Ezekiel 13:6 kjv
They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
Ezekiel 13:6 nkjv
They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.
Ezekiel 13:6 niv
Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, "The LORD declares," and expect him to fulfill their words.
Ezekiel 13:6 esv
They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.
Ezekiel 13:6 nlt
Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, 'This message is from the LORD,' even though the LORD never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!
Ezekiel 13 6 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 to speak...that same prophet shall die." | Penalty for claiming God's word falsely. |
| Deut 18:21-22 | "And if you say in your heart...‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’...If the thing does not happen...that is a word that the LORD has not spoken." | Test for distinguishing true from false prophecy. |
| Jer 14:14 | "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them...They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds." | Directly mirrors Eze 13:6 regarding false visions/lies. |
| Jer 23:21 | "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied." | God explicitly denies sending them. |
| Jer 23:25-26 | "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue...these lying prophets?" | False prophets claiming dreams without commission. |
| Jer 23:32 | "Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams...to lead my people astray by their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them." | God opposes false dreamers not sent by Him. |
| Jer 28:15 | "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies." | Jeremiah directly confronts a false prophet. |
| Isa 8:19 | "When people tell you to consult mediums and spiritists...should not a person ask his God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" | Warns against forbidden forms of divination. |
| Zech 13:3 | "And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother...will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’" | Family's role in judging false prophets. |
| Lam 2:14 | "Your prophets have seen for you false and misleading visions; they have not exposed your iniquity...but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading." | False prophets gave false comfort. |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to Me." | People suffer for accepting false teaching. |
| Matt 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Jesus warns about discerning false prophets. |
| Matt 24:11 | "And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." | End-time warning about widespread deception. |
| 2 Pet 2:1 | "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies..." | Continues the theme of false teachers in the church. |
| 1 John 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." | Exhortation to test every spiritual claim. |
| Titus 1:10-11 | "For there are many rebellious people...who must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach..." | False teachers disrupting homes. |
| 2 Thess 2:9-10 | "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displayed of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie," | Satan empowers false displays and deception. |
| Prov 14:15 | "The naive person believes every word, but the prudent person watches his step." | Prudence needed in discerning speech. |
| 1 Tim 4:1 | "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons," | People turning to false teachings in last days. |
| Jer 6:14 | "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." | False prophets offer superficial comfort. |
| 2 Chron 18:23 | Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek... “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” | Confrontation between true and false prophets. |
| Acts 20:29-30 | "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you...And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." | Internal false teachers distorting truth. |
| Rom 16:17-18 | "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine...by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." | Warns against deceptive teachers for selfish gain. |
Ezekiel 13 verses
Ezekiel 13 6 Meaning
Ezekiel 13:6 exposes the nature and deceit of false prophets in ancient Israel. It reveals that their prophetic messages are born from empty imaginations and deceptive divinations, not from divine revelation. These imposters boldly declare "The Lord declares," usurping God's authority, even though He has not commissioned or sent them. Their expectation for these self-generated pronouncements to materialize underscores their delusion and self-deception, revealing a desire for their own words, not God's, to be vindicated.
Ezekiel 13 6 Context
Ezekiel 13:6 is situated within Ezekiel's broader indictment of the false prophets and prophetesses who were prevalent in Judah during the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BC). The preceding chapter (Eze 12) dealt with Ezekiel’s symbolic actions demonstrating imminent and inevitable judgment. Chapter 13 shifts to the reason for such a dire fate: the false spiritual leadership that deceived the people, offering baseless hope and hindering true repentance. These prophets created a false sense of security, like building a flimsy wall. The historical context is one of national crisis, where genuine messages of judgment and exile from true prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel were unwelcome, and the populace preferred the comforting lies of false prophets promising swift restoration without genuine change. Ezekiel’s ministry countered this pervasive deception by unmasking their methods and their true origin, clarifying that their pronouncements did not originate from God, but from their own imaginations and deceitful practices.
Ezekiel 13 6 Word analysis
- They have envisioned: Hebrew חָזוּ (chazu), from chazah, "to see, behold, prophesy." While it can denote a genuine prophetic vision, its use here with "futility and lying divination" emphasizes a self-generated mental seeing or imagination, not divine revelation. It highlights their unauthorized, active role in creating prophetic messages.
- futility: Hebrew שָׁוְא (shav), meaning "emptiness, vanity, falsehood, worthlessness." This word often describes idols or empty promises, indicating their "visions" are baseless and devoid of divine truth or power, leading to nothing substantial.
