Ezekiel 13:18

Ezekiel 13:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
• New International Version (NIV)and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord 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?
• English Standard Version (ESV)and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?
• New King James Version (NKJV)and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive?

Context of Ezekiel 13:18

16those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the sovereign Lord.’ 17“As for you, son of man, turn toward the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. Prophesy against them and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands on all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 19You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies! 20“‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds.

Ezekiel 13:18 word by word

וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הוֹי֩ לִֽמְתַפְּר֨וֹת כְּסָת֜וֹת עַ֣ל׀ כָּל־אַצִּילֵ֣י יָדַ֗י וְעֹשׂ֧וֹת הַמִּסְפָּח֛וֹת עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ כָּל־קוֹמָ֖ה לְצוֹדֵ֣ד נְפָשׁ֑וֹת הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ תְּצוֹדֵ֣דְנָה לְעַמִּ֔י וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת לָכֶ֥נָה תְחַיֶּֽינָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
• Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
• that sewתָּפַרtâphar · to sewH8609
• pillowsכֶּ֫סֶתkeseth · amuletH3704
• to all armholesיָדyâd · hand: themselvesH3027
• to all armholesאַצִּיל'atstsîyl · jointH679
• and makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• kerchiefsמִסְפָּחָהmispâchâh · veilH4555
• upon the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of every statureקוֹמָהqômâh · heightH6967
• to huntצוּדtsûd · to huntH6679
• soulsנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• of my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• and will ye saveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421

Cross-references for Ezekiel 13:18

• Ezekiel 13:3This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing!
• Ezekiel 13:10“‘This is because they have led my people astray saying, “All is well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash.
• Jeremiah 4:10In response to all this I said, “Ah, Lord God, you have surