TRV
Translation
King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.
Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore here is what Adonai ELOHIM does say: 'Because you have spoken futilities and seen falsehoods, therefore I am against you,' says Adonai ELOHIM.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
American Standard Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the Lord GOD.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Therefore thus sayth the Lord God, Because ye haue spoken vanytie and haue seene lyes, therefore beholde, I am agaynst you, sayth the Lord God,
Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen a lie, Therefore, lo, I am against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
In the KJVVerse 20,717 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ezekiel 13 verses 1–9
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 false prophets, who are here prophesied against, were some of them at Jerusalem (Jer 23:14): I have seen in the prophets at Jerusalem a horrible thing; some of them among the captives in Babylon, for to them Jeremiah writes (Jer 29:8), Let not your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you. And as God's prophets, though at a distance from each other in place or time, yet preached the same truths, which was an evidence that they were guided by one and the same good Spirit, so the false prophets prophesied the same lies, being actuated by one and the same spirit of error. There were little hopes of bringing them to repentance, they were so hardened in their sin; yet Ezekiel must prophesy against them, in hopes that the people might be cautioned not to hearken to them; and thus a testimony will be left upon record against them, and they will thereby be left inexcusable.
Ezekiel had express orders to prophesy against the prophets of Israel; so they called themselves, as if none but they had been worthy of the name of Israel's prophets, who were indeed Israel's deceivers. But it is observable that Israel was never imposed upon by pretenders to prophecy till after they had rejected and abused the true prophets; as, afterwards, they were never deluded by counterfeit messiahs till after they had refused the true Messiah and rejected him. These false prophets must be required to hear the word of the Lord. They took upon them to speak what concerned others as from God; let them now hear what concerned themselves as from him. And two things the prophet is directed to do: -
I. To discover their sin to them, and to convince them of that if possible, or thereby to prevent their proceeding any further, by making manifest their folly unto all men, Ti2 3:9. They are here called foolish prophets (Eze 13:3), men that did not at all understand the business they pretended to; to make fools of the people they made fools of themselves, and put the greatest cheat upon their own souls. Let us see what is here laid to their charge. 1. They pretend to have a commission from God, whereas he never sent them. They thrust themselves into the prophetic office, without warrant from him who is the Lord God of the holy prophets, which was a foolish thing; for how could they expect that God should own them in a work to which he never called them? They are prophets out of their own hearts (so the margin reads it, Eze 13:2), prophets of their own making, Eze 13:6. They say, The Lord saith; they pretend to be his messengers, but the Lord has not sent them, has not given them any orders. They counterfeit the broad seal of heaven, than which they cannot do a greater indignity to mankind, for hereby they put a reproach upon divine revelation, lessen its credit, and weaken its credibility. When these pretenders are found to be deceivers atheists and infidels will thence infer, They are all so. The Lord has not sent them; for though crafty enough in other things like the foxes, and very wise for the world, yet they are foolish prophets and have no experimental acquaintance with the things of God. Note, Foolish prophets are not of God's sending, for whom he sends he either finds fit or makes fit. Where he gives warrant he gives wisdom. 2. They pretend to have instructions from God, whereas he never made himself and his mind known to them: They followed their own spirit (Eze 13:3); they delivered that as a message from God which was the product either of their subtle invention, to serve a turn for themselves, or of their own crazed and heated imagination, to give vent to a fancy. For they have seen nothing, they have not really had any heavenly vision; they pretend that what they say the Lord saith it, but God disowns it: "I have not spoken it, I never said it, never meant any such thing." What they delivered was not what they had seen or heard, as that is which the ministers of Christ deliver (Jo1 1:1), but either what they had dreamed or what they thought would please those they coveted to make an interest in; this is called their seeing vanity and lying divination (Eze 13:6); they pretended to have seen that which they did not see, and produced that as a divine truth which they knew to be false. To the same purport (Eze 13:7): You have see a vain vision and spoken a lying divination, which had no divine original and would have no effect, but would certainly be disproved by the event; the words are changed (Eze 13:8): You have spoken vanity and seen lies; what they saw and what they said was all alike, a mere sham; they saw nothing, they said nothing, to the purpose, nothing that could be relied on or that deserved regard. Again (Eze 13:9), They see vanity and divine lies; they pretended to have had visions, as the true prophets had, whereas really they had none, but either it was the creature of their own fancy (they thought they had a vision, as men in a delirium do, that was seeing vanity) or it