Ezekiel 13:2

2 "Son of man, prophesy to the prophets of Israel {who are prophesying}, and you must say to [those who are] prophets out of their own {imagination}, 'Hear the word of Yahweh!'

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 Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

2 "Son of man, prophesy to the prophets of Israel {who are prophesying}, and you must say to [those who are] prophets out of their own {imagination}, 'Hear the word of Yahweh!'

3 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Alas, for the foolish prophets who [are] going after their [own] spirit, {and they did not see anything}!

4 Your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.

5 You did not go up into the breaches and repair a wall for the house of Israel to stand [firm] in the battle on the day of Yahweh.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
• [b] Or "against"
• [c] Literally "the [ones] prophesying"
• [d] Literally "heart"