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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 13

Ezekiel 13: against prophets who daub the wall and women who sew pillows

General context

The word of the Lord sends the prophet against "the prophets of Israel" who "prophesy out of their own hearts." Woe is pronounced on "the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing"; they are "like the foxes in the deserts" and have not gone up into the gaps or made up the hedge "in the day of the Lord." They have seen "vanity and lying divination" and say "The Lord saith" when he has not sent them. The Lord is against them: they will not be in the assembly, not written in Israel's writing, and not enter the land. Because they have said "Peace; and there was no peace," and because one built a wall and others "daubed it with untempered morter," the wall will fall under an overflowing shower, great hailstones and a stormy wind; the foundation will be uncovered and the daubers consumed in it, and the Lord will say, "The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it." These are "the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem" and see visions of peace. The prophet is then set against "the daughters of thy people" who prophesy from their own heart, who "sew pillows to all armholes" and make kerchiefs "to hunt souls," polluting the Lord "for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread," slaying souls that should not die and saving those that should not live. The Lord will tear the pillows and kerchiefs and deliver his people from their hand, because with lies they saddened the righteous and strengthened the wicked by "promising him life." They will see vanity no more, "and ye shall know that I am the Lord."

Cited passages: Ezekiel 13:2, Ezekiel 13:3, Ezekiel 13:4, Ezekiel 13:5, Ezekiel 13:6, Ezekiel 13:9, Ezekiel 13:10, Ezekiel 13:11, Ezekiel 13:14, Ezekiel 13:15, Ezekiel 13:16, Ezekiel 13:17, Ezekiel 13:18, Ezekiel 13:19, Ezekiel 13:21, Ezekiel 13:22, Ezekiel 13:23

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.

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Historical context

The chapter names no individual prophet or prophetess. The men are "the prophets of Israel" and are placed by 13:16 as those "which prophesy concerning Jerusalem"; the women are "the daughters of thy people," the prophet's own people, which in this book means the captives, though the text does not say where the women are. The charge against the men is that they speak from "their own hearts" and "their own spirit" and say "The Lord saith" without being sent; the text does not report any of their actual oracles beyond the one word "Peace." The wall and the untempered mortar are an image the Lord supplies, and 13:10 distinguishes the one who "built up a wall" from the "others" who daubed it, without saying who the builder is. The women's practice, pillows for armholes and kerchiefs for heads "to hunt souls," is described but not explained; the fee is stated as barley and bread. Three penalties for the men are listed in 13:9, exclusion from assembly, writing and land, which assume a future in the land that the false prophets will not share. The phrase "the day of the Lord" appears once. The chapter has no date and no named audience, and the recognition formula appears twice in each half (13:9, 13:14, 13:21, 13:23).

Cited passages: Ezekiel 13:16, Ezekiel 13:17, Ezekiel 13:7, Ezekiel 13:10, Ezekiel 13:18, Ezekiel 13:9, Ezekiel 13:5, Ezekiel 13:21

Literary context

The chapter is two matching oracles, one against men and one against women, each opened with "prophesy" and "Thus saith the Lord God; Woe," each built on a physical image, and each carrying "ye shall know that I am the Lord" twice. The men's image is architectural: a wall, mortar, shower, hail, wind, foundation, and the taunt "Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?" The wall's fall is told twice, first as prediction and then as the Lord's own act "in my fury," and the word "daubed" is repeated until it becomes the name of the offense. The women's image is textile and hunting: pillows, kerchiefs, souls that "fly," hands from which people must be delivered. Both halves turn on speech: "Peace; and there was no peace," "The Lord saith" against "I have not spoken," and "your lying to my people that hear your lies." The phrase "out of their own hearts" opens both sections, and "I am against you" and "I am against your pillows" match. The foxes in deserts and the gap in the hedge frame the men's failure as absence rather than action, while the women's failure is active hunting for pay.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 13:3, Ezekiel 13:12, Ezekiel 13:13, Ezekiel 13:20, Ezekiel 13:8, Ezekiel 13:19, Ezekiel 13:14, Ezekiel 13:23

Key moments

  1. Prophets from their own hearts (Ezekiel 13:2). The prophet is sent against those who prophesy out of their own hearts.
  2. Foxes in the deserts (Ezekiel 13:4). Israel's prophets are compared to foxes and have not stood in the gap.
  3. Peace, and there was no peace (Ezekiel 13:10). They seduced the people with peace and daubed a wall with untempered mortar.
  4. The wall falls (Ezekiel 13:14). The Lord breaks down the daubed wall and its daubers are consumed in it.
  5. Women who sew pillows (Ezekiel 13:18). Woe is pronounced on women who hunt souls with pillows and kerchiefs.
  6. Pillows torn (Ezekiel 13:20). The Lord tears the pillows from their arms and lets the souls go.
  7. Righteous saddened, wicked strengthened (Ezekiel 13:22). Their lies grieved the righteous and promised the wicked life.

For reflection

The false prophets are faulted for saying "Peace" when there was none and for not standing in the gap. Which failure does the chapter treat as worse, the comforting lie or the absence?

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