Ezekiel 13, False Prophets and Prophetesses

“Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Wikipedia says, “The rationale of the doctrine is that if ignorance were an excuse, a person charged with criminal offenses, or a subject of a civil lawsuit, would merely claim that one was unaware of the law in question to avoid liability.” The law of Moses legislates this in Leviticus 5:17: “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of Yahweh’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible.” And so the judgment Yahweh has been pronouncing on Israel stands. But there is also judgment against those who misled the people, false prophets who misrepresented Yahweh’s law.

1 The word of Yahweh came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of Yahweh! 3 This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of Yahweh. 6 Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though Yahweh has not sent them, they say, “Yahweh declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. 7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “Yahweh declares,” though I have not spoken?

Yahweh’s prophets should have only been speaking what Yahweh told them, but these prophets had spoken out of their own imagination. Some understand their not repairing the wall literally, meaning they were telling the people that judgment by invaders would not come, so no need to repair the wall around Jerusalem. Others see it as figurative for failure to “fill in the gaps” of incorrect teaching of the Law. In either case, these prophets were like jackals among ruins, ravenously feeding off of the wretched people of Israel.

8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Yahweh. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Yahweh.

10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

13 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am Yahweh. 15 So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Yahweh.”’

The punishment for these prophets is severe. They will be expelled from the council of Yahweh’s people, expelled from Israel, become a byword in the land, when the torrential and destructive storm of invaders comes from God upon the city.

17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them 18 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? 19 You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am Yahweh.’” (Ezekiel 13)

Though there is no indication that the male prophets have been using divination, the female prophets have. The Zondervan Bible Backgrounds commentary notes:

Almost all exegetes relate the Hebrew term keset (niv “magic charms”) with Akkadian kasû (“to bind”). It has been noted that “the bindings round the wrist recall the magical knots and bond which have some prominence in the rich Babylonian library of incantations.” Since Ezekiel is speaking to women involved in “prophecy out of their own imagination” — that is, involved in illicit prophecy or other forms of divination — it is even more to the point to draw on Akkadian kasītu (“binding magic”).

The Akkadian series of incantations called Maqlû uses the word kasû in a practice of sympathetic magic: “I magically bound your figure, I paralyzed (ukassi, lit., “I bound”) your limbs.” In order to release the person from such a magical charm, the incantation priest had to use another magical procedure as an antidote. Thus another series of incantations, called Šurpu, mentions the following text: “May the gods of HA.A release the bond, disperse the conspiracy, sever the knot of evil magic, loosen the kasītu, release the oath.” It is fitting, therefore, that we understand Ezekiel’s use of keset in the sense of Akkadian kasītu.

The women involved in magical practices are making veils. The meaning of the term mispāḥôt is uncertain. It differs from the usual Hebrew words for veils and therefore suggests a special kind of veil used in magical practices. The Babylonian series of incantations called Maqlû I 1 – 2 begins in the following manner: “I have called upon you Gods of the Night. With you I have called upon Night, the veiled bride.” The night, the veiled bride, is the female counterpart of the gods of darkness presiding over witchcraft.

Moreover, the term has been related to a Hebrew root meaning “to join, attach,” which suggests a connection with the “binding magic” mentioned in this verse. The practice should probably be compared to different magical appurtenances like amulets tied to a string and worn like a phylactery on the forehead or brought over the head and worn around the neck. The aim of the magical action of the women is “to ensnare” people. It has been suggested to interpret the Hebrew word as a metathesis for an Akkadian word that means “a hunting net.” The expression meaning “to ensnare, hunt,” appears in Proverbs 12:12 as a “snare” of an evil person. The net was a common utensil in the ancient Near East used as a military weapon as well as in fishing and hunting both wild animals and fowls. The Old Testament mentions a great variety of nets. Veils as nets used in magic would therefore not be surprising.

People listen to false prophets because they tell them what they want to hear. True prophets tell us what we need to hear.