Ezekiel 13 7

Ezekiel 13:7 kjv

Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

Ezekiel 13:7 nkjv

Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The LORD says,' but I have not spoken."

Ezekiel 13:7 niv

Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, "The LORD declares," though I have not spoken?

Ezekiel 13:7 esv

Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, 'Declares the LORD,' although I have not spoken?"

Ezekiel 13:7 nlt

Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, 'This message is from the LORD,' when I have not even spoken to you?

Ezekiel 13 verses

Ezekiel 13 7 Meaning

Ezekiel 13:7 sternly questions the false prophets concerning the origin of their messages. It asserts that their so-called "visions" and "divinations" are mere fabrications—empty and deceitful—and crucially, they originate not from God. Their profound offense lies in claiming the divine authority, "The Lord says," when Yahweh Himself declares, "I have not spoken." This verse unmasks their pretense, highlighting their attempt to legitimize human lies with divine accreditation, thus actively misleading the people of God.

Ezekiel 13 7 Context

Ezekiel 13 addresses a significant problem in Judah during the Babylonian exile: the proliferation of false prophets and prophetesses who undermined God's true messages. Chapter 13 focuses entirely on exposing and condemning these individuals who gave false hope of peace and a swift return from exile, directly contradicting the warnings and prophecies of destruction from true prophets like Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

Verse 7 acts as a direct challenge, interrogating the very source of their purported prophetic utterances. These false prophets had created an illusion of security and religious activity among the exiles and those left in Jerusalem, painting "a flimsy wall" and covering it with "whitewash" (Eze 13:10) – symbolizing their superficial and misleading comfort. God's questioning of their "futile vision" and "lying divination" underscores the fundamental issue: they spoke in His name without His authorization, fabricating messages that appealed to the people's desire for comfort rather than confronting their sin and impending judgment. This polemic targets the prevailing cultural tendency to embrace feel-good prophecies and human insights over divinely revealed, often difficult, truths. The historical context shows a nation ripe for deception, yearning for a positive outlook, making them vulnerable to those who claimed to speak for God but were, in fact, driven by their own desires or spirits (Eze 13:3).

Ezekiel 13 7 Word analysis

• הֲלוֹא (halo’) "Have you not...?": This is a rhetorical question in Hebrew, strongly implying an affirmative answer. God isn't genuinely asking for information but rather making an emphatic assertion and accusation, inviting the audience to recognize the undeniable truth of His indictment. It points to a clear and evident culpability.
• רָאִיתֶם (ra'item) "seen": Refers to the act of receiving a vision, often involving an encounter with the divine. The accusation is that while they claim to have seen (experienced revelation), what they saw was invalid.
• חֲזוֹן (hazon) "vision": This Hebrew term generally denotes a divine communication received in a visionary state (e.g., Isa 1:1; Joel 1:1). In genuine prophecy, it's a primary channel for God's revelation. However, its qualification here negates its authenticity.
• שָׁוְא (shav’) "futile/empty/vain": This word signifies something worthless, empty, or false. It's used in the third commandment against taking God's name in vain (Exo 20:7), highlighting blasphemy or empty use of His name. Here, it means their visions lack divine substance, purpose, or truth. They are merely hollow imitations.
• דִבַּרְתֶּם (dibbartem) "spoken": Implies articulating a message, proclaiming. This focuses on the verbal delivery of their false prophecies.
• וְקֶסֶם (veqesem) "and divination": This refers to seeking knowledge of the future or God's will through means often associated with pagan practices or human manipulation (Deut 18:10; 1 Sam 15:23). When connected to Israel's prophets, it denotes a perversion, attempting to elicit revelation outside legitimate divine channels.
• כָּזָב (kazav) "lying": This explicitly denotes falsehood, deceit, and untruth. It emphasizes the direct opposition to truth and highlights the malicious intent behind their pronouncements.
• אָמְרִים (omrim) "when you say": This highlights the public, performative declaration of the false prophets, demonstrating their pretense of authority. They verbalize their claim of divine endorsement.
• נְאֻם־יהוה (neum-YHWH) "The Lord says": This is the ultimate formula of divine authority, signaling that the message comes directly from God Himself. Its unauthorized use is a usurpation of God's sovereignty and a grave act of blasphemy. It represents the claim to divine inspiration.
• וַאֲנִי לֹא דִבַּרְתִּי (va’ani lo dibarti) "although I have not spoken": This is God's categorical and absolute denial. It underscores the profound chasm between the false prophets' claims and God's reality. This divine negation is the definitive verdict on their illegitimacy and the severity of their deception.

Words-group analysis:

• "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination?": This paired accusation condemns both the source (visions, often visual experiences) and the delivery (divinations, verbal pronouncements) of their false prophecy. The "futile vision" (lacking truth or substance) and "lying divination" (actively false and deceptive) work in tandem to comprehensively describe their fraudulent claims. It implies their deceptive practice is multifaceted, involving both alleged divine perception and subsequent authoritative utterance.
• "when you say, 'The Lord says,' although I have not spoken?": This forms the core of the theological offense. It exposes the blasphemous act of falsely invoking the divine name to endorse human-invented falsehoods. The juxtaposition of their appropriation of the divine formula, neum-YHWH, with God's clear, authoritative rebuttal, "I have not spoken," reveals the sheer audacity of their sin and God's absolute repudiation of their authority. This direct challenge underscores that the issue is not merely error, but deliberate, unauthorized speech cloaked in divine authority.

Ezekiel 13 7 Bonus section

The nature of the divine denial, "I have not spoken," reveals God's deep concern for the integrity of His Word and His name. This is not a passive disassociation but an active, judicial declaration against those who dare to usurp His authority. It emphasizes the active responsibility of the prophet—to ensure that the message they deliver truly originates from God, not from their own mind or the pressure of popular opinion. This also serves as a critical call to discernment for the hearers. If even professed prophets could utter such profound falsehoods while invoking God's name, then every listener has a profound responsibility to test what is spoken against the established revelation of God's character and prior commands (cf. Deut 13:1-5). The rhetorical questioning format draws the reader into the divine accusation, compelling them to acknowledge the obvious culpability of the false prophets and to internalize the lesson on discerning true and false spiritual authority.

Ezekiel 13 7 Commentary

Ezekiel 13:7 lays bare the root of false prophecy: the deliberate manufacturing of divine pronouncements for human ends. It reveals a deep-seated spiritual pathology where human imagination and self-interest replace authentic divine revelation. The false prophets claimed visions that were "futile" – utterly empty of divine content and designed only to please human ears or serve their own agendas. Their divinations were "lying" – intentionally deceptive and leading the people astray.

The critical transgression highlighted is their appropriation of the divine messenger formula, "The Lord says" (neum-YHWH). This phrase, the bedrock of authentic prophetic authority, was co-opted and used as a stamp of approval on messages God explicitly denied. God's forceful declaration, "I have not spoken," is the divine exposé, unmasking their counterfeit authority. This act wasn't just error; it was blasphemy, a severe violation of God's holy name and His absolute right to determine His own revelation. The passage teaches us that true prophecy never originates from human will or desire (2 Pet 1:21) but solely from the sovereign Spirit of God. False prophets seek popular acclaim or personal gain by telling people what they want to hear, rather than calling them to repentance or truth, thus hindering their spiritual discernment and leading them to ruin.

Practical examples might include spiritual leaders who consistently promise prosperity without requiring repentance, or those who base their pronouncements on personal feelings rather than consistent biblical revelation, thereby encouraging spiritual complacency rather than godly living.