TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ 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,
Complete Jewish Bible
"You, human being, turn your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own thoughts. Prophesy against them;
Berean Standard Bible
Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them
American Standard Version
And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
World English Bible Messianic
You, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy against them,
Geneva Bible (1599)
Likewise thou sonne of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesie out of their owne heart: and prophesie thou against them, and say,
Young's Literal Translation
And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who are prophesying out of their own heart, and prophesy concerning them,
In the KJVVerse 20,726 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ezekiel 13 verses 17–23
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.
As God has promised that when he pours out his Spirit upon his people both their sons and their daughters shall prophesy, so the devil, when he acts as a spirit of lies and falsehood, is so in the mouth not only of false prophets, but of false prophetesses too, and those are the deceivers whom the prophet is here directed to prophesy against; for they are not such despicable enemies to God's truths as deserve not to be taken notice of, nor yet will either the weakness of their sex excuse their sin or the tenderness and respect that are owing to it exempt them from the reproaches and threatenings of the word of God. No: Son of man, set they face against the daughters of thy people, Eze 13:17. God takes no pleasure in owning them for his people. They are thy people, as Exo 32:7. The women pretend to a spirit of prophecy, and are in the same song with the men, as Ahab's prophets were: Go on, and prosper. They prophesy out of their own heart too; they say what comes uppermost and what they know nothing of. Therefore prophesy against them from God's own mouth. The prophet must set his face against them, and try if they can look him in the face and stand to what they say. Note, When sinners grow very impudent it is time for reprovers to be very bold. Now observe,
I. How the sin of these false prophetesses is described, and what are the particulars of it. 1. They told deliberate lies to those who consulted them, and came to them to be advised, and to be told their fortune: "You do mischief by your lying to my people that hear your lies (Eze 13:19); they come to be told the truth, but you tell them lies; and, because you humour them in their sins, they are willing to hear you." Note, It is ill with those people who can better hear pleasing lies than unpleasing truths; and it is a temptation to those who lie in wait to deceive to tell lies when they find people willing to hear them and to excuse themselves with this, Si populus vult decipi, decipiatur - If the people will be deceived, let them. 2. They profaned the name of God by pretending to have received those lies from him (Eze 13:19): "You pollute my name among my people, and make use of that for the patronising of your lies and the gaining of credit to them." Note, Those greatly pollute God's holy name that make use of it to give countenance to falsehood and wickedness. Yet this they did for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. They did it for gain; they cared not what dishonour they did to God's name by their lying, so they could but make a hand of it for themselves. There is nothing so sacred which men of mercenary spirits, in whom the love of this world reigns, will not profane and prostitute, if they can but get money by the bargain. But they did it for poor gain; if they could get no more for it, rather than break they would sell you a false prophecy that should please you to a nicety for the beggar's dole, a piece of bread or a handful of barley; and yet that was more than it was worth. Had they asked it as an alms, for God's sake, surely they might have had it, and God would have been honoured; but, taking it as a fee for a false prophecy, God's name if polluted, and the smallness of the reward heightens the offence. For a piece of bread that man will transgress, Pro 28:21. Had their poverty been their temptation to steal, and so to take the name of the Lord in vain, it would not have been nearly so bad as when it tempted them to prophesy lies in his name and so to profane it. 3. They kept people in awe, and terrified them with their pretensions: "You hunt the souls of my people (Eze 13:18), hunt them to make them flee (Eze 13:20), hunt them into gardens (so the margin reads it); you use all the arts you have to court or compel them into those places where you deliver your pretended predictions, or you have got such an influence upon them that you make them do just as you would have them to do, and tyrannise over them." It was indeed the people's fault that they did regard them, but it was their fault by lies and falsehoods to command that regard; they pretended to save the souls alive that came to them, Eze 13:18. If they would but be hearers of them, and contributors to them, they might be sure of salvation; thus they beguiled unstable souls that had a concern about salvation as their end but did not rightly understand the way, and therefore hearkened to those who were most confident in promising it to them. "But will you pretend to save souls, or secure salvation to your party?" Those are justly suspected that make such pretensions. 