Ezekiel 13 Study Notes: Against the False Prophets
God condemns Israel's prophets who invent their own messages and promise safety while judgment approaches. Their false hope is pictured as a weak wall coated with plaster that a storm will flatten, and God also judges women who trap people with charms and lies, promising to free His people.
General
What two harms did the LORD say the false prophetesses had done with their lies (Ezekiel 13:22)?
Answer: They grieved the righteous and urged the wicked to stay in sin
The LORD summed up the damage in two parts. First, their lies had disheartened the righteous, bringing sorrow to people whom God Himself had not grieved. Second, they had emboldened wicked people to keep on in their evil, so those people did not turn back and save their lives (13:22). Their message turned God’s word upside down, as Isaiah warned about people who swap the labels of good and evil (Isaiah 5:20). Jeremiah said the same of Jerusalem’s prophets: they propped up evildoers, so none of them turned back (Jeremiah 23:14). This matters because the LORD finds no delight when the wicked die; He calls them to turn and live (33:11). So He promised to end these false visions and rescue His people from these women (13:23).
- Ezekiel 13:22-23 (BSB)“Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.””The false prophetesses discouraged the righteous with lies and kept the wicked from turning; the LORD will end their visions and rescue His people.
- Jeremiah 23:14 (BSB)“And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.””The prophets of Jerusalem propped up evildoers, so that none of them turned back from evil.
- Isaiah 5:20 (BSB)“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.”Isaiah pronounces woe on those who swap the names of good and evil.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”The LORD finds no delight when the wicked die and urges them to change course and live.
Theological
What twofold damage did the LORD charge to the false prophetesses’ lies (Ezekiel 13:22)?
Answer: They grieved the righteous and urged the wicked to stay in sin
The indictment is a complete inversion of the prophetic office. By their lies these women grieved the righteous, whom the LORD had not grieved, and they emboldened the wicked to stay in their ways rather than turn back and preserve their lives (13:22). Where a true prophet comforts the godly and warns the ungodly to repent, they did the opposite, the very error Isaiah condemns in those who swap the names of good and evil (Isaiah 5:20). Jeremiah brought the same charge against Jerusalem’s prophets, who strengthened evildoers so that none turned back (Jeremiah 23:14). The gravity of this lies in God’s own will toward sinners: He finds no delight in the wicked dying and summons them to turn and live (33:11). He therefore ends the false visions and delivers His people from their grasp (13:23).
- Ezekiel 13:22-23 (BSB)“Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.””The false prophetesses discouraged the righteous with lies and kept the wicked from turning; the LORD will end their visions and rescue His people.
- Jeremiah 23:14 (BSB)“And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.””The prophets of Jerusalem propped up evildoers, so that none of them turned back from evil.
- Isaiah 5:20 (BSB)“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.”Isaiah pronounces woe on those who swap the names of good and evil.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”The LORD finds no delight when the wicked die and urges them to change course and live.
General
The LORD compares Israel’s false prophets to foxes in the ruins. What failure does He charge them with (Ezekiel 13:4-5)?
Answer: They never went up to mend the breaks in the wall
The LORD compares Israel’s prophets to foxes prowling among ruins: they are at home in the rubble but do nothing to rebuild it (13:4). God says they never went up into the gaps or rebuilt the wall around Israel so the people could stand firm when the LORD’s day of judgment arrived (13:5). A true prophet repairs the gaps by naming sin and calling people back to God, so that they can be ready. Later God says He looked for someone to rebuild the wall and take a stand in the breach for the land, and found no one (22:30). After the fall of Jerusalem, Lamentations says the same thing: the prophets’ visions were empty because they never exposed the people’s guilt (Lamentations 2:14). The people themselves had wanted pleasant illusions rather than the truth (Isaiah 30:10).
- Ezekiel 13:4-5 (BSB)“Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins. You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD.”The false prophets are compared to foxes in ruins who never went up to repair the breaches before judgment came.
- Ezekiel 22:30 (BSB)“I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.”Later the LORD says He looked for someone to rebuild the wall and take a stand in the breach for the land, but found no one.
