Chapter Thirteen

Concerning False Prophets and Prophetesses

1–7. Denunciation of false prophets. 8–16. Their punishment. 17–19. Denunciation of prophetesses. 20–23. Their punishment.

Ezekiel 13:1. And the word of the Lord came to me: Ezekiel 13:2. Son of man! Prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to the prophets from their own hearts: Hear the word of the Lord! “Prophecy against the prophets” – sounds forcefully. – “Of Israel.” The like-minded ones of Ezekiel are so few among the prophets that he can oppose himself to this whole corporation; cf. Ezek 7:26; Jer 18:18. – “Who prophesy.” This is either a pleonasm or else here the sentence: “to the prophets who prophesy from their own hearts” – is deliberately broken by the introductory: “say to the prophets.” – “From their own hearts” (Jer 23:16). A direct opposite to what prophets ought to be, the idea of a prophet: they should be only the mouth of God. – “Hear the word of the Lord.” This word of the Lord is the complete opposite of what the false prophets proclaim.

Ezekiel 13:3. Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! “Foolish,” inasmuch as they deceive themselves as to themselves and the limits of their abilities; thus that they themselves did not believe in their predictions, this Ezekiel does not venture to assert. – “Follow their own spirit,” and not God’s. Here is vividly revealed the consciousness of the true prophet that he draws his inspiration not from a natural source and does not attribute it to himself.

Ezekiel 13:4. Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes in the ruins. “Your prophets.” Not “false” is added, for besides Ezekiel there were almost no true ones. Ezekiel speaks to Israel of his prophets as if they (their work) do not concern him at all; he does not want to have anything in common with them, as once Amos, who would not even call himself a prophet or a son of a prophet (Amos 7:14); great natures have always felt themselves lonely and isolated on earth. “Israel” – there is more tenderness in this address than before, especially in chapter II (“rebellious house”); perhaps the activity of the prophet began already to bear fruit. – “Like foxes in the ruins.” Just as foxes, which love ruins and produce them (burrow under buildings), the false prophets undermine the existence of Israel, which now resembles ruins; they work on the final destruction of the remnant of Israel’s existence.

Ezekiel 13:5. You have not gone up into the breaches, nor built a wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. The true prophet must not destroy but build. To the former image the prophet directly joins a completely different one, which may have been suggested to him by the impending siege of Jerusalem. When breaches are made in the walls of a besieged city by the enemy force, the bravest defenders concentrate all their defense on them (“go up to the breaches”) and try to quickly close them (“build a wall”). “Breaches” – moral corruption, weak points of the people, threatening it with destruction and requiring timely denunciation and correction from the prophet. “Wall” – this very denunciation, and also the prayer of intercession of the prophet for the people, constituting the beautiful right and obligation of the true prophet and able, at least sometimes, to stand in the way of God’s wrath (Ezek 22:30; Jer 15:1; Isa 63:10). Instead of “nor built a wall,” the LXX: “gathered flocks to the house of Israel”), that is, presumably “called an enemy invasion upon Israel,” with the comparison taken from fencing a vineyard against beasts. “The day of the Lord” see Isa 2:12. In the time of Ezekiel it was especially near; this was in the nearest sense the day of the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; cf. Zeph 1:7; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18. Ezekiel here properly depicts nothing other than the tasks of his vocation according to Ezek 3:16-21: to be able to preserve the surrounding fellow-countrymen from destruction in the coming catastrophe.

Ezekiel 13:6. They see emptiness and their divination is a lie; they say, “declares the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them; and yet they expect him to fulfill the word. Instead of the means pointed out in the preceding verse for preventing the ready catastrophe of Judah, the false prophets resort to reassuring, but plainly false predictions and visions, presenting them as divinely inspired. – “The Lord declares.” A literal imitation of the true prophets, who often use this formula. – “And yet they expect him to fulfill the word.” The Hebrew expression can be translated: “and they believe the word will be fulfilled.” On the basis of the then belief in the magical force of every prediction, the false prophets were convinced of the fulfillment of their own prophecies independently of God, who spoke something else through the true prophets. Such is perhaps the meaning of the obscure expression of the LXX: “and began to raise up the word,” which Jerome understands: “although they desire to rise up and stand on high, they cannot fulfill that.”

