TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
And mine hand H3027 shall be upon the prophets H5030 that see H2374 vanity H7723, and that divine H7080 lies H3577: they shall not be in the assembly H5475 of my people H5971, neither shall they be written H3789 in the writing H3791 of the house H1004 of Israel H3478, neither shall they enter H935 into the land H127 of Israel H3478; and ye shall know H3045 that I am the Lord H136 GOD H3069.
Complete Jewish Bible
"'"My hand will be against the prophets who have futile visions and produce false divinations; they will not be allowed into the council of my people, or be written in the register of the house of Isra'el, or enter the land of Isra'el. Then you will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM.
Berean Standard Bible
My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.
American Standard Version
And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that 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 the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
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.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And mine hande shalbe vpon the Prophets that see vanity, and diuine lies: they shall not be in the assemblie 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 yee shall know that I am the Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
And My hand hath been on the prophets, Who are seeing vanity, and who are divining a lie, In the assembly of My people they are not, And in the writing of the house of Israel they are not written, And unto the ground of Israel they come not, And ye have known that I am the Lord Jehovah.
In the KJVVerse 20,718 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).
John CassianAD 435
Conference 17:25
Because [Judas] was corrupted by the plague of covetousness and had his name struck out from that heavenly list, it is suitably said of him … “They shall not be in the counsel of my people, nor shall they enrolled in the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel.”
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 13:9 declares a severe divine judgment against false prophets who deceive God's people with empty visions and lying divinations. The Lord asserts His direct opposition to these deceivers, detailing a threefold punishment: their exclusion from the assembly of His people, removal from the official register of the house of Israel, and denial of entry into the land of Israel. This comprehensive condemnation underscores God's unwavering commitment to truth and His righteous indignation against those who corrupt spiritual authority, ultimately revealing His sovereign identity as the Lord GOD to His people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 13:9 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of divine judgment and the nature of God. The phrase "mine hand shall be upon" functions as a potent Metonymy or Synecdoche, where "hand" represents the entirety of God's active, direct, and punitive intervention, emphasizing His sovereign power and determination to act against falsehood. The verse also utilizes striking Parallelism and a Tripartite Exclusion structure through the repeated negation: "they shall not be in the assembly... neither shall they be written... neither shall they enter..." This threefold declaration emphatically underscores the comprehensive, irreversible, and absolute nature of the judgment, signifying a total loss of community, identity, and inheritance. Furthermore, a clear Contrast is established between the "vanity" and "lies" spoken by the false prophets and the ultimate revelation of "the Lord GOD," highlighting the absolute distinction between human deception and divine truth. The Repetition of "Israel" throughout the exclusions reinforces the specific identity of the people and the land from which these deceivers are being cut off, emphasizing the covenantal context of the judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 13:9 stands as a stark reminder of God's unwavering commitment to truth and His severe condemnation of those who profane His name by speaking falsehood in His stead. The theological implication is profoundly clear: God is inherently a God of truth, and He will not tolerate deception, especially when it masquerades as divine revelation and leads His people astray. This passage underscores the immense responsibility of those who claim to speak for God, emphasizing that divine judgment awaits those who prioritize personal gain, popularity, or human comfort over the faithful proclamation of His unadulterated word. It also highlights the critical importance of spiritual discernment for believers, who must carefully weigh all spiritual claims against the revealed character and authoritative word of God. The comprehensive nature of the judgment—exclusion from community, identity, and land—reflects the profound spiritual damage inflicted by false prophecy, which alienates people from God's true covenant blessings and jeopardizes their eternal destiny.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 13:9 holds profound contemporary relevance, calling believers to a renewed commitment to spiritual discernment and truth in an age saturated with information and diverse spiritual claims. The ability to distinguish between genuine divine revelation and deceptive falsehood is more critical than ever. This verse reminds us that not all who claim to speak for God truly do, and that the consequences of embracing or propagating spiritual lies are severe, leading to alienation from God's true community and blessings. We are challenged to cultivate a deep familiarity with the authentic voice of God as revealed in Scripture, allowing it to be the plumb line against which all other claims are measured. This requires diligent study of the Bible, prayerful reflection, and a humble reliance on the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Ultimately, it calls us to prioritize the unvarnished truth of God's Word, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular, over comforting deceptions, ensuring our faith is grounded in the unchanging reality of the Lord GOD.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that false prophets "shall not be in the assembly of my people"?
Answer: This phrase signifies a profound exclusion from the covenant community of Israel. "The assembly of my people" (Hebrew, çôwd ʻam, H5475 H5971) refers to the gathered congregation, the collective body of those in covenant relationship with God. For the false prophets, this meant a loss of their standing, fellowship, and participation in the spiritual and social life of God's chosen people. It was a public and spiritual ostracism, indicating that they were no longer considered part of God's true flock due to their deceptive practices and their leading of others astray from the divine truth.
What is the significance of "not be written in the writing of the house of Israel"?
Answer: To be "written in the writing of the house of Israel" (Hebrew, kâthâb bayith Yisrâʼêl, H3791 H1004 H3478) refers to being recorded in the official registers or genealogical records of the Israelite community. These writings were crucial for establishing one's identity, inheritance, and participation in the blessings and privileges of the covenant. Being removed from this register symbolized a complete loss of spiritual identity, disinheritance from the promises made to Israel, and a severing of their connection to the lineage and destiny of God's chosen people. It was a declaration that they had forfeited their place in God's redemptive plan for Israel, akin to being blotted out of the book of life in a spiritual sense.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 13:9, with its stern judgment on false prophets, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the Truth incarnate, and in the New Covenant's warnings against spiritual deception. Jesus Himself is the ultimate true Prophet, who perfectly reveals the Father's will and speaks only words of truth, declaring, "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known" (John 1:18). He definitively proclaimed, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus warned His disciples extensively about false prophets and teachers who would arise, appearing as "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15), and taught that they would be known by their corrupt fruits. The judgment pronounced in Ezekiel—exclusion from the assembly, removal from the register, and denial of the land—foreshadows the spiritual reality of those who reject Christ and His truth. In the New Testament, those who are truly God's people are "written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27), and their inheritance is not merely a physical land but the spiritual blessings of the heavenly kingdom and eternal life in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). False teachers, by contrast, are those who deny Christ or His redemptive work, bringing in "destructive heresies" and facing certain judgment, as warned in 2 Peter 2:1-3. Thus, Ezekiel's prophecy highlights the eternal consequences of rejecting God's authentic word and embracing falsehood, a truth powerfully illuminated and ultimately fulfilled in the person and gospel of Jesus Christ.