4. They discouraged those that were honest and good, and encouraged those that were wicked and profane: You slay the souls that should not die, and save those alive that should not live, Eze 13:19. This is explained (Eze 13:22): You have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; because they would not, they durst not, countenance your pretensions, you thundered out the judgments of God against them, to their great grief and trouble; you put them under invidious characters, to make them either despicable or odious to the people, and pretended to do it in God's name, which made them go many a time with a sad heart; whereas it was the will of God that they should be comforted, and by having respect put upon them should have encouragement given them. But on the other side, and which is still worse, you have strengthened the hands of the wicked and emboldened them to go on in their wicked ways and not to return from them, which was the thing the true prophets with earnestness called them to. "You have promised sinners life in their sinful ways, have told them that they shall have peace though they go on, by which their hands have been strengthened and their hearts hardened." Some think this refers to the severe censures they passed upon those who had already gone into captivity (who were humbled under their affliction, by which their hearts were made sad), and the commendations they gave to those who rebelled against the king of Babylon, who were hardened in their impieties, by which their hands were strengthened; or by their polluting the name of God they saddened the hearts of good people who have a value and veneration for the word of God, and confirmed atheists and infidels in their contempt of divine revelation and furnished them with arguments against it. Note, Those have a great deal to answer for who grieve the spirits, and weaken the hands, of good people, and who gratify the lusts of sinners, and animate them in their opposition to God and religion. Nor can any thing strengthen the hands of sinners more than to tell them that they may be saved in their sins without repentance, or that there may be repentance though they do not return from their wicked ways. 5. They mimicked the true prophets, by giving signs for the illustrating of their false predictions (as Hananiah did, Jer 28:10), and they were signs agreeable to their sex; they sewed little pillows to the people's arm-holes, to signify that they might be easy and repose themselves, and needed not be disquieted with the apprehensions of trouble approaching. And they made kerchiefs upon the head of every stature, of persons of every age, young and old, distinguishable by their stature, Eze 13:18. These kerchiefs were badges of liberty or triumph, intimating that they should not only be delivered from the Chaldeans, but be victorious over them. Some think these were some superstitious rites which they used with those to whom they delivered their divinations, preparing them for the reception of them by putting enchanted pillows under their arms and handkerchiefs on their heads, to raise their fancies and their expectations of something great. Or perhaps the expressions are figurative: they did all they could to make people secure, which is signified by laying them easy, and to make people proud, which is signified by dressing them fine with handkerchiefs, perhaps laid or embroidered on their heads.
II. How the wrath of God against them is expressed. Here is a woe to them (Eze 13:18), and God declares himself against the methods they took to delude and deceive, Eze 13:20. But what course will God take with them? 1. They shall be confounded in their attempts, and shall proceed no further; for (Eze 13:23) you shall see no more vanity nor divine revelations; not that they shall themselves lay down their pretensions in a way of repentance, but when the event gives them the lie they shall be silent for shame; or their fancies and imaginations shall not be disposed to receive impressions which assist them in their divinations as they have been; or they themselves shall be cut off. 2. God's people shall be delivered out of their hands. When they see themselves deluded by them into a false peace and a fool's paradise, and that though they would not leave their sin their sin has left them, and they see no more vanity nor divine divinations, they shall turn their back upon them, shall slight their predictions. The righteous shall be no more saddened by them, no, nor the wicked strengthened: The pillows shall be torn from their arms, and the kerchiefs from their heads; the fallacies shall be discovered, their frauds detected, and the people of God shall no more be in their hand, to be hunted as they had been. Note, It is a great mercy to be delivered from a servile regard to, and fear of, those who, under colour of a divine authority, impose upon and tyrannise over the consciences of men, and say to their souls, Bow down, that we may go over. But it is a sore grief to those who delight in such usurpations to have their power broken and the prey delivered; such was the reformation to the church of Rome. And, when God does this, he makes it to appear that he is the Lord, that it is his prerogative to give law to souls.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 17–23. Public domain.
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Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:1
This face, that is to say the ruling faculty in our soul, if it is not fixed toward what it should understand in the manner that it sees, it announces to its hearers that what it looks at has not in fact been seen.
Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:3
Soft are the souls and intentions of those leaders who always compose resonant and harmonious words.
Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:1
It should have a face that wants to be fixed toward what it is striving to understand, and for this reason the order is always first given to those who want to prophecy to make their face firm.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 17 and following) And 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 those who sew cushions for all armholes and make veils for the heads of people of every height, to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people 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 cushions, with which you hunt the flying souls, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will release the souls whom you hunt, souls to fly. And I will tear off your necklaces, and I will free my people from your hand, and they shall no longer be in your hands for plunder. And you shall know that I am the Lord. Because you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and you have encouraged the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn away from his evil way and live, therefore you shall no longer see false visions nor practice divination. And I will deliver my people from your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord. LXX: And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height, to hunt souls! Will you hunt down the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people 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 cushions, on which you gather souls, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will release the souls that you have perverted, their souls into dispersion. And I will tear off your veils and deliver my people from your hands, and they shall no longer be in your hands for a gathering. And you shall know that I am the Lord. Because you have perverted the soul of the righteous unjustly, and I did not pervert him, and you strengthened the hand of the wicked, so that he would not turn from his evil way and live. Therefore, you will no longer see your lies, and you will not be able to divine any divinations from now on. And I will free my people from your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord. A divine word was directed above the prophets, who were lining the wall with clay, which had no straw, and could not give any strength to the wall or the mortar. Now, they are commanded to put their faces or direct them against the prophetesses of the people, and, as the Septuagint translated, to harden. But just as some false prophets were inspired by a diabolical spirit to subvert the commands of God, so too against prophetesses, such as Deborah (Judges 5) and Huldah (2 Kings 22), and in the Acts of the Apostles, the four daughters of Philip the evangelist prophesying were inspired by a demonic spirit (Acts 21), there were also others of the same sex, among whom were Prisca and Maximilla, who by their false prophecy subverted the faith of truth. However, the Hebrews are said to be skilled in the evil arts through necromancy and the Pythian spirit, such as the one who was seen to have raised the soul of Samuel (1 Samuel 28); and in the Acts of the Apostles, there was a fortune-telling woman who gained much wealth for her masters through divination, from whom an unclean spirit was cast out by the command of the apostle Paul (Acts 16). But we will say that other heretics preach power through the falsehood of their doctrines. Pythagoras and Zeno were among them, from whom the Stoics originated: the Indian Brachmans and the Ethiopian Gymnosophists, who, due to their self-control in food, are considered a marvel by their nations (or, unbelievers). And rightly they are said to whitewash the wall and promise some strength; but because they do not have the seasoning of Christ, their labor is in vain, and their building will perish. For unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). But other doctors of pleasures and desires, such as the Epicureans, the Pyrrhonians, Jovinianus, and Eunomius, say: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Therefore, the prophet is commanded to set or harden his face against the daughters of his people. First, it must be explained what it means for the face to be set or hardened. Indeed, it is that which is written about the Lord: 'The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth' (Psalm 34:16). For just as wax melts before fire, so sinners perish before God's presence. In the same sense, the prophet says: Son of man, set your face against Theman, Darom, and Nageb. And again: The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against the children of Jerusalem. And a little later: The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against the children of Ammon. And again: Firmly set your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt (Infra, XXIX, 2). And again: Son of man, set your face against Gog and Magog. And in another place: I will set my face against that man, and I will make him a desolation and a byword, and I will remove him from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Infra, XIV, 8). Woe, therefore, to these heresies and doctrines which, promising rest, deceive people of every age and sex, in order to capture the souls of the wretched and lead me away from my people, while I am believed to love pleasure. And this not because of their barley, or the barley of the half-farsang, as we read in Hosea (Hosea V), but because of a handful of barley, by which animals are intoxicated, and a fragment of bread. Not whole bread or solid testimonies of the Scriptures, but those which have been broken, cut, and diminished by heretical depravity; so that they deceive and lead astray even the holy ones, and drag them to death; and they claim to give life to sinners with empty promises. Therefore, the merciful and compassionate God does not kill the prophetesses themselves, but he breaks their spindles, which like nets capture flying souls, so that once they are broken, they have the freedom to fly. And they would tear the veils or kerchiefs, in which the principal soul would recline, and with which the heads of the deceivers would be covered. Since the Apostle teaches that the heads of men should not be covered, but should have the glory of the Lord revealed (II Cor. III). For, he says, you were breaking the spirits of those who serve God with false terrors, and you were holding the impious captive with fraudulent promises, so that, while they were repenting, they would not regain the life they had lost. Therefore, you shall by no means see empty visions, nor shall I call your lies prophecies; but rather divinations, of which it is written: There is no omen in Jacob, nor divination in Israel (Num. XXIII, 23): so that I may deliver my people from your hands, and you may know that I am the Lord who has rescued the lost.
