# Ezekiel 13 đ: False Prophets Exposed
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### False Prophets Denounced
[[#Verse 01.]] Then the Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 02.]] âSon of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination: âListen to the Lordâs message!Â
[[#Verse 03.]] This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing!Â
[[#Verse 04.]]Â Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the Lord.Â
[[#Verse 06.]] They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say, âThe Lord declares,â though the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.Â
[[#Verse 07.]] Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, âThe Lord declares,â although I myself never spoke?
[[#Verse 08.]] ââTherefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.Â
[[#Verse 09.]] My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
[[#Verse 10.]] ââThis is because they have led my people astray saying, âAll is well,â when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash.Â
[[#Verse 11.]] Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out.Â
[[#Verse 12.]]Â When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you, âWhere is the whitewash you coated it with?â
[[#Verse 13.]] ââTherefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury.Â
[[#Verse 14.]] I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, and you will know that I am the Lord.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] I will vent my rage against the wall and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you, âThe wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no moreâÂ
[[#Verse 16.]] those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,â declares the Sovereign Lord.â
[[#Verse 17.]] âAs for you, son of man, turn toward the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. Prophesy against themÂ
[[#Verse 18.]] and say âThis is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands on all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap peopleâs lives! Will you entrap my peopleâs lives, yet preserve your own lives?Â
[[#Verse 19.]] You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!
[[#Verse 20.]] ââTherefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take note that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap peopleâs lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the peopleâs lives, which you hunt like birds.Â
[[#Verse 21.]] I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord.Â
[[#Verse 22.]]Â This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.Â
[[#Verse 23.]] Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.ââ
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. In Hebrew, "prophets" (*nevi'im*) and "foolish" (*nevalim*) sound alike (13:3), a sharp wordplay.
2. The false prophets are compared to foxes or jackals among ruins (13:4), animals that thrive in broken places instead of repairing them.
3. They did not go up into the breaks in the wall or repair it (13:5), unlike a true prophet who stands in the gap (22:30).
4. The false cry of "Peace" (13:10) also appears in Jeremiah 6:14 and 8:11.
5. The Hebrew word for whitewash (13:10-11) refers to a plaster coating that hides cracks but adds no strength.
6. God promised violent rain, hailstones, and wind to tear down the whitewashed wall (13:11-13).
7. The false prophets would not be listed in the register of the house of Israel (13:9).
8. The women in 13:17-23 used bands on wrists and veils on heads, likely forms of magic or fortune-telling.
9. They practiced their trade for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread (13:19).
10. Jesus warned against religious leaders who were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful outside but dead inside (Matthew 23:27).
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the faithful and true Witness. False prophets cried "Peace" when there was no peace (13:10), but Jesus always speaks the truth, and the peace He gives is real and lasting (John 14:27; Revelation 3:14).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. The false prophets spoke from their own imagination (13:2-3). How can we tell the difference between God's word and what people simply want to hear?
2. They covered a flimsy wall with whitewash (13:10-12). Where are people tempted to cover over real problems instead of fixing them?
3. False teaching discouraged the righteous and encouraged the wicked (13:22). Why does truth matter so much for the health of God's people?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 3: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.
- đ verse 10: They say "Peace" when there is no peace and cover a weak wall with whitewash.
- đ verse 22: Their lies discouraged the righteous and strengthened the wicked.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Jeremiah 06#Verse 14.|Jeremiah 6:14]] - They say "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
- đ [[Jeremiah 23#Verse 16.|Jeremiah 23:16]] - Do not listen to prophets who speak visions from their own minds.
- đ [[Matthew 07#Verse 15.|Matthew 7:15]] - Beware of false prophets.
- đ [[Matthew 07#Verse 24.|Matthew 7:24-27]] - The house built on the rock.
- đ [[2 Timothy 04#Verse 03.|2 Timothy 4:3-4]] - People will gather teachers to suit their own desires.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Ezekiel 13 - SOAP|Use Godâs Gifts Wisely]]
## đ Internal Notes