Ezekiel 13:4 kjv
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Ezekiel 13:4 nkjv
O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
Ezekiel 13:4 niv
Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.
Ezekiel 13:4 esv
Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.
Ezekiel 13:4 nlt
"O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins.
Ezekiel 13 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| False Prophets & Deception | ||
| Deut 13:1-5 | If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams... shall give you a sign or a wonder... saying, 'Let us go after other gods'... and if the sign or wonder comes true... you shall not listen to the words of that prophet... For the LORD your God is testing you... | Warns against false prophets leading astray. |
| Deut 18:20-22 | But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken... | Defines and condemns false prophecy. |
| Jer 14:14 | The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you lying visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. | God disowns the message of false prophets. |
| Jer 23:9-40 | Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me... they strengthen the hands of evildoers... | Extensive condemnation of false prophets. |
| Matt 7:15 | Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. | New Testament warning against false teachers. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies... | Predicts and warns of future false teachers. |
| 1 Jn 4:1 | Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. | Calls for discernment due to widespread deception. |
| Matt 24:24 | For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. | Future deception by powerful false figures. |
| Destructive/Scavenging Nature | ||
| Lam 5:18 | For Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it. | Jackals symbolizing utter desolation and abandonment. |
| Neh 4:3 | Tobiah the Ammonite was at his side, and he said, "What they are building—if even a fox climbs up on it, he will break down their wall of stones!" | Enemies mocking attempts to rebuild, using fox (similar to jackal) as a weak, destructive force. |
| Mic 3:5-7 | This is what the LORD says: "As for the prophets who lead my people astray... who cry 'Peace' when they have something to chew, but declare holy war against him who puts nothing into their mouths... | False prophets driven by greed and self-interest. |
| Isa 56:10-12 | His watchmen are blind, all of them ignorant... they are greedy dogs, never having enough... | Leaders failing their protective role, compared to ravenous dogs. |
| Zep 3:3-4 | Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves. Her prophets are arrogant, treacherous people; her priests profane the sanctuary... | Leaders likened to destructive predators. |
| Luke 13:32 | He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' " | Jesus calls Herod "that fox," implying cunning and destructive nature. |
| False Message of Peace | ||
| Jer 6:14 | They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. | Superficial diagnosis and false comfort. |
| Jer 8:11 | They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. (Repeated from Jer 6:14) | Emphasizes the grave error of false assurance. |
| Ezek 13:10 | Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace... | Direct parallel in the same chapter to Ezek 13:4. |
| Lack of Rebuilding/Watchfulness | ||
| Ezek 22:30 | I searched for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. | The absence of true leadership to defend the nation. |
| Neh 2:17 | Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace." | Historical example of a leader addressing physical ruin. |
| Ezek 3:17-19 | Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so give them a warning from me. | Ezekiel's call as a true watchman, contrasted with false prophets. |
| Isa 59:15b-16a | ...and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor... | Absence of righteous advocates, highlighting moral decay. |
Ezekiel 13 verses
Ezekiel 13 4 Meaning
Ezekiel 13:4 delivers a stark denunciation of the false prophets in Israel, comparing them to scavenging jackals thriving amidst desolation. These supposed spiritual leaders, instead of rebuilding or guarding the nation, are opportunistically exploiting the people's spiritual and impending physical ruin, much like jackals making their dens in abandoned, decaying structures and preying on the weak. Their actions actively contribute to the nation's spiritual decay rather than bringing divine truth or protection.
Ezekiel 13 4 Context
Ezekiel 13 opens with a direct indictment against the false prophets of Israel. This chapter immediately follows Ezekiel's symbolic actions and pronouncements of Jerusalem's impending destruction. Amidst a populace desperate for hope during the Babylonian exile or siege of Jerusalem, these prophets offered false assurances of peace and an imminent end to suffering, contrary to God's message of judgment through Ezekiel. They actively misled the people, refusing to call them to repentance and instead fabricating comforting messages from their own imaginations, healing "the hurt of my people slightly" (Jer 8:11). The historical context is one of national crisis, where spiritual discernment was crucial, yet corrupted by those who claimed to speak for God but prioritized popularity or personal gain over truth. The verse sets the tone for a detailed exposition of their deceptions and the devastating consequences for both the prophets and the people.