was a fiction of their own politics, and they knew they had none, and then they saw lies, and divined lies. See Jer 23:16, etc. Note, Since the devil is universally know to be the father of lies, those put the highest affront imaginable upon God who tell lies, and then father them upon him. But those that had put God's character upon Satan, in worshipping devils, arrived at length at such a pitch of impiety as to put Satan's character upon God. 3. They took no care to prevent the judgments of God that were breaking in upon the kingdom. They are like the foxes in the deserts, running to and fro, and seeming to be in a great hurry, but it was to get away and shift for their own safety, not to do any good: The hireling flees, and leaves the sheep. They are like foxes that are greedy of prey for themselves, crafty and cruel to feed themselves. But (Eze 13:5), "You have not gone up into the gaps, nor made up the hedge of the house of Israel. A breach is made in their fences, at which judgments are ready to pour in upon them, and then, if ever, is the time to do them service; but you have done nothing to help them." They should have made intercession for them, to turn away the wrath of God; but they were not praying prophets, had no interest in heaven nor intercourse with heaven (as prophets used to have, Gen 20:7) and so could do them no service that way. They should have made it their business by preaching and advice to bring people to repentance and reformation, and so have made up the hedge, and put a stop to the judgments of God; but this was none of their care: they contrived how to pleased people, not how to profit them. They saw a deluge of profaneness and impiety breaking in upon the land, waging war with virtue and holiness, and threatening to crush them and bear them down, and then they should have come in to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty, by witnessing against the wickedness of the time and place they lived in; but they thought that would be as dangerous a piece of service as standing in a breach to make it good against the besiegers, and therefore they declined it, did nothing to stem the tide, stood not in the battle against vice and immorality, but basely deserted the cause of religion and reformation, in the day of the Lord, when it was proclaimed, Who is on the Lord's side? Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Psa 94:16. Those were unworthy the name of prophets that could think so favourably of sin, and had so little zeal for God and the public welfare. 4. They flattered people into a vain hope that the judgments God had threatened would never come, whereby they hardened those in sin whom they should have endeavoured to turn from sin (Eze 13:6): They have made others to hope that all should be well, and they should have peace, though they went on still in their trespasses, and that the event would confirm the word. They were still ready to say, "We will warrant you that these troubles will be at an end quickly, and we shall be in prosperity again." as if their warrants would confirm false prophecies, in defiance of God himself.
II. He is directed to denounce the judgments of God against them for these sins, from which their pretending to the character of prophets would not exempt them. 1. In general, here is a woe against them (Eze 13:3), and what that woe is we are told (Eze 13:8). Behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God. Note, Those are in a woeful condition that have God against them. Woe, and a thousand woes, to those that have made him their enemy. 2. In particular, they are sentenced to be excluded from all the privileges of the commonwealth of Israel, for they are adjudged to have forfeited them all (Eze 13:9): God's hand shall be upon them, to seize them and bring them to his bar, to shut them out from his presence, and they will find it a fearful thing to fall into his hands. They pretend to be prophets, particular favourites of heaven, and authorized to preside in the congregation of his church on earth; but, by pretending to the honours they were not entitled to, they lost those that otherwise they might have enjoyed, Mat 5:19. Their doom is, (1.) To be expelled from the communion of saints, and not to be looked upon as belonging to it: They shall not be in the secret of my people; their folly shall be so clearly manifested that they shall never be consulted, nor their advice asked; they shall not be present at any debates about public affairs. Or, rather, they shall not be in the assembly of God's people for religious worship, for they shall be ashamed to show their heads there, when they are proved by the events to be false prophets, and, like Cain, shall go out from the presence of the Lord. The people that are deceived by them shall abandon them, and resolve to have no more to do with them. Those that usurped Moses's chair shall not be allowed so much as a door-keeper's place. In the great day they shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous (Psa 1:5), when God gathers his saints together to him (Psa 50:5, Psa 50:16), to be for ever with him. (2.) To be expunged out of the book of the living. They shall die in their captivity, and shall die childless, shall leave no posterity to take their denomination from them, and so their names shall not be found among those who either themselves or their posterity returned out of Babylon, of whom a particular account was kept in a public register, which was called the writing of the house of Israel, such as we have Ezra 2. They shall not be found among the living in Jerusalem, Isa 4:3. Or they shall not be found written among those whom God has from eternity chosen to be vessels of his mercy to eternity. We read of those who prophesied in Christ's name, and yet he will tell them that he never knew them (Mat 7:22, Mat 7:23), because they were not among those that were given to him. The Chaldee paraphrase reads it, They shall not be written in the writing of eternal life, which is written for the righteous of the house of Israel. See Psa 69:28. (3.) To be for ever excluded from the land of Israel. God has sworn in his wrath concerning them that they shall never enter with the returning captives into the land of Canaan, which a second time remains a rest for them. Note, Those who oppose the design of God's threatenings, and will not be awed and influenced by them, forfeit the benefit of his promises, and cannot expect to be comforted and encouraged by them.