Ezekiel 13:3-13

3 The Lord God saith these things, Woe to the unwise prophets, that follow their spirit, and see nothing; (The Lord God saith these things, Woe to the unwise prophets, who follow their own spirit, and so see nothing;)

4 Israel, thy prophets were as foxes in desert[s]. (Israel, thy prophets were like foxes in the desert.)

5 Ye ascended not even against, neither again-setted a wall for the house of Israel, that ye should stand in battle in the day of the Lord. (Ye went not even against, nor set again, or fixed, the broken wall for the house of Israel, so that ye could stand in battle on the day of the Lord.)

6 They see vain things, and divine a leasing, and say, The Lord saith, when the Lord sent not them; and they continued to confirm the word. (They see empty and futile things, and divine a lie, and say, The Lord saith, when the Lord did not send them; and yet they continue to confirm their words.)

7 Whether ye saw not a vain vision, and spake false divining, and said, The Lord saith, when I spake not? (Saw ye not an empty and futile vision, and spoke false divining, and said, The Lord saith, when I did not speak?)

8 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, For ye spake vain things, and saw a leasing, therefore lo! I to you, saith the Lord God. (And so the Lord God saith these things, For ye spoke empty and futile things, and saw a lie, and so lo! I am against you, saith the Lord God.)

9 And mine hand shall be on the prophets that see vain things, and divine leasings (And my hand shall be against those prophets who see empty and futile things, and divine lies); they shall not be in the counsel(s) of my people, and they shall not be written in the scripture of the house of Israel, neither they shall enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord God.

10 For they deceived my people, and said, Peace, peace, and no peace is; and it builded a wall, but they pargeted it with fen without chaffs. (For they deceived my people, and said, Peace, peace, when there was no peace; and they built a wall, but they mortared it with dirt without any chaff, that is, without any straw.)

11 Say thou to them that parget without tempering, that it shall fall down; for a strong rain shall be (over)flowing, and I shall give full great stones falling from above, and I shall give a wind of tempest that destroyeth. (Say thou to those who mortar it without tempering, that it shall fall down; for there shall be an overflowing rain, and I shall send some very great hailstones falling down from above, and I shall make a wind of tempest that shall destroy it.)

12 For lo! the wall fell down. Whether it shall not be said to you, Where is the pargeting, which ye pargeted? (For lo! when the wall falleth down, shall it not be said to you, Where is the mortar, which ye should have used?)

13 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, And I shall make the spirit of tempests to break out in mine indignation, and [a] strong rain flowing in my strong vengeance shall be (and there shall be a strong overflowing rain in my strong vengeance), and great (hail)stones in [my] wrath into wasting.

Ezekiel 13:3-13 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.