Ezekiel 13:7. Have you not seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination? You say, “The Lord declares it,” but I have not spoken. The verse is a repetition in interrogative form of verse 6, perhaps representing “an appeal to the conscience of the false prophets” (Hengstenberg). It is lacking in the Vatican Codex.

Ezekiel 13:8. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken falsehood and envisioned lies, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. The verse forms the introduction to the 2nd stanza (verses 8–9), describing the punishment of the false prophets; hence the repetition of the guilt of the false prophets, a repetition literal according to the custom, but shortened and with a reversal of the additions.

Ezekiel 13:9. 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. The punishment of the false prophets is remarkable in that its fulfillment is referred to plainly Messianic, consequently, in Ezekiel, eschatological (cf. “my people”) times. It is threefold, all increasing in degree: 1) they will not enjoy guiding influence on the people of the future (Church Slavonic: “in the judgment of my people shall not be”); but the expression “counsel of my people” may mean the entire society of the Messianic, living in close communion with its God, people; 2) they will not be entered in the lists of this people, which determine the genealogy and right to ownership of portions of land (Ezra 2:62); 3) they will not even be admitted to return to the promised land of the future; cf. Ezek 20:38. The punishment is proclaimed not in a threatening, but rather in a grievous tone and not so severely as others proclaimed by Ezekiel: the false prophets were excused by self-deception.

Ezekiel 13:10. Because, indeed, they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace; and because, when one builds a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, The discourse returns to the guilt of the false prophets after announcing their punishment, to reveal both more fully: verses 10–16. – “My people” see verse 4 explanation. “Israel.” – “Saying: peace,” cf. Jer 6:14. – “When he builds a wall.” He by Ezek 12:27 – Ezekiel (not the people, as commonly explained). The prophet contrasts his activity – the building (cf. Jer 1:10) of the house of Israel lying in ruins (verse 4), which the Divine Architect Himself breaks down (Amos 7:7 and following), with the activity of the false prophets, who close their eyes to the moral corruption of the people and to the threats it poses.

Ezekiel 13:11. Tell those who daub with whitewash, it will fall. There will come a violent rainstorm, and you, hailstones, shall fall, and a tempestuous wind will tear it apart. “There will come a violent rainstorm” – the Babylonian invasion: cf. Isa 8:8; Nah 1:8, where the attack of enemies is compared to heavy rain. But all subsequent trials of God’s people up to its final restoration and salvation may be understood; cf. Ezek 20:35. – “And you, hailstones, shall fall.” An unprecedented shift from third person to second person. Addressing an inanimate object as if alive is not uncommon in the Old Testament, but here it is unexpected and strange in that of three inanimate instruments of God’s punishment, only one, and the middle one, is addressed. The apostrophe wishes to point to the power of the Lord, who commands the elements. The LXX have in place of “you” a word identical in Hebrew script meaning “and I will give,” cf. Matt 7:27.

Ezekiel 13:12. And behold, the wall falls; then will they not say to you: “Where is the whitewash with which you whitewashed it? After the destruction of the people it will become clear what all the fine words and promises of peace from the false prophets meant.

Ezekiel 13:13. Therefore thus says the Lord God: I will send a tempestuous wind in My anger, and a violent rainstorm in My fury, and hailstones in My indignation, for destruction. What in verses 11 and 12 was presented as possible, here is announced positively and precisely as vengeance of an angry Lord. Wind and rain destroy the wall, while hail strikes down the builders, as is evident from the addition “for destruction,” Slavonic “to the end,” parallel to “you will perish,” Slavonic “you will end,” verse 14.

