Ezekiel 13:3 kjv
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:3 nkjv
Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:3 niv
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:3 esv
Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:3 nlt
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!'
Ezekiel 13 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 18:20 | But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name that I have not commanded him... | Condemns false prophecy claiming divine word. |
| Deut 18:21-22 | And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'.. | Provides tests for distinguishing false prophets. |
| Ps 14:1 | The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." | Defines "foolish" as moral/spiritual depravity. |
| Ps 53:1 | The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." | Echoes Ps 14:1, links foolishness to godlessness. |
| Prov 14:12 | There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. | Warns against following self-deceptive paths. |
| Prov 16:25 | There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. | Repeats the warning of self-deception. |
| Jer 14:14 | The prophets are prophesying lies in My name. I have not sent them... | God explicitly denies sending false prophets. |
| Jer 23:16 | Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you... | Calls for rejecting messages from false prophets. |
| Jer 23:21 | I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. | God states their lack of divine commission. |
| Jer 23:25-26 | "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name... | Highlights false dreams and self-generated messages. |
| Jer 27:9-10 | Do not listen to your prophets... who are saying to you, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.' | Direct instruction not to heed false counsel. |
| Jer 28:15-17 | Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah... "The LORD has not sent you, but you have made this people trust in a lie." | Jeremiah confronts a false prophet, showing judgment. |
| Lam 2:14 | Your prophets have seen for you false and misleading visions... | Lament over the deceptive visions of false prophets. |
| Zech 1:3 | Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you.' | Illustrates true prophetic formula and call to repentance. |
| Matt 7:15 | Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. | Jesus' warning about the destructive nature of false teachers. |
| 1 Jn 4:1 | Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits... | Urges discernment, recognizing the presence of false spirits. |
| 2 Pet 1:21 | For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. | Defines the true source of prophecy: Holy Spirit, not human will. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you... | Predicts the rise of false teachers who exploit followers. |
| Judg 21:25 | In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. | Highlights chaos and moral relativism from following one's own desires. |
| Isa 5:20 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil... | An example of a prophetic "Woe" against moral corruption. |
| Titus 1:16 | They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him... | Describes those who claim godliness but live in opposition. |
| Col 2:18 | Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about what he has seen, puffed up by his sensuous mind... | Warns against false spiritual experiences rooted in human imagination. |
| Isa 30:10 | ...who say to the seers, "Do not see!" and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right... | People rejecting true prophecy for smooth words, fueling false prophets. |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? | Reinforces the danger of relying on one's own internal motivations. |
| Amos 3:7 | For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. | Establishes the divine source and authenticity of true prophecy. |
Ezekiel 13 verses
Ezekiel 13 3 Meaning
Ezekiel 13:3 proclaims a solemn denunciation from the sovereign Lord against prophets who, despite claiming divine revelation, actually speak from their own human spirit without receiving any true vision or message from God. This pronouncement carries a "Woe," indicating severe judgment against their deceptive practices, rooted in a fundamental moral and spiritual foolishness. Their actions lead the people astray by offering false hopes instead of God's true word.
Ezekiel 13 3 Context
Ezekiel chapter 13 focuses entirely on God's indictment of false prophets and prophetesses who were prevalent during the Babylonian exile. The historical setting is the 6th century BCE, a time of national crisis for Israel. Many false prophets gave soothing messages of imminent peace and restoration, contradicting the severe judgments proclaimed by true prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. This created a profound spiritual confusion among the people, hindering their repentance and causing them to rely on false hope. Verse 3 initiates this indictment, immediately striking at the root of their inauthenticity: they operate purely from their own human will and imagination, without any actual divine encounter or message.
Ezekiel 13 3 Word analysis
- Thus says: (Heb. Koh amar) A solemn and authoritative prophetic introductory formula. It marks the following words as a direct, unmediated utterance from God Himself, underscoring their absolute truth and imperative nature. This phrase immediately sets God's authoritative word in contrast to the deceptive words of the false prophets.
- the Lord GOD: (Heb. Adonai Yahweh) A profound double title for God. "Adonai" means "my Lord" or "my Master," signifying supreme authority and ownership. "Yahweh" is the personal, covenantal name of God, revealing His intimate, faithful, and unchangeable character as the God of Israel. Combined, it emphasizes God's sovereign authority and His commitment to His covenant, making the subsequent "Woe" a declaration from the ultimate divine power and faithfulness.
- Woe: (Heb. Hoy) A mournful interjection, typically used in prophetic literature to introduce a pronouncement of judgment, grief, or lamentation. It conveys severe displeasure and foreshadows inevitable disaster for the intended targets. Its use here signals a coming calamity upon the false prophets.
- to the foolish prophets: (Heb. al-han'viim han'valim) The objects of the "Woe." "Prophets" (nevi'im) here refers to those who claim to speak for God, highlighting their false pretense. "Foolish" (naval) is more than mere lack of intellect; it denotes moral depravity, spiritual senselessness, and ethical bankruptcy. A naval person disregards God, acts shamelessly, and is devoid of true spiritual wisdom. This highlights that their false prophecy is not just an error but a profound spiritual and moral failure.
- who follow: (Heb. asher hol'kim akhar) Describes the continuous action and orientation of their lives and prophetic ministry. "Following" or "walking after" is a common biblical metaphor for a way of life, adherence, or being led by something. This emphasizes that their deception is not accidental but a deliberate choice rooted in their spiritual state.
- their own spirit: (Heb. ruḥam) This is the crux of their false prophecy. They are led not by the Spirit of God (which inspires true prophecy), but by their own human spirit—their own thoughts, desires, imaginings, and biases. This points to self-deception and self-generated messages rather than divine inspiration. It exposes their human ambition or flawed perception as the actual source of their words.
- and have seen nothing: (Heb. v'lo rau m'umah) A powerful and absolute negation. "Seen" (ra'u) refers to receiving a vision, an understanding, or a revelation from God, which is a hallmark of true prophecy. The emphatic "nothing" (m'umah) utterly negates any divine source for their messages, confirming their total lack of genuine revelation, foresight, or divine insight.
Ezekiel 13 3 Bonus section
- The specific pronouncement from a priest-prophet like Ezekiel makes the critique of other 'prophets' particularly severe. He held an intimate understanding of the sacred office and its divine requirements.
- The term "spirit" (רוּחַ, ruach) in its original Hebrew carries significant breadth, referring to breath, wind, or the spiritual essence of a being. The use of the possessive suffix "their" on ruḥam in this verse critically distinguishes the human, self-generated source of their words from the authentic, divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which truly empowers God's messengers.
- The utter absence of genuine "seeing" aligns them with deceptive actions mentioned later in the chapter, where these false prophets are metaphorically accused of covering a structurally weak wall with whitewash, thereby concealing its flaws with misleading appearances (Ezek 13:10-12). They provided a superficial sense of spiritual security without addressing the imminent judgment or the need for deep repentance.
Ezekiel 13 3 Commentary
Ezekiel 13:3 lays bare the heart of the false prophecy issue during the exile. It identifies a "Woe" upon those who purport to be God's messengers but are fundamentally "foolish" in a moral and spiritual sense—lacking genuine reverence and truth. Their fatal flaw is operating "from their own spirit," generating messages from personal wishes, illusions, or societal pressures, rather than being instruments of divine revelation. Crucially, they "have seen nothing," signifying a complete absence of divine commission or actual insight from God. This results in the proliferation of deceptive peace messages that hinder true repentance and offer false comfort, ultimately leading to destruction. This verse serves as a timeless warning against any spiritual leadership not genuinely rooted in God's revealed truth.