Ezekiel 13:5

5 Israel is like a house in ruins, but you have not gone up into the broken places or repaired the wall. So how can Israel hold back the enemy in the battle on the Lord's day of judging?

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Ezekiel 13:5 In-Context

3 This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the foolish prophets who follow their own ideas and have not seen a vision from me!

4 People of Israel, your prophets have been like wild dogs hunting to kill and eat among ruins.

5 Israel is like a house in ruins, but you have not gone up into the broken places or repaired the wall. So how can Israel hold back the enemy in the battle on the Lord's day of judging?

6 Your prophets see false visions and prophesy lies. They say, "This is the message of the Lord," when the Lord has not sent them. But they still hope their words will come true.

7 You said, "This is the message of the Lord," but that is a false vision. Your prophecies are lies, because I have not spoken.