Ezekiel 13:14. And I will destroy the wall which you have whitewashed with mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare, and it falls, and you will perish with it; and you will know that I am the Lord. Together with the work of the false prophets, they themselves perish. The images and comparisons were inspired by the approaching destruction of Jerusalem and its walls. – “Its foundation is laid bare.” According to Mic 1:7 – complete destruction. – “You will perish,” Slavonic “you will end,” but in Greek second person plural. – “With it,” Slavonic “with disgrace,” that is, openly, shamefully.

Ezekiel 13:15. And I will spend My wrath upon the wall and upon those who daub it with mortar, and I will say to you: The wall is no more, and those who daubed it, The false prophets will not escape the destruction of the people brought about by them and which is inevitable as satisfaction of God’s anger and justice. “I will say to you: The wall is no more ...” God pronounces His judgment as a fact.

Ezekiel 13:16. – the prophets of Israel, who prophesied to Jerusalem and announced to it visions of peace, when there is no peace, says the Lord God. A final clarification of all the images and comparisons used so far, translating them into plain and direct language. The guilt of the false prophets is that they, contrary to Ezekiel and the God speaking through him, lulled Jerusalem regarding its impending fate and thereby hindered its repentance and reformation, which might not have averted its destruction at the hand of the Chaldeans, but at least could have significantly improved the subsequent fate of the people and kingdom externally, in political and internal, moral respects.

Ezekiel 13:17. But you, son of man, set your face toward the daughters of your people, those who prophesy from their own heart, and prophesy against them, The discourse against the prophetesses. Among the Hebrews women not uncommonly received the gift of prophecy: Miriam, Deborah, Anna, the daughters of Philip. False prophetesses before the Babylonian exile are not mentioned, unless one counts sorceresses like the woman of Endor. After the exile Noadiah worked against Nehemiah (Nehem 6:14). The special discourse by Ezekiel against them with the solemn “set your face” (“attend to” (cf. Ezek 4:7 and others) shows that this institution in exile received wide development, perhaps under the influence of oppressive mood and Babylonian divination. Speaking in the name of Jehovah, Ezekiel’s prophetesses nevertheless: a) prophesy from their own mind, b) not disinterestedly, with profit, c) resort to pagan sorcery. Thus what the prophets do on a large scale – with the entire people – the prophetesses do on a small scale with individuals: by witchcraft they ensnare souls.

Ezekiel 13:18. and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to those who sew magic charms upon the wrists and make veils for the head of every stature to ensnare souls! Will you ensnare the souls of My people and keep yourselves alive? “Magic charms,” Slavonic “pillows for the head.” The Hebrew word kesatot, found only here, is akin to Assyrian kasu, “to bind,” “to enchant,” in the opinion of most interpreters designates some kind of bands which the false prophetesses who were sorceresses wore themselves (cf. verse 20: “I will tear them from your arms”) on the bends of the arm (elbows or under the armpits – the Hebrew word does not specify) as signs of their status, and because they supposedly gave them power over demons. As for the “veils,” the diviners probably threw them over the heads of visitors, perhaps so they could not see their sorcerous gestures and could not verify the absence of the supposed manifestations of the dead. The addition “for every stature” shows that these veils hung from head to ground, so for different heights different length veils were needed and the prophetesses had a large choice of them. The pouches and veils mentioned here are compared with the ephod, which apparently served as a kind of covering or case for an idol (teraphim), and also as priestly garment, with the assumption that the power of the idol transferred to this covering and was passed to the priest. These items are also compared with the tefillin and tallit, the “phylacteries” and “fringes” of later Judaism (Matt 23:5). According to others (Blessed Theodoret), this is simply a metaphor taken from women’s work and means the flattering and soothing predictions of the false prophetesses, closing the people’s eyes to the impending judgment of God. Scarcely deserving mention is the unsupported by context opinion of Hävernick, that “kesatot” are carpets or divans with two armrests for each elbow, on which the prophetesses, elegantly wrapped in veils, gave themselves to depravity. “To ensnare,” Slavonic “to corrupt,” “souls,” that is, to lead to destruction with false predictions. But in this expression there may be an allusion to summoning the souls of the dead. – “Will you ensnare the souls of My people and keep yourselves alive?” From the Hebrew literally “ensnaring the souls of My people, do you not make alive your souls,” that is, do you not gain thereby means of subsistence, as in Slavonic: “you nourish souls,” ψυχας περιεποιουντο; cf. in verse 19: “for a handful of barley and for pieces of bread.”

