Ezekiel 13:12-22

12 And behold, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the mud with which ye have plastered it?

13 Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: I will cause a stormy wind to rend it in my fury; and there shall come an overflowing rain in my anger and great hailstones in my wrath to consume it.

14 So I will break down the wall that ye have plastered with loose mud and bring it down to the ground, and its foundation 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.

15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall and upon those that have plastered it with loose mud and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither those that plastered it;

16 to wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, said the Lord GOD.

17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy thou against them,

18 And say, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Must ye hunt the souls of my people to maintain thus your own life?

19 And will ye profane me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, slaying the souls that should not die and giving life to the souls that should not live, by your lying to my people that listen to the lie?

20 Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said; Behold, I am against your pillows, with which ye hunt there the loose souls, and I will tear them from your arms and will let the souls go, even the loose souls that ye hunt.

21 Your kerchiefs also I will tear and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and ye strengthen the hands of the wicked that he should not leave his wicked way, encouraging him:

Ezekiel 13:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 13

It being said in Eze 12:24; that there should be no more a vain vision, nor a flattering divination; the prophet is ordered to prophesy against the false prophets and prophetesses, Eze 13:1,2,17; the former are described as prophesying out of their own hearts, Eze 13:2; as foolish ones, following their own spirit, and seeing nothing, Eze 13:3; they are compared to foxes in the deserts, Eze 13:4; and are represented as unconcerned to stand in the gap for the people, Eze 13:5; and as seeing vanity and lying divination; wherefore the Lord was against them, Eze 13:6-8; what they are threatened with are, that they should not be in the assembly of God's people; nor written in the writing of the house of Israel; nor enter into the land of Israel, Eze 13:9; the reason of which was, because they seduced the Lord's people, by speaking peace to them when there was none; which is figuratively expressed by building a wall, and daubing it with untempered mortar, Eze 13:10; upon which the wall is threatened to be rent, and caused to fall with a stormy wind; signifying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldean army; and the false prophets to have the wrath of God poured on them who doubted it, Eze 13:11-16; and then follows the order to the prophet to prophesy against the false prophetesses, and set his face against them, and pronounce woe upon them in the name of the Lord; who are described as prophesying out of their own hearts; sowing pillows to all armholes; and making kerchiefs on the head of all sorts of persons; and which they did for poor small gain, and to the detriment of immortal souls, good and bad, Eze 13:17-19; wherefore the Lord threatens to tear off their pillows and kerchiefs, and deliver his people out of their hands, no more to be hunted by them, Eze 13:20,21; the reason of which was, because they saddened the hearts of the righteous, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, Eze 13:22; and the chapter is concluded with a resolution that they should see no more vanity nor divine divinations; and that the Lord's people should be delivered from them, and they should know that he was the Lord, Eze 13:23.