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 13:17 presents a direct divine mandate to the prophet Ezekiel, instructing him to confront and prophesy against the female false prophets within the Israelite community. These women are sternly condemned for delivering messages that do not originate from divine inspiration but rather from their own internal thoughts, desires, or self-interest, thereby misleading the people with deceptive assurances of peace and security amidst impending judgment. This verse powerfully underscores God's unwavering opposition to spiritual falsehood and His explicit call for His true messengers to expose and denounce such deception.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 13:17 employs several potent literary devices to convey its urgent and condemnatory message. The Imperative Mood is prominent, with direct commands like "set thy face" and "prophesy thou against them," emphasizing the urgency and divine authority behind Ezekiel's mission. The phrase "set thy face against" functions as powerful Symbolism, representing a posture of unwavering opposition and resolute judgment, a recurring motif in Ezekiel's confrontational prophecies (e.g., against Jerusalem in Ezekiel 4:7). There is a strong Contrast established between the source of true prophecy and false prophecy: God's Spirit versus "their own heart." This highlights the fundamental difference between divine truth and human deception. The "heart" itself, when described as the origin of prophecy, uses Metonymy, where the part (heart) stands for the whole person's inner thoughts, desires, and will, underscoring the self-generated and inherently flawed nature of their messages.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 13:17 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine revelation and the inherent dangers of human-centered spirituality. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty over truth and His fierce opposition to those who corrupt His word for personal gain or to appease popular sentiment. The condemnation of prophesying "out of their own heart" is a timeless warning against any spiritual message that originates from human desires, imaginations, or intellect rather than from the Spirit of God. This distinction is critical for discerning authentic spiritual authority from deceptive counterfeits. The passage implicitly affirms that true prophecy is always God-initiated, God-centered, and God-glorifying, intended to call people to repentance, holiness, and obedience, not to offer false comfort or validate human sin.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel's confrontation with the false prophetesses provides a crucial and enduring lesson for believers in every age: the imperative to exercise profound spiritual discernment. In a world saturated with myriad voices claiming to speak for God, this passage calls us to critically examine the source and content of every message we encounter. Do the words align faithfully with the unchanging truth of God's revealed Word? Do they lead to genuine repentance, foster holiness, and cultivate a deeper, more authentic relationship with God, or do they merely offer comforting platitudes that affirm our desires without challenging our sin or calling us to transformation? We are sternly warned against those who prophesy "out of their own heart," as their words, however charismatic, well-intentioned, or emotionally appealing, can lead to false security and profound spiritual harm. Our ultimate standard and infallible guide must always be the Scripture, which is "God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). We are called to emulate the noble Bereans, who "examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11), ensuring that our faith is built on the solid rock of divine truth, not the shifting sands of human invention.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does God specifically mention "daughters of thy people" in this verse, after addressing male false prophets?
Answer: The specific mention of "daughters of thy people" in Ezekiel 13:17 highlights that the problem of false prophecy was pervasive and affected all segments of Israelite society, including women. While the preceding verses (Ezekiel 13:1-16) generally address false prophets, this verse makes it explicit that female individuals were also claiming prophetic authority without divine inspiration. This is not a condemnation of women in prophetic roles, as the Old Testament records genuine prophetesses like Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah, who served God faithfully. Rather, it is a condemnation of false prophecy, regardless of the gender of the one delivering it. It underscores that spiritual deception was a widespread issue that God was addressing comprehensively, leaving no group uncalled to account. The inclusion of "daughters" emphasizes the totality of the judgment against all who spoke "out of their own heart" rather than God's authentic word, as God's judgment is impartial and comprehensive, as seen in Romans 2:11.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 13:17, with its stark warning against prophesying from one's own heart, finds its ultimate fulfillment and perfect counterpoint in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the very embodiment of God's truth and the ultimate Prophet. While the false prophets spoke out of human imagination and self-interest, Jesus spoke only what He heard directly from the Father (John 12:49). He is the Living Word made flesh (John 1:14), the final and complete revelation of God, far surpassing the partial and fragmented revelations delivered through Old Testament prophets (Hebrews 1:1-2). The grave danger of false prophets, as warned in Ezekiel, is their capacity to lead people astray with deceptive messages that promise peace where there is none. Jesus Himself warned His disciples to "beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). His sinless life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection validate His claims as the true messenger of God, and His teachings serve as the unchanging standard against which all other claims of truth must be measured. In Christ, believers possess the perfect and unfailing Word, ensuring that those who follow Him will never be led astray by deceptive prophecies originating from human hearts, but will always be guided by the Spirit of truth who testifies of Him and leads into all truth (John 16:13).