Ezekiel 13:2

2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah:

Ezekiel 13:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 13:2

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel
Who called themselves so, and were accounted such by others; though they were not true, but false prophets; and so the Targum calls them: that prophesy;
that is, smooth things to the people; promising a speedy return from the captivity; or that Jerusalem should not be taken by the Chaldeans, and the inhabitants of it, and of the land, be carried captive: and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts;
who were not sent of God, nor spake from him; but of themselves, what came into their heads, and was agreeable to their fancies, imaginations, and carnal hearts; such are false teachers, that go forth without being sent, and teach not according to the word of God, but according to their own carnal reasonings; so the Targum,

``according to the will of their hearts;''
what they pleased themselves: hear ye the word of the Lord;
which came from the Lord himself, and not from man, meaning the following prophecy; so the written word of God should be attended to, both by teachers and hearers, as the only rule of faith and practice; see ( Isaiah 8:20 ) .

Ezekiel 13:2 In-Context

1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah:
3 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4 O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.
5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.
The American Standard Version is in the public domain.