Ezekiel 13:5

5 1You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 13:5 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 13:5

Ye have not gone up into the gaps
Or "breaches" F4; so the Targum. The allusion is to breaches made in the walls of a city when besieged; at which time those within gather together in great numbers to meet the enemy, and prevent his entrance by the breaches. These words are either spoken to the princes of Israel, the civil magistrates; or to the prophets, who seeing the sins of the people, like a mighty torrent, opening a breach for the wrath and judgments of God to pour in upon them, should have called them, and importunately pressed them to repentance and reformation, and to have put up their prayers, and made intercession to God for them; neither of which they did, and therefore are here blamed; see ( Ezekiel 22:30 ) ( Psalms 107:23 ) ; neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel;
or a "fence", a fortification. The Vulgate Latin renders it, "a wall"; a new wall, which is generally made by the besieged within, when a breach is made upon them: it signifies the same as before. Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of repentance and good works; and so the Targum, which paraphrases the words thus,

``neither have ye done for yourselves good works, to deprecate for the house of Israel, to stand to pray for them:''
to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord:
when he came forth in battle array against them, with great wrath and indignation, in the way of his righteous judgments. The Targum is,
``when warriors come up against them in the day of the wrath of the Lord;''
when the Chaldeans came against them by the will of God, he being angry with them.
FOOTNOTES:

F4 (twurpb) "in fracturas", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version; "rupturas", Calvin, Piscator, Starckius.

Ezekiel 13:5 In-Context

3 Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4 Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.
5 You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD.
6 They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the LORD,'when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.
7 Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, 'Declares the LORD,' although I have not spoken?"

Cross References 1

  • 1. Ezekiel 22:30; Psalms 106:23; [Psalms 80:12; Isaiah 5:5; Isaiah 58:12]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.