- and lying divination: Hebrew קֶסֶם כָּזָב (kesem kazav). Kesem refers to forbidden, often occult, divination practices (Deut 18:10-12). Kazav means "lie" or "falsehood." This condemns their methods as strictly forbidden, deceptive, and completely opposed to God's ways, rather than genuine spiritual insight.
- who say, 'The Lord declares,': Hebrew כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה (koh amar YHWH), "Thus says the Lord." This is the canonical phrase for authentic divine oracles. Its usurpation by false prophets constitutes a severe sin of impersonating God's authority and claiming His direct speech for their own fabricated messages.
- when the Lord has not sent them;: Hebrew וַיהוָה לֹא שְׁלָחָם (vayhweh lo shelacham). Shelacham comes from shalach, "to send, commission." True prophets are sent by God (e.g., Jer 1:7). God's explicit denial of this commission is crucial; it entirely invalidates their claims to divine authority.
- and they hope: Hebrew וְיִחֲלוּ (v'yichalu), from yachal, meaning "to wait, hope, expect." Here, it signifies a misdirected expectation that their self-generated prophecies will come true, reflecting either self-deception or an arrogant confidence in their own words.
- for the confirmation: Implies a desire for their words to "stand" or "come to pass" (related to l'kallem, to bring to completion). They are not seeking God's will but validation for their own words, often for personal gain or prestige. This reveals their self-serving ambition.
- of their word.: Referring to dvaram, "their word, utterance, message." This emphasizes that the origin and authority of the message remain purely human, despite being falsely attributed to God. It highlights their personal stake in the prophecy's outcome.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- They have envisioned futility and lying divination: This phrase describes the corrupt source and deceptive nature of their prophetic utterances. Instead of receiving genuine visions from God, they conjure empty, baseless "visions" from their own minds and engage in forbidden, fraudulent divination. This reveals their messages as fundamentally un-divine and a product of their own deceit or delusion.
- who say, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them: This highlights their usurpation of divine authority. By mimicking the formula of true prophecy, they falsely claim direct divine endorsement. This is a severe transgression as it profanes God’s name, deceives His people, and undermines genuine prophetic revelation by elevating human thoughts to divine truth.
- and they hope for the confirmation of their word: This reveals their true motivation and the depth of their self-delusion or deceptive intent. They eagerly desire their own, self-originated messages to "stand" or "come to pass," demonstrating a focus on personal prestige or power rather than God’s glory or the people’s genuine well-being. Their expectation of independent fulfillment for words not originated by God underscores their profound spiritual disconnect.
Ezekiel 13 6 Bonus section
The powerful polemic in Ezekiel 13:6 extends beyond a general condemnation of pagan divination, specifically targeting those within Israel who corrupted true Yahwism by integrating such practices or, worse, inventing their own prophecies while donning the cloak of divine authority. The inherent danger of these false prophets lay in their superficial mimicry of true prophetic speech, which made their deception exceptionally potent among a populace longing for comfort and avoiding difficult truths. Unlike true prophets who often delivered unpopular messages of judgment, these imposters typically offered comforting, yet baseless, promises of "peace" (similar to Jer 6:14, Lam 2:14). This delayed genuine repentance and further entrenched the people in their rebellion. The verse therefore serves as a foundational theological statement for distinguishing divine truth from human fabrication, underscoring the indispensable necessity of divine origination as the bedrock of all authentic prophetic authority.
Ezekiel 13 6 Commentary
Ezekiel 13:6 delivers a trenchant condemnation of false prophets, meticulously exposing the corrupt foundation of their supposed divine messages. Their "visions" are portrayed not as heavenly insights but as vain imaginations (shav) interwoven with forbidden occult practices (kesem kazav). The most audacious aspect of their deception is their blatant misuse of the phrase "Thus says the Lord," stealing the sacred mark of authentic prophecy while utterly lacking divine commission. This is more than a simple misstep; it's a grave sacrilege that profanes God’s name and profoundly misleads His people. Their eager desire for their own words to be vindicated further underscores their self-serving agenda and spiritual blindness. The verse thus sets a critical standard for discernment: true prophecy originates from God and is delivered by one truly sent by Him, rather than arising from human ambition or empty claims. It warns listeners to scrutinize the source and content of all spiritual claims, for words without God’s backing lead only to delusion.