- Lamentations 2:14 (BSB)“The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.”After the fall, Lamentations says the prophets’ visions were empty because they never exposed the people’s guilt.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah describes a people who wanted prophets to tell them pleasant illusions rather than the truth.
Theological
What dereliction does the image of foxes in the ruins expose in Israel’s prophets (Ezekiel 13:4-5)?
Answer: They never went up to mend the breaks in the wall
Foxes prowl among ruins; they do not rebuild them. Israel’s prophets likewise moved among the nation’s ruins without ever repairing them (13:4). They never went up into the breaches or repaired Israel’s protective wall, so the nation was left unready to stand firm when the LORD’s day of judgment brought battle (13:5). The breach is moral and spiritual: a faithful prophet exposes sin and summons the people to repentance before judgment falls. The same indictment returns when the LORD seeks someone to rebuild the wall and take a stand in the breach and finds none (22:30). Lamentations names the cost: the prophets’ empty visions never uncovered the people’s iniquity to avert the captivity (Lamentations 2:14), and the people preferred pleasant illusions to the truth (Isaiah 30:10).
- Ezekiel 13:4-5 (BSB)“Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins. You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD.”The false prophets are compared to foxes in ruins who never went up to repair the breaches before judgment came.
- Ezekiel 22:30 (BSB)“I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.”Later the LORD says He looked for someone to rebuild the wall and take a stand in the breach for the land, but found no one.
- Lamentations 2:14 (BSB)“The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.”After the fall, Lamentations says the prophets’ visions were empty because they never exposed the people’s guilt.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah describes a people who wanted prophets to tell them pleasant illusions rather than the truth.
General
What message did the false prophets give that led God’s people astray (Ezekiel 13:10, 16)?
Answer: That all was well and no disaster was coming
The heart of the false prophets’ message was comfort that God had not given. They announced peace to Jerusalem when judgment, not peace, was coming (13:10, 16). Their reassurance was like whitewash painted over a flimsy wall: it made a weak structure look solid while doing nothing to strengthen it (13:10). In Jerusalem Jeremiah faced prophets with the same message. They treated the people’s deep wound as if it were minor and kept announcing peace (Jeremiah 6:14), and they told those who were stubbornly disobeying God that no harm would come to them (Jeremiah 23:17). Long before, Micah had exposed the same kind of prophets (Micah 3:5). A message of safety that ignores sin does not protect people; it leaves them unready for the judgment that is coming.
- Ezekiel 13:10 (BSB)“Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,”The false prophets lead the people astray by promising peace and covering a flimsy wall with whitewash.
- Ezekiel 13:16 (BSB)“those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’”The LORD identifies these prophets as the ones who foresaw safety for Jerusalem though none was coming.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (BSB)“They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.”In Jerusalem Jeremiah faced the same kind of message, prophets announcing peace while treating the people’s wound lightly.
- Jeremiah 23:17 (BSB)“They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”The false prophets promised safety even to those who scorned the LORD and obstinately followed their own desires.
- Micah 3:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths:”Micah also exposed prophets who misled the LORD’s people, promising peace to anyone who fed them.
Theological
What message did the false prophets proclaim that misled the LORD’s people (Ezekiel 13:10, 16)?
Answer: That all was well and no disaster was coming
The false prophets’ core message was unwarranted assurance: they announced peace for Jerusalem while the LORD had decreed judgment (13:10, 16). Their preaching functioned like whitewash on a flimsy partition, giving it the look of strength without supplying any (13:10). Jeremiah confronted the identical counterfeit in Jerusalem, prophets who healed the people’s wound superficially with cries of peace (Jeremiah 6:14) and promised the stubborn that no harm would come (Jeremiah 23:17). Micah had already exposed prophets who misled the people, promising peace to anyone who fed them (Micah 3:5). Peace announced apart from repentance is not mercy; it confirms sinners in their sin and leaves them exposed to God’s wrath.
- Ezekiel 13:10 (BSB)“Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,”The false prophets lead the people astray by promising peace and covering a flimsy wall with whitewash.
- Ezekiel 13:16 (BSB)“those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’”The LORD identifies these prophets as the ones who foresaw safety for Jerusalem though none was coming.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (BSB)“They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.”In Jerusalem Jeremiah faced the same kind of message, prophets announcing peace while treating the people’s wound lightly.
