Ezekiel 13:17 kjv
Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
Ezekiel 13:17 nkjv
"Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them,
Ezekiel 13:17 niv
"Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them
Ezekiel 13:17 esv
"And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own hearts. Prophesy against them
Ezekiel 13:17 nlt
"Now, son of man, speak out against the women who prophesy from their own imaginations.
Ezekiel 13 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 13:18 | "And you shall tear down your finely woven cloths and deliver them from your hands, and I will tear them from your hands." | Direct judgment on their deceptive practices. |
| Jeremiah 23:14 | "But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking thing: committing adultery and walking in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none turns from his wickedness. They have all become to me like Sodom, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah." | Parallel with the corrupt nature of prophets. |
| Micah 3:5 | "Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry, ‘Peace,’ when they have something to bite with their teeth, but declare war on those who put nothing in their mouths." | Similar criticism of prophets promising peace for personal benefit. |
| Acts 19:19 | "And many of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all." | Example of rejecting deceptive practices. |
| Revelation 18:23 | "And the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery." | Connection to ultimate deception and destruction. |
| Isaiah 47:12-13 | "Stand fast in your sorceries and in your many enchantments, which you have practiced from your youth. Perhaps you can be aided by them, perhaps you can make even your enemies tremble. You are wearied with your many counsels; let the astrologers, those who gaze at the stars, those who at the new moons, tell you what shall come upon you." | Condemnation of reliance on occult practices. |
| Galatians 5:20 | "now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." | Identifies sorcery as a work of the flesh. |
| 2 Timothy 3:13 | "while wicked people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." | Prophecy of increasing deception. |
| 1 John 4:1 | "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." | Admonition to discern true from false prophecy. |
| Deuteronomy 18:10-11 | "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead." | Prohibition of these deceptive practices. |
| Leviticus 19:31 | "Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God." | Command to avoid occult practices. |
| Romans 16:20 | "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." | God's ultimate victory over deception. |
| Zechariah 13:6 | "And if anyone asks him, ‘What are these wounds in your hands?’ he will say, ‘The wounds that I received in the house of my friends.’" | False prophet’s deceitful claims. |
| Ezekiel 13:10 | "Because they have misled my people by saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when people build a flimsy wall, these prophets daub it with whitewash," | Emphasis on false assurances of peace. |
| Ezekiel 13:20 | "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against your garlands with which you hunt the very souls of men." | God's direct opposition to their deceptive tools. |
| Isaiah 3:3 | "the commander of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the skillful craftsman and the expert enchanter." | Mention of "skillful enchanter" as a corruptible figure. |
| Acts 8:9 | "Now there was a man named Simon who formerly practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great," | Parallel with Simon the sorcerer who deceived people. |
| Revelation 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." | Sorcerers listed among those facing judgment. |
| Matthew 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning against deceptive prophets. |
| 1 Peter 5:8 | "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour." | Spiritual danger from deceptive influences. |
Ezekiel 13 verses
Ezekiel 13 17 Meaning
This verse condemns false prophetesses who ensnare souls for personal gain. They make false promises of safety and prosperity through magical practices like charms, using their "headbands" or amulets to create a false sense of security. God declares these practices are against His will and that He will deliver His people from their deceptive influence.
Ezekiel 13 17 Context
Ezekiel is prophesying in the midst of Judah's exile, during a time when many in Jerusalem were still clinging to false hopes of an imminent return. The prophet addresses false prophets and prophetesses who were actively deceiving the people by offering assurances of peace and deliverance, despite God's impending judgment. Chapter 13 specifically targets prophetesses who used "headbands" or charms to manipulate and entrap individuals, falsely claiming divine approval for their actions and false prophecies. This practice was a perversion of genuine prophecy and a direct defiance of God's commands against sorcery and divination. The prophet is emphasizing God's coming wrath against those who mislead His people and damage their spiritual integrity.
Ezekiel 13 17 Word Analysis
- וְעַל (v'al): "And upon" - A conjunctive particle linking this verse to the preceding condemnation.
- בְּנוֹת (benot): "daughters of" - Refers specifically to prophetesses, highlighting their gender and role in prophesying.
- עַמִּי (ammi): "my people" - God's covenant people, Israel, whom these prophetesses are misleading.
- לְנָבִּיאֹת (lenabi'ot): "to prophesy" - Indicates their prophetic role, albeit a false one.
- בִּגְדֵי (bigdey): "in the clothes of" or "in the garments of" - Refers to the outward appearance or guise they adopted.
- צִיצִית (tzitzit): "fringe," "border," or "headband." This refers to decorative adornments, likely worn on garments or as a sort of head covering. In this context, it symbolizes their misleading fashion and adornments.
- וַתָּדֹğunu (vatadonu): "and you ensnare" or "and you hunt." This verb signifies their deceptive tactics to trap or capture people spiritually.
- נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh): "soul" or "life." The target of their deception – the spiritual well-being and very life of individuals.
- לִבְלִי (livli): "that they might not" or "to prevent." Shows their intention to keep people from discerning the truth or repenting.
- הַמְצוּיוּ (hametzuyú): "be found" or "escape." They wanted to prevent the souls from escaping their snare.
- וְלֹא (v'lo): "and not" - A negation emphasizing the impossibility of escape from God's judgment.
- מִן (min): "from."
- גְּדוּלָה (gedulah): "greatness" or "magnitude." Their false prophecies had the appearance of great authority.
- נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh): "soul." Again, referring to the spiritual life they ensnare.
Phrase/Group Analysis:
- "daughters of my people prophesy out of their own imagination": This phrase underscores that their prophecies were not from God but from their own selfish desires and faulty thinking, similar to what is seen in Jeremiah 23:16.
- "bind enchantments upon all wrists, and make veils for the head": This imagery depicts them using charms and elaborate head coverings as talismans, believing these would provide magical protection or power, akin to practices forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10-11. They were creating an illusion of divine favor.
- "to hunt souls": The deliberate act of ensnaring and trapping individuals, leading them astray from God and toward destruction, emphasizes the malicious intent behind their false prophecies.
- "by hunting the souls of the mere multitude": This highlights their aim was to capture a large number of unsuspecting people, the "masses," who were more easily deceived.
Ezekiel 13 17 Bonus Section
The "headbands" (צִיצִית - tzitzit) are a particularly interesting detail. While 'tzitzit' commonly refers to the tassels on Jewish prayer shawls (Tallit) as commanded in Numbers 15:38-39, here it's used for adornments used in a forbidden, magical way. This contrast highlights how even something potentially holy can be corrupted when used with impure motives and against God's directives. The prophetesses are using an appearance of piety or adornment to cover their spiritual deception, a form of religious prostitution. The comparison to "binding enchantments upon all wrists" suggests they were not only creating decorative items but also amulets and charms used in sorcery, as explicitly forbidden by God in the Law. This highlights a syncretism where elements of culture or religion were mixed with forbidden occult practices to create a compelling, yet destructive, deception.
Ezekiel 13 17 Commentary
The verse acts as a direct indictment against the false prophetesses in Ezekiel's day. Their spiritual adultery lies in their appropriation of God's prophetic voice for personal gain and deception. The "headbands" or "garlands" symbolize outward religious appearance or magical fetishes designed to charm and ensnare, offering false security. God's declaration that He is against these practices signifies His absolute rejection of any counterfeit spirituality that leads people away from truth and salvation. This emphasizes that true prophecy is rooted in God's truth and brings people closer to Him, not ensnares them through deception and forbidden practices. It serves as a timeless warning against any form of spiritual manipulation that offers superficial peace without genuine repentance.