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Vers. 8, 9.) Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken idle words and have seen falsehood, behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. And my hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. LXX: Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God. Because your words are lies and your divinations are empty, therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord God, and I will stretch out my hand against the prophets who see falsehood and speak empty words. They will not be in the discipline of my people, nor will they be written in the scroll of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. And they will know that I am the Lord. Under the guise of prophets, this speech is against heretics, who speak empty words and see falsehood, and they persist in establishing their own doctrine. May the Lord Himself come against them and rise up, and may He stretch out His hand against them to strike, and may He not hold back in sparing them. And He threatens that they will not be among the assembly of the people of the Lord in the future, nor in His Church, but in the synagogue of the devil, nor will they be written in the house of Israel. About which it is said in another place: They will be written above the earth (Jeremiah 17:13): not in the land of Israel which is the land of the living, about which it is now said, nor will they enter the land of Israel, but in the land of the dead and the shadow of death, so that after they have endured these things, separated from the assembly of the people of God, they may understand that He is the Lord. Instead of 'for what we render, they will not be in the council of my people,' the Seventy translated, 'they will not be in the discipline or correction of my people.' For there is one kind of correction for enemies, another for sons. Hence Jeremiah says: Correct us, O Lord, but with judgment, not with anger, lest you make us few. Pour out your anger on the nations that have not known you, and on the kingdoms that have not invoked your name. (Ibid. X, 24, 25).
JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON EZEKIEL 4:13.8-9
The ministry of prophets is about speaking against heretics whose task is empty, whose visions are false and who persist in establishing their own words, because the Lord comes against them, rising up and lifting his hand over them to shake them, and he does not ensure that they are to be spared.
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 13:8 delivers a potent divine declaration against the false prophets of Israel, unequivocally stating God's direct opposition to those who disseminate deceit and fabricate visions in His name. This verse condemns their empty pronouncements and deceptive messages, which lead the people astray, and asserts the Lord GOD's righteous judgment upon them for their spiritual fraud. It underscores the severe and certain consequences awaiting those who presume to speak for God while uttering falsehoods, highlighting the gravity of misrepresenting divine truth.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Ezekiel 13:8 is an integral part of a comprehensive prophetic indictment against false prophets and prophetesses in Judah, detailed throughout Ezekiel 13:1-23. The preceding verses establish the nature of their deception, revealing that these prophets "follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing" (Ezekiel 13:3). They are further condemned for failing to "go 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" (Ezekiel 13:5). Likened to "foxes in the deserts" (Ezekiel 13:4), they actively undermine the spiritual and moral integrity of the nation. Therefore, Ezekiel 13:8 serves as the explicit divine declaration of judgment, directly linking God's opposition to their "vanity" and "lies." The subsequent verses, such as Ezekiel 13:9, elaborate on the specific forms of this judgment, including God's hand being against them and their exclusion from the assembly of Israel.
Historical & Cultural Context: Ezekiel's ministry unfolded during the tumultuous period of the Babylonian exile (c. 593-571 BC). This was a time of profound national trauma and spiritual disorientation for the people of Judah, who were desperately seeking hope and reassurance. This vulnerability created fertile ground for false prophets who offered comforting, yet deceptive, messages of imminent peace, a swift return from exile, and a reversal of their fortunes. Such optimistic prophecies directly contradicted the stern realities of God's judgment and the urgent call to repentance proclaimed by authentic prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In ancient Israel, the prophet held a sacred office, understood to be the direct mouthpiece of God. The abuse of this office, driven by a desire for popularity, personal gain, or a misguided attempt to offer comfort without divine sanction, constituted a profound betrayal of divine trust and posed a dangerous spiritual snare for the populace. The cultural expectation that a prophet's words were God's words made the propagation of falsehoods particularly egregious and spiritually damaging.
Key Themes: Ezekiel 13:8 powerfully contributes to several foundational themes within the book of Ezekiel and the broader prophetic corpus. Firstly, it emphatically highlights the sovereignty and holiness of God, asserting that He cannot be mocked or misrepresented, especially by those who claim to speak in His name. His declaration, "I am against you," underscores His active and righteous opposition to spiritual deceit. Secondly, the verse illuminates the crucial distinction between true and false prophecy, contrasting God's authentic, often challenging, word with the empty, self-serving fabrications of the false prophets, which are explicitly labeled as "vanity" and "lies." This discernment is a recurring biblical imperative, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 18:20-22. Finally, Ezekiel 13:8 reinforces the theme of divine justice and accountability, demonstrating God's unwavering commitment to holding those who mislead His people to account, particularly when their deception undermines His truth and the spiritual well-being of the community.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 13:8 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with maximum impact. The most prominent is Repetition, specifically the powerful phrase "saith the Lord GOD," which frames the verse and appears frequently throughout Ezekiel 13. This repetition functions as an oracle formula, lending immense authority, certainty, and divine weight to the pronouncement, emphasizing that the condemnation originates directly from the Almighty. There is also a strong element of Parallelism evident in the phrase "spoken vanity, and seen lies," where two distinct but related actions (speaking and seeing) are linked to two forms of falsehood (vanity and lies). This creates a comprehensive and damning picture of the prophets' pervasive deceit. The declaration "I am against you" is a form of Anthropomorphism, attributing a human-like posture of opposition to God, which makes His judgment feel immediate, personal, and profoundly impactful. Furthermore, the verse uses Figurative Language to describe the nature of the false prophecies: "vanity" and "lies" are abstract concepts made tangible, vividly highlighting the emptiness, worthlessness, and inherent deceitfulness of the messages propagated by these false prophets.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 13:8 profoundly underscores the sanctity of divine truth and the severe consequences for those who pervert it. Theologically, it reveals God's unwavering commitment to the integrity of His own word and His absolute intolerance for spiritual deception, particularly when it emanates from those who claim to speak on His behalf. This verse establishes a foundational principle: God is not passive in the face of falsehood; He actively opposes and judges those who mislead His people. It highlights the immense responsibility incumbent upon those who teach or prophesy, reminding us that their words carry eternal weight and that their ultimate accountability is to God. The divine "I am against you" is a powerful testament to God's justice, His righteous indignation against spiritual fraud, and His protective care for His flock, ensuring that those who sow spiritual confusion and lead others astray will inevitably face His righteous judgment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 13:8 serves as a timeless warning and a crucial call to spiritual discernment for believers across all generations. In an age saturated with information, diverse spiritual claims, and competing narratives, the imperative to distinguish between divine truth and human fabrication remains paramount. This verse compels us to critically evaluate all teachings, not merely for their pleasantness, popularity, or perceived comfort, but for their unwavering alignment with the revealed character and infallible word of God. It reminds us that genuine spiritual nourishment and enduring peace come only from truth, and that embracing falsehood, even out of a desire for ease or reassurance, ultimately leads to divine opposition and spiritual peril. Our spiritual well-being and eternal destiny depend on our willingness to prioritize God's authentic voice, even when it challenges our preconceived notions, confronts uncomfortable realities, or demands costly obedience. We are called to be vigilant guardians of truth, both in what we consume and what we propagate, recognizing the profound responsibility inherent in handling spiritual matters and the eternal consequences of misrepresenting God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the repeated phrase "saith the Lord GOD" in this verse?
Answer: The repeated phrase "saith the Lord GOD" (Hebrew: Adonai Yᵉhôvih) is a powerful and frequently used oracle formula in prophetic literature, especially prominent in Ezekiel. Its significance in Ezekiel 13:8 is multifaceted: firstly, it profoundly emphasizes the divine authority of the message, indicating that the condemnation is not merely Ezekiel's personal opinion or human judgment, but a direct, unchallengeable, and sovereign word from God Himself. Secondly, it underscores the certainty and immutability of the judgment; what God declares will undeniably come to pass, regardless of human resistance. Thirdly, it highlights God's personal involvement and righteous indignation against the false prophets, demonstrating that He is actively and personally against their deceitful practices and the spiritual harm they inflict. This repetition reinforces the gravity, finality, and divine origin of the entire pronouncement, leaving no room for doubt concerning its validity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 13:8, with its stark condemnation of false prophets and their "vanity" and "lies," finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound counterpoint in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament prophets warned against those who spoke falsely in God's name, Jesus Himself is the very embodiment of divine truth, the "Word made flesh" who "dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6), presenting Himself as the singular, unwavering source of authentic divine revelation, standing in absolute contrast to the deceit and emptiness of the false prophets. The judgment pronounced in Ezekiel 13:8 against those who lead God's people astray foreshadows Christ's own stern warnings against false teachers who would come in "sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Ultimately, Christ's perfect life, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection expose all falsehood and establish the unwavering truth of God's redemptive plan. He is the true Shepherd who protects His flock from spiritual deception, and His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, continues to guide believers into all truth (John 16:13), empowering them to discern and reject all "vanity" and "lies."