Major Prophets · Chapter 13 of 48
Ezekiel 13
God sends Ezekiel against the false prophets who prophesy from their own hearts, seeing nothing yet claiming the Lord has spoken. They cry peace where there is no peace and daub a flimsy wall with untempered mortar that God's storm will tear down. He also confronts women who hunt souls with charms. He will deliver His people from their lies, and all shall know He is the Lord.
What happens in Ezekiel 13
The word of the Lord sends Ezekiel to prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy out of their own hearts, following their own spirit though they have seen nothing. Like foxes in ruins, they have not repaired the breaches for the people to stand in battle. They see vanity and lying divination, claiming the Lord has spoken when He has not. Therefore God is against them; they will not be in the assembly of His people nor written among Israel.
They have seduced the people by crying peace where there was no peace, building a wall others daub with untempered mortar. God will send a stormy wind, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones to break the wall, so its flimsy foundation is exposed. He also confronts women who sew magic pillows and kerchiefs to hunt souls for handfuls of barley. He will tear away their charms, deliver His people, and prove He is the Lord.
Ezekiel 13 in context
Amid the exile's crisis, competing voices claimed to speak for God. Ezekiel and Jeremiah warned of judgment; popular prophets promised quick peace and Jerusalem's safety. This chapter exposes those false assurances as self-invented, comparing them to a whitewashed wall hiding shoddy construction.
The women practiced a form of magic, binding charms to manipulate and profit from vulnerable souls. True and false prophecy are here sharply divided.
Main themes of Ezekiel 13
Ezekiel 13 (KJV)
1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son 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; 3Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. 5Ye 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. 6They 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. 7Have 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? 8Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. 9And 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. 10Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: 11Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. 12Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? 13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. 14So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 15Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. 17Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, 18And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? 19And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? 20Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. 21Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 22Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: 23Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Verses to carry from Ezekiel 13
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!”Ezekiel 13:3
“Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:”Ezekiel 13:10
“Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:”Ezekiel 13:22
Thematic connection
How Ezekiel 13 points to Jesus
Ezekiel's war against prophets who follow their own spirit anticipates Jesus' warning to beware false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15). Both expose a counterfeit peace. The false prophets cried peace where there was none; Jesus gives a peace the world cannot counterfeit, saying my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth (John 14:27).
Their whitewashed wall recalls His rebuke of whited sepulchres, fair outside and rotten within (Matthew 23:27). And where hirelings hunt souls for gain, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11-13). Christ is the true Prophet whose word is a foundation the storm cannot shake.
Questions about Ezekiel 13
How can you tell a false prophet from a true one?
Ezekiel gives a clear test: false prophets speak out of their own hearts, having seen nothing, yet claim the Lord has spoken. They tell people what they want to hear, crying peace when there is no peace, and they often profit from it. True prophets speak God's actual word, even when unwelcome, and repair the breaches rather than paper over them. The fruit and the faithfulness to God's word reveal the source.
What is wrong with promising peace?
Nothing, if the peace is real. The sin is declaring safety where God has declared judgment, giving false comfort that keeps people from repentance. Like whitewash on a cracked wall, it hides the danger until the storm exposes it. True prophets do not flatter; they tell the truth so people can be saved. A comforting lie is far crueler than a hard truth that leads to life.
Reflection
Do you prefer voices that flatter or voices that tell the truth? Ezekiel warns that comforting lies leave the wall standing until the storm reveals its emptiness. Build your hope on God's actual word, not on reassurances you wish were true. The peace Christ gives has a foundation no tempest can shake.
A prayer from Ezekiel 13
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