- Jeremiah 23:17 (BSB)“They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”The false prophets promised safety even to those who scorned the LORD and obstinately followed their own desires.
- Micah 3:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths:”Micah also exposed prophets who misled the LORD’s people, promising peace to anyone who fed them.
General
Where did the prophets Ezekiel was told to confront get their messages (Ezekiel 13:2-3, 6-7)?
Answer: Their own minds, though the LORD had not sent them
The LORD told Ezekiel, whom He calls son of man, to speak against Israel’s prophets, whose messages they had simply made up themselves (13:2). He calls them foolish, because they followed their own spirit and had received no vision at all (13:3). A prophet is a messenger who speaks for God, and these men copied the way true prophets spoke, claiming the LORD had spoken, yet He had not sent them or spoken to them, and still they expected their words to come true (13:6-7). Jeremiah faced the same problem in Jerusalem: prophets spoke visions they had invented, and God said He had not sent them (Jeremiah 23:16, 21). The law of Moses gave Israel a simple test: a message that fails to come true is one the LORD did not speak (Deuteronomy 18:22). The New Testament says the same thing from the other side: true prophecy never came by human will, but from people whom the Holy Spirit carried along (2 Peter 1:21).
- Ezekiel 13:2-3 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing.”The LORD tells Ezekiel to speak against prophets whose messages come from themselves rather than from Him.
- Ezekiel 13:6-7 (BSB)“They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message. Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?”These prophets claim to speak for the LORD, though He neither sent them nor spoke to them.
- Jeremiah 23:16 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.”Jeremiah faced the same kind of prophets, whose visions came from their own thoughts rather than from God.
- Jeremiah 23:21 (BSB)“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.”The LORD says He neither sent nor spoke to the prophets who were running with their messages.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”The law taught Israel that a message that fails to happen did not come from the LORD.
- 2 Peter 1:21 (BSB)“For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”True prophecy never came from human will, but came as the Holy Spirit moved the prophets who spoke.
Theological
According to the LORD, what was the source of the false prophets’ messages (Ezekiel 13:2-3, 6-7)?
Answer: Their own minds, though the LORD had not sent them
The oracle targets prophets whose words arise from their own hearts rather than from divine revelation (13:2). The LORD pronounces woe on them as fools led by their own spirit without having received any vision (13:3). They borrow the formula of genuine prophecy and attach the LORD’s name to their words, though He never commissioned them, and they still wait for fulfillment (13:6-7). Jeremiah confronted the same counterfeit ministry in Jerusalem, visions from the prophets’ own minds, unsent and unspoken by God (Jeremiah 23:16, 21). The covenant test in Deuteronomy exposes such speakers: an unfulfilled word is not a word from the LORD (Deuteronomy 18:22). Scripture’s doctrine of inspiration states the positive counterpart: genuine prophecy never originated in human will but came as the Holy Spirit carried men along (2 Peter 1:21).
- Ezekiel 13:2-3 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing.”The LORD tells Ezekiel to speak against prophets whose messages come from themselves rather than from Him.
- Ezekiel 13:6-7 (BSB)“They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message. Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?”These prophets claim to speak for the LORD, though He neither sent them nor spoke to them.
- Jeremiah 23:16 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.”Jeremiah faced the same kind of prophets, whose visions came from their own thoughts rather than from God.
- Jeremiah 23:21 (BSB)“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.”The LORD says He neither sent nor spoke to the prophets who were running with their messages.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”The law taught Israel that a message that fails to happen did not come from the LORD.
- 2 Peter 1:21 (BSB)“For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”True prophecy never came from human will, but came as the Holy Spirit moved the prophets who spoke.
General
True or False: The LORD said the false prophets would not be listed in the record of Israel’s households and would never set foot in Israel’s land (Ezekiel 13:9).