Ezekiel 13:19. And you have profaned Me before My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, lying to a people that listens to lies. “You have profaned Me,” by passing off your own inventions as God’s word, catering to Israel’s sins; presenting yourselves in God’s name and announcing something completely opposite to God’s will, and also using God’s name in your unclean profession. – “For handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread.” They insult the majesty of God for daily bread. In itself, payment for prophecy, like payment for any labor, was not disreputable and was not rejected by even such great prophets as Samuel (1 Sam 9:7-8) and Elisha (2 Sam 4:22; cf. 1 Sam 14:3). Ezekiel does not condemn the prophetesses for particular extortion, as in Mic 3:5; however in verse 21 the reproach is stronger. – “Killing souls who should not die,” that is, the righteous, whom the prophetesses corrupted with false predictions, “and keeping alive souls who should not live” that is, the wicked by promising them well-being. Verse 22 gives reason to understand these expressions in this way, as it completes and clarifies them. But one could understand more concretely: the prophetesses predicted death to those who would submit to the king of Babylon, when submission would have saved them, and life to those who would resist him, when their fate was destruction. – “Lying to a people that listens to lies.” Consequently, the people willingly came to these prophetesses and the danger from them was serious.

Ezekiel 13:20. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against your magic charms with which you there ensnare the souls as birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go free, even the souls you ensnare as birds. “Behold, I am against ...” A strong feeling, as in verse 8 and Ezek 5:8. – “As birds.” This is one of the possible meanings of the obscure Hebrew word lephoroth. A comparison of those perishing due to the prophetesses to birds caught in snares. Perhaps also an allusion to summoning the dead. In Slavonic this word is not translated here, but at the end of the verse: “to scatter”: I will scatter from you the souls yielded to your influence. – “And let the souls go free.” When the falsity of the predictions and powerlessness of the incantations are revealed, chiefly at the fall of Jerusalem, those deceived by the prophetesses will be freed from their influence.

Ezekiel 13:21. And I will tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey; and you will know that I am the Lord. “I will tear off your veils.” Not: “tear them from you”; consequently, the prophetesses did not cover themselves with them, but covered those who came to them, cf. verse 18. – “Out of your hand” – from your influence. – “No more in your hand as prey.” The subject – “souls,” which is contained in the collective term “My people.”

Ezekiel 13:22. Because with lies you have saddened the heart of the righteous, whom I have not grieved, and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that they do not turn from their wicked way and save their lives, Verses 22 and 23 once again juxtapose the guilt and punishment of the prophetesses. The evil they produce is so great that Jehovah can no longer tolerate their activity. The guilt of the false prophetesses, designated too generally and figuratively in verse 19, is defined more precisely: the righteous they “sadden” either by announcing punishment not destined them by God, or by weakening their faith in God’s promises; the wicked they strengthen in their wickedness, not condemning them and fostering hope for a good future.

Ezekiel 13:23. because of this you will no longer have vain visions or practice divination; I will deliver My people from your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord. The verse clarifies verse 20, as verse 22 clarifies verse 19: the punishment of the prophetesses and the deliverance of God’s people from their harmful influence will consist in that they will no longer have false visions and practice their divination (“you will no longer practice divination” Slavonic more precisely: “you will not practice sorcery”), either because the fall of Jerusalem, whose salvation from the Chaldeans was the center of these divinations, will reveal their falsity, or because the prophetesses themselves will perish at the general destruction together with those who consulted them.