Ezekiel 13 4 Word analysis
O Israel:
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל(Yiśrā’ēl). This address directly calls the covenant people, the nation God had chosen. It highlights that the false prophets are "your" (Israel's) prophets, signifying their identity with the people they are deceiving and failing. It underlines the tragedy that those within the covenant community are being led astray by their own leaders.your prophets:
נְבִיאֶ֣יךָ(nəḇî’eḵā).נָבִיא(nābî) traditionally refers to a divinely called spokesperson, one who speaks God's word. The possessive "your" identifies them as those claiming authority within Israel, not foreign adversaries. Crucially, they are false prophets, not genuine messengers. This term here signifies a perversion of a sacred office, men who speak "out of their own minds" (Ezek 13:2), creating their own prophecies for personal gain or popular appeasement rather than delivering God's challenging truth.are like jackals:
כְּשֽׁוּעָלִים֙(kəšûʿālîm).כְּ־(kə-): A prefix meaning "like" or "as," initiating a powerful simile.שׁוּעָל(šūāl): Jackal (often translated "fox" in English, but "jackal" fits the context better for their habits in the Ancient Near East). Jackals are known for their cunning, but more importantly here, their nature as scavengers and their habit of inhabiting desolate places, such as ruins or graves. They are not powerful, majestic animals but opportunists. They are destructive to fragile structures and prey on the vulnerable, symbolizing the insidious, destructive influence of the false prophets who tear down the fabric of society rather than fortifying it. They do not build or protect but exploit and consume what is already weak or dying.
in the ruins:
בַּחֳרָבֽוֹת(baḥŏrāḇôṯ).בְּ־(bə-): A prefix meaning "in" or "among."חֳרָבָה(ḥŏrāḇāh): Ruins, waste places, desolation. This refers to the literal and spiritual desolation of Judah. The false prophets are depicted as at home in these places of decay, flourishing where destruction has already taken hold. They do not prevent the ruins but dwell and operate within them, implying they either caused the decay, exacerbated it, or at least failed to prevent it, turning it to their own advantage. It points to a situation of advanced spiritual degradation, soon to be manifested in physical destruction.
Word-Groups Analysis:
- "your prophets are like jackals": This grouping emphasizes the fundamental mischaracterization of the false prophets. Instead of being divinely appointed watchmen, they embody the nature of wild, destructive animals. Their supposed leadership is reversed; they are agents of spiritual chaos and disintegration, not stability.
- "jackals in the ruins": This phrase paints a vivid picture of these prophets not merely as cunning, but as belonging to the very environment of desolation they ought to be preventing or lamenting. They are comfortable and operate effectively within the breakdown of society and spirituality, suggesting a predatory relationship with a dying nation, rather than a protective one. Their presence confirms and contributes to the existing state of decay.
Ezekiel 13 4 Bonus section
The imagery of the jackal (or fox) in ancient Near Eastern and biblical literature often extends beyond mere cunning to include notions of insignificance, destructiveness to weak structures (like drystone walls), and inhabiting desolate or cursed places (such as burial sites, where they might uncover bones). Thus, the comparison of false prophets to jackals not only denotes their sly, opportunistic nature but also their role as agents or symbols of utter desolation, feeding off the decay they do nothing to reverse. They possess neither the strength of a lion, nor the foresight of a true prophet, but are minor predators content to dwell in the wake of destruction, profiting from the vulnerability of the shattered community. This metaphor also highlights a severe irony: those entrusted with rebuilding the spiritual walls of Israel were instead burrowing into its foundations, creating more breaches for ruin.
Ezekiel 13 4 Commentary
Ezekiel 13:4 acts as a concise, scathing summary of God's indictment against the false prophets of Israel. The comparison to jackals is profoundly layered, implying their opportunistic, destructive, and ultimately unproductive nature. They do not act as shepherds protecting the flock, nor as watchmen building defenses, but as scavengers inhabiting and thriving on the nation's spiritual ruins, mirroring the approaching physical desolation. Their activities underscore the failure of leadership that prioritizes self-interest and popular lies over divine truth, thus exacerbating the very conditions of decay they claim to alleviate. This imagery sets a critical precedent for understanding spiritual leaders who undermine the faith through deception, thereby causing further collapse instead of reconstruction. The verse condemns those who find their place in the desolation and actively work to maintain or worsen it, rather than seeking God's restorative justice.