Answer: True
This is true. Because the false prophets had spoken empty words and claimed visions that were lies, the LORD declared that He was against them (13:8). His hand would be against them in three ways: they would have no seat in the council of His people, their names would not be written in the record of Israel’s families, and they would never set foot in Israel’s land (13:9). In other words, they would be cut off from the community of God’s people and from the land He promised. Later the LORD says the same of all rebels: He will purge them and bar them from the land (20:38). Long before, God told Moses that He would remove from His book anyone who had sinned against Him (Exodus 32:33), and Revelation says that no one who lives by lies will enter the holy city, but only people listed in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb (Revelation 21:27). The result of the judgment is that they will know the LORD is God.
- Ezekiel 13:8-9 (BSB)“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. 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.”The LORD declares Himself against the false prophets and shuts them out of His people’s council, records and land.
- Ezekiel 20:38 (BSB)“And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”The LORD later says He will purge the rebels from Israel, and they will be barred from the land.
- Exodus 32:33 (BSB)“The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.”The LORD told Moses He would remove from His book anyone who had sinned against Him.
- Revelation 21:27 (BSB)“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”No one who lives by falsehood enters the holy city; only those listed in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb may enter.
Theological
True or False: The LORD declared that the false prophets would be excluded from the official register of Israel’s households and barred from Israel’s land (Ezekiel 13:9).
Answer: True
This is true. Because they uttered empty words and lying visions, the LORD set Himself against them (13:8). His sentence is threefold: no place in the council of His people, no name in the record of Israel’s households, and no return to Israel’s land (13:9). They are cut off from the covenant community and its inheritance. The same purge of rebels from the restored people appears later (20:38). Scripture repeatedly ties membership in God’s people to being written in His book: the LORD removes from His book those who have sinned against Him (Exodus 32:33), and Revelation shuts out of the holy city everyone who lives by falsehood, admitting only those listed in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb (Revelation 21:27). Even this sentence ends in the refrain of the book: they will know that He is the Lord GOD.
- Ezekiel 13:8-9 (BSB)“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. 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.”The LORD declares Himself against the false prophets and shuts them out of His people’s council, records and land.
- Ezekiel 20:38 (BSB)“And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”The LORD later says He will purge the rebels from Israel, and they will be barred from the land.
- Exodus 32:33 (BSB)“The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.”The LORD told Moses He would remove from His book anyone who had sinned against Him.
- Revelation 21:27 (BSB)“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”No one who lives by falsehood enters the holy city; only those listed in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb may enter.
General
What did the LORD say would happen to the flimsy wall the false prophets had whitewashed (Ezekiel 13:11-14)?
Answer: A storm of rain, hail and wind would bring it crashing down
The LORD told Ezekiel to warn the whitewashers that their wall would fall. He would send pouring rain, hailstones and a violent wind (13:11). Once the wall had fallen, the whitewash would be shown to be worthless (13:12). In His anger God would level the wall and lay bare its foundation; the city would fall, and the false prophets would be destroyed in it (13:13-14). The flimsy wall and its coat of whitewash picture the false hope these prophets gave, and the storm stands for God’s coming judgment on Jerusalem. Later God again charges Jerusalem’s prophets with whitewashing sin through lying visions (22:28). Jesus uses a related picture: whoever hears His words but does not obey them resembles a foolish builder whose house collapses when rain, floods and wind strike it (Matthew 7:26-27). Paul likewise warns that sudden destruction falls on people even as they assure themselves of peace and safety (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
- Ezekiel 13:11-12 (BSB)“tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth. Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’”The LORD announces that rain, hail and a windstorm will bring down the whitewashed wall.
- Ezekiel 13:13-14 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”In His anger the LORD will level the wall and expose its foundation, and the city will fall with the whitewashers inside it.
- Ezekiel 22:28 (BSB)“Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.”Later the LORD again accuses Jerusalem’s prophets of whitewashing sin with false visions.
- Matthew 7:26-27 (BSB)“But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!””Jesus compares the one who hears His words without obeying them to a foolish builder whose house collapses in rain, floods and wind.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (BSB)“While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”Paul warns that ruin falls suddenly on people who are reassuring themselves that all is safe.
Theological
What end did the LORD decree for the whitewashed wall (Ezekiel 13:11-14)?
Answer: A storm of rain, hail and wind would bring it crashing down
The flimsy wall the prophets whitewashed pictures the false security they painted over the people’s danger, and the LORD decrees its collapse under a storm of His own sending: torrents of rain, hailstones and a bursting windstorm (13:11). Once it falls, the whitewash will be exposed as useless (13:12). In wrath God levels the wall, bares its foundation, and brings the city down with its deceivers inside it (13:13-14). Judgment exposes what was built on lies, and it falls on those who painted over it. The LORD repeats the charge of whitewashing sin with false visions in 22:28. Jesus uses a related storm image for every hearer who does not obey His words (Matthew 7:26-27), and Paul warns that destruction comes suddenly on those who announce peace and security (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
- Ezekiel 13:11-12 (BSB)“tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth. Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’”The LORD announces that rain, hail and a windstorm will bring down the whitewashed wall.
- Ezekiel 13:13-14 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”In His anger the LORD will level the wall and expose its foundation, and the city will fall with the whitewashers inside it.
- Ezekiel 22:28 (BSB)“Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.”Later the LORD again accuses Jerusalem’s prophets of whitewashing sin with false visions.
- Matthew 7:26-27 (BSB)“But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!””Jesus compares the one who hears His words without obeying them to a foolish builder whose house collapses in rain, floods and wind.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (BSB)“While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”Paul warns that ruin falls suddenly on people who are reassuring themselves that all is safe.
General
What did the LORD say He would do about the magic charms and veils the false prophetesses used to trap people (Ezekiel 13:20-21)?
Answer: Rip away the charms and set His people free like birds
Ezekiel was told to turn against women among his people who also prophesied from their own imagination. They made charms for the wrists and veils for people’s heads, used to trap people (13:17-18). They dishonored God among His people for a little barley and bread, and their lies brought death to people who should have lived and spared people who should have died (13:19). The LORD declared that He was against these charms. He would tear them off the women’s arms and free the people they had caught like birds; He would tear off the veils and rescue His people from their hands, and then they would know He is the LORD (13:20-21). The psalmist uses the same picture of rescue, an escape like a bird slipping free of a hunter’s snare (Psalm 124:7). Micah likewise condemned prophets who sold their divining for money (Micah 3:11).
- Ezekiel 13:17-18 (BSB)“Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?”Ezekiel is told to prophesy against women who prophesy from their own invention and use charms and veils to trap people.
- Ezekiel 13:19 (BSB)“You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.”For a little barley and bread, their lies bring death to those who should live and spare those who should die.
- Ezekiel 13:20-21 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”The LORD will tear away the charms and veils and rescue His people from the women’s grip.
- Psalm 124:7 (BSB)“We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.”The psalmist praises God for an escape like a bird slipping free of a hunter’s snare.
- Micah 3:11 (BSB)“Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.””Micah condemns Jerusalem’s leaders, priests and prophets, who worked for pay yet still claimed the LORD was among them.
Theological
How does the LORD say He will deal with the charms and veils of the women who prophesied falsely (Ezekiel 13:20-21)?
Answer: Rip away the charms and set His people free like birds
The second half of the chapter turns to women who prophesied from their own hearts and used wrist charms and head veils to ensnare people (13:17-18). For handfuls of grain and morsels of bread they dishonored the LORD among His people, and their lies condemned the innocent and spared the guilty (13:19). The LORD sets Himself against their devices: He will tear the charms from their arms, release the people they had trapped like birds, rip away the veils and deliver His people from their power (13:20-21). God’s judgment on the deceivers is at the same time a rescue of the deceived, pictured as a bird breaking free of the snare (Psalm 124:7). Micah likewise condemned prophets who sold divination for money (Micah 3:11).
- Ezekiel 13:17-18 (BSB)“Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?”Ezekiel is told to prophesy against women who prophesy from their own invention and use charms and veils to trap people.
- Ezekiel 13:19 (BSB)“You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.”For a little barley and bread, their lies bring death to those who should live and spare those who should die.
- Ezekiel 13:20-21 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”The LORD will tear away the charms and veils and rescue His people from the women’s grip.
- Psalm 124:7 (BSB)“We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.”The psalmist praises God for an escape like a bird slipping free of a hunter’s snare.
- Micah 3:11 (BSB)“Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.””Micah condemns Jerusalem’s leaders, priests and prophets, who worked for pay yet still claimed the LORD was among them.