EzekielChapter 13

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The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy out of their own hearts: Hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

Your prophets, Israel, have been like foxes among the ruins.

You have not gone up into the breaches or repaired the wall around the house of Israel, so that it might stand in the battle on the day of the LORD.

They see empty visions and lying divinations. They say, "Declares the LORD," when the LORD has not sent them, yet they wait for their word to be fulfilled.

Have you not seen an empty vision and spoken a lying divination, when you say, "Declares the LORD," though I have not spoken?

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have spoken emptiness and seen lies, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.

My hand will be against the prophets who see empty visions and divine lies. They will not belong to the council of my people or be written in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

Because, yes, because they have led my people astray, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace, and because when someone builds a flimsy wall they smear it over with whitewash—

say to those who smear it with whitewash that it will fall. A flooding rain will come; and you, hailstones, will fall, and a stormwind will break loose.

And when the wall falls, will you not be asked, "Where now is the whitewash you spread on it?"

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In my fury I will unleash a stormwind; in my anger a flooding rain will come, and hailstones in wrath to make an end.

I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare. It will fall, and you will perish within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

So I will spend my wrath on the wall and on those who whitewashed it, and I will say to you: The wall is gone, and gone are those who whitewashed it—

the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.

And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own hearts, and prophesy against them.

Say: This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic bands for every wrist and make veils for the heads of people of every height, to hunt down souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people and keep your own souls alive?[^1] [^1]: The exact nature of the "bands" and "veils" is uncertain; they appear to be objects used in occult practice to ensnare people.

You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread, killing souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by lying to my people, who listen to lies.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I am against your magic bands with which you hunt souls like birds. I will tear them from your arms and set free the souls you hunt like birds.

I will tear off your veils and deliver my people from your hands, and they will no longer be prey in your grasp. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Because you disheartened the righteous with lies, though I had brought him no grief, and because you strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he would not turn from his evil way and live,

therefore you will no longer see empty visions or practice divination. I will deliver my people from your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.

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Summary2

Chapter 13

Main Theme: God's judgment against false prophets and prophetesses who mislead Israel with deceptive messages.

Content: God commands Ezekiel to prophesy against Israel's false prophets, who follow their own spirit without having seen anything from God. They proclaim peace when there is no peace, and are compared to foxes among ruins that fail to defend the people. The prophets build a wall covered with weak plaster—a picture of false security that God will tear down with storm and hail. Women who practice divination are also condemned for trapping souls with magical bands and veils in exchange for payment. God will deliver His people and expose the deceivers.

Key Words/Images:

Foxes among ruins (v.4): The false prophets are like jackals that feed on destruction instead of protecting the people.
Wall covered with weak plaster (vv.10–15): A picture of false security—the prophets give empty promises of peace that will not hold when God's judgment comes.
Bands and veils (vv.18–21): Magical objects used by prophetesses to "trap souls"—symbolizing spiritual manipulation.
"Peace, peace—but there is no peace" (vv.10, 16): The core of the false prophets' lie: they promise safety in the midst of God's coming judgment.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Ezekiel 13

People

The chapter addresses two groups: male prophets who "prophesy from their own hearts" (v. 2) and female prophets described as "your people's daughters who prophesy" (v. 17). These were individuals active among the Jewish exile communities in Babylon and Jerusalem, proclaiming false peace and hope at a time when God's judgment was unavoidable. The false prophets represented a widespread phenomenon in ancient Israel, where persons claimed divine authority without being sent by God. Jeremiah confronted similar prophets in Jerusalem during the same period (Jer 23:9-40; 28–29).

Events and Customs

The women in verses 17–23 practiced a form of magic or divination involving "sleeves on all elbows" (כְּסָתוֹת, kesatot) and "veils over heads of every height" (מִסְפָּחוֹת, mispachot). These items were likely used in rituals to "catch souls"—possibly a form of binding or cursing against enemies and protecting clients. The practice combined elements from Canaanite and Mesopotamian magic. Payment in "handfuls of barley and pieces of bread" (v. 19) shows that these services were bought for modest sums, making them accessible to ordinary people. Such magical practices were strictly forbidden under Israelite law (Deut 18:10–12).

Key Terms

The Hebrew word תָּפֵל (tafel) in verses 10–15, translated as "lime" or "whitewash," describes a weak mortar mixture lacking proper binding agents. The image of a poorly built wall that is whitewashed to hide its weaknesses illustrates how false prophets covered up the nation's spiritual decay with empty messages of peace. The phrase "peace, and there is no peace" (שָׁלוֹם וְאֵין שָׁלוֹם, v. 10, 16) is a central accusation—the false prophets promised shalom (peace, welfare, wholeness) when God's judgment was at the door. The words for "vision" (חָזוֹן, chazon) and "divination" (קֶסֶם, qesem) are used with the adjectives "empty" (שָׁוְא, shav) and "falsehood" (כָּזָב, kazav) to emphasize that their messages lacked divine origin.

People

No known people in this chapter.

Key words8

Prophecy — A revelation or message from God, often delivered through a prophet.
Ezekiel — One of Israel's prophets who wrote the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
False prophets — People who claim to speak on behalf of God but actually promote their own interests or false teachings.
Vision — A spiritual experience in which a person sees or hears something normally beyond human senses, often used by God to communicate with prophets.
The Wall — In this context, it refers to a symbolic wall built by false prophets to hide the truth and lead people away from God's way.
Whitewash — A material that false prophets use to cover up weaknesses in the wall so it appears solid, but which is actually weak and will collapse.
The Lord's Wrath — God's righteous anger and judgment against sin and evil, especially directed at false prophets and their actions.
Storm — A metaphor for God's judgment and destruction coming upon false prophets and their works.