnings of the holy prophets. For this Hebrew word signifies 'His', that is, it would repel every incursion of wild beasts and hostile attack from them, while they turned to God, they would be surrounded by this like a very strong wall and fortress. But the false prophets, not once but often, promised them peace, for this repeated talk of peace signifies this. And they were building the very wall which is called 'Cir' in the following, the false prophets were coating it without any restraint, as Symmachus interpreted, that is, with pure mud, and that it did not have straw, so that it could not provide any strength. But indeed, both the Septuagint and Theodotion interpret it as folly: but the eagle has interpreted the Hebrew word Thaphel as ἀνάλῳ, which means without salt, passing from one translation to another, just as food without salt has no flavor: so too clay, without straw to strengthen and bind it, can offer no strength to a wall. Say, he says, to those who make empty promises and pledge useless help, that this wall and this structure will fall, and I will send a very violent rain, namely the most fierce enemies. But it refers to the Babylonians and the Chaldeans; and it signifies the same hails stones falling from above, everything through a metaphor, by which a sudden whirlwind overturns and destroys an unstable wall; and afterwards it is said to them, that is, to the false prophets, Where is the plaster with which you plastered it, and where is the help that you promised? But whatever we have said about false prophets can also be applied to heretics, for all their God-inspired inventions will be dissolved by God's wrath; and the structure of false teachings, which the Holy Spirit does not support, shall fall and crumble down to its foundations and turn to dust, and become equal to the wall of the earth, and fall, and the prophets who made promises and the people to whom the promises were made shall be consumed in its midst; so that once He has completed His wrath and says to them: this is not a wall, that is, this is not your defense; and there are none who plaster it, but all are empty and amount to nothing: then you shall come to know by these actions that I am the Lord. But in order to know who these individuals are who daub the wall, it follows, the prophets of Israel, that is, the false prophets, who prophesy to Jerusalem and see for her a vision of peace, these are the cause of sin and ruin, and foolish security. For there will be no peace, says the Lord, because the Lord did not send them, nor did he speak to them. This which the Septuagint translated as 'and on their joints' is not found in the Hebrew. However, it signifies the joints of the stones in the wall, or the supports of wood, by which the walls are strengthened. And also that which we read above: he himself was building the wall; most people report that Israel, who promised himself either the empty help of the Egyptians or of peace, was referring to the people.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 13:14 delivers a powerful divine indictment against the false prophets of Israel, employing the vivid and damning metaphor of a shoddily constructed wall. Yahweh unequivocally declares His intent to dismantle this deceptive structure, which symbolizes the empty promises and false security propagated by these prophets. He vows to bring it crashing to the ground, exposing its weak foundation and ensuring that both the wall and those who trusted in it will be utterly consumed. This cataclysmic act of judgment serves a singular, profound purpose: to compel all to recognize His supreme authority and identity as the one true LORD.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 13:14 is rich in literary devices, primarily employing an extended Metaphor where the "wall" symbolizes the false assurances, deceptive prophecies, and illusory security offered by the unfaithful prophets. The "untempered mortar" further develops this metaphor, serving as potent Symbolism for the flimsy, superficial, and ultimately worthless nature of these lies. The acts of "breaking down" and "bringing it down to the ground" create powerful Imagery of divine judgment, complete destruction, and irreversible ruin. The exposure of the "foundation" is also deeply Symbolic, representing the revelation of the inherent rottenness, lack of truth, and absence of divine origin at the very core of the false messages. Finally, the concluding phrase, "and ye shall know that I am the LORD," is a characteristic declaration of Divine Speech found throughout Ezekiel, functioning as a theological Refrain that underscores God's ultimate purpose in both judgment and restoration: His self-revelation and the vindication of His holy name.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 13:14 profoundly articulates God's unwavering commitment to truth and His active, uncompromising opposition to spiritual deception. It underscores the profound danger of false prophecy, not merely as an intellectual error, but as a destructive spiritual force that leads people away from God's true path and into utter ruin. The vivid metaphor of the "untempered mortar" highlights that superficiality, human-made comforts, and self-serving narratives, when presented as divine truth, are utterly incapable of providing genuine security or protection against God's righteous judgment. Ultimately, God's demolition of the false wall serves to reveal His own character as the sovereign LORD, who is holy and just, who will not tolerate falsehood, and whose Word alone is the unshakeable foundation for true life and security.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 13:14 serves as a timeless and urgent warning for all generations, urging vigilance against spiritual deception and highlighting the profound dangers of building one's life or hope on false premises. In an age saturated with information, diverse voices, and a pervasive desire for comfort, the temptation to seek soothing lies over challenging truths remains powerfully potent. This verse calls us to cultivate a deep spiritual discernment, to critically evaluate teachings and promises, and to anchor our faith not in human assurances, popular narratives, or fleeting trends, but in the unshakeable, revealed truth of God's Word. It reminds us that true security, lasting peace, and genuine protection are found only in an authentic relationship with the sovereign LORD, whose character is revealed through His faithfulness to His word, whether in judgment or salvation. We are called to be builders of truth, not whitewashers of lies, ensuring that our lives, our hopes, and the messages we embrace are founded solely on Christ, the solid rock, who alone can withstand the storms of life and the scrutiny of divine judgment.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the "untempered mortar" in this verse, and what does it symbolize?
Answer: The "untempered mortar" (Hebrew: tâphêl) refers to a weak, inferior plaster or whitewash, typically made without proper binding agents like straw or lime, rendering it brittle and unstable. In Ezekiel 13:14, it serves as a powerful and damning metaphor for the deceptive, worthless, and ultimately destructive prophecies of the false prophets in Israel. These prophets were essentially covering a crumbling, unstable "wall"—representing their false messages, empty promises, and the illusory security they offered—with a superficial coating to make it appear strong, finished, and trustworthy. This "mortar" provided no real structural integrity or protection against God's impending judgment, highlighting the utter futility and grave danger of relying on such human-made deceptions rather than on the solid truth of God's revealed word.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 13:14, with its vivid imagery of a crumbling, whitewashed wall, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus. The false prophets of Ezekiel's day built their flimsy walls on human wisdom, self-serving comfort, and popular sentiment, promising a false peace where there was none. This mirrors the religious leaders of Jesus' era, who were condemned for their hypocrisy, for laying heavy burdens on the people, and for offering a superficial righteousness that lacked true spiritual substance (Matthew 23:27-28). Jesus, however, is the true and unshakeable "foundation" upon whom God's people are to build their lives, a foundation that no storm can destroy (1 Corinthians 3:11). He is the one who perfectly exposes all falsehood and deception, revealing the true nature of sin and the ultimate reality of God's kingdom. His coming brought not the false peace of the prophets, but a sword that divides, exposing the true condition of hearts and calling for radical repentance and allegiance to divine truth (Matthew 10:34). Through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, Jesus broke down the ultimate "dividing wall of hostility" between God and humanity, and between Jew and Gentile, not with untempered mortar, but with His own perfect and atoning blood (Ephesians 2:14). He is the ultimate revelation of the LORD, through whom all who believe truly "know that I am the LORD" (John 14:7), offering a secure, eternal dwelling place and an unshakeable hope for all who trust in Him (Hebrews 11:10).