1 And the worde of the Lord came vnto mee, saying;
2 Sonne of man, prophecie against the Prophets of Israel that prophecie, and say thou vnto them that prophecie out of their owne hearts, Heare ye the word of the Lord.
3 Thus saith the Lord God; Woe vnto the foolish prophets, that follow their owne spirit, and haue seene nothing.
4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
5 Yee haue not gone vp into the gaps, neither made vp the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battell in the day of the Lord.
6 They haue seene vanity, and lying diuination, saying; The Lord saith, and the Lord hath not sent them: and they haue made others to hope, that they would confirme the word.
7 Haue ye not seene a vaine vision, and haue ye not spoken a lying diuination, whereas yee say, The Lord sayth it, albeit I haue not spoken?
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye haue spoken vanity and seene lyes, therefore behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.
9 And mine hand shall be vpon the Prophets that see vanitie, and that diuine lyes: they shall not bee in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel, and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
10 ¶ Because, euen because they haue seduced my people, saying; Peace, and there was no peace: and one built vp a wall, and loe, others dawbed it with vntempered morter,
11 Say vnto them which dawbe it with vntempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall bee an ouerflowing showre, and yee, O great haile stones, shal fall, and a stormie wind shal rent it.
12 Loe, when the wall is fallen, shall it not bee sayde vnto you; Where is the dawbing wherwith ye haue dawbed it?
13 Therefore thus sayth the Lord God; I will euen rent it with a stormie wind in my fury: and there shall be an ouerflowing showre in mine anger, and great hailestones in my fury, to consume it.
14 So wil I breake downe the wall that ye haue dawbed with vntempered morter, & bring it downe to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discouered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the middest thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath vpon the wall, and vpon them that haue dawbed it with vntempered morter, and will say vnto you; The wall is no more, neither they that dawbed it:
16 To wit, the Prophets of Israel which prophecie concerning Ierusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, sayth the Lord God.
17 ¶ Likewise thou sonne of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people; which prophecie out of their owne heart, and prophecie thou against them,
18 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sow pillowes to all arme holes, and make kerchiefes vpon the head of euery stature to hunt soules: Will ye hunt the soules of my people, and will yee saue the soules aliue that come vnto you?
19 And will yee pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley, and for pieces of bread, to slay the soules that should not die, and to saue the soules aliue that should not liue, by your lying to my people that heare your lyes?
20 Wherefore thus sayth the Lord God, Behold, I am against your pillowes, wherewith yee there hunt the soules to make them flie, and I will teare them from your armes, and will let the soules goe, euen the soules that ye hunt to make them flie.
21 Your kerchiefes also will I teare, and deliuer my people out of your hand, and they shalbe no more in your hand to be hunted, and yee shall know that I am the Lord.
22 Because with lyes yee haue made the heart of the righteous sad whom I haue not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that hee should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life:
23 Therefore yee shall see no more vanitie, nor diuine diuinations, for I will deliuer my people out of your hand, and ye shall knowe that I am the Lord. par
Heavy judgments against lying prophets. (1-9) The insufficiency of their work. (10-16) Woes against false prophetesses. (17-23)1-9 Where God gives a warrant to do any thing, he gives wisdom. What they delivered was not what they had seen or heard, as that is which the ministers of Christ deliver. They were not praying prophets, had no intercourse with Heaven; they contrived how to please people, not how to do them good; they stood not against sin. They flattered people into vain hopes. Such widen the breach, by causing men to think themselves deserving of eternal life, when the wrath of God abides upon them.
10-16 One false prophet built the wall, set up the notion that Jerusalem should be victorious, and made himself acceptable by it. Others made the matter yet more plausible and promising; they daubed the wall which the first had built; but they would, ere long, be undeceived when their work was beaten down by the storm of God's just wrath; when the Chaldean army desolated the land. Hopes of peace and happiness, not warranted by the word of God, will cheat men; like a wall well daubed, but ill built.
17-23 It is ill with those who had rather hear pleasing lies than unpleasing truths. The false prophetesses tried to make people secure, signified by laying them at ease, and to make them proud, signified by the finery laid on their heads. They shall be confounded in their attempts, and God's people shall be delivered out of their hands. It behoves Christians to keep close to the word of God, and in every thing to seek the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Let us so trust the promises of God as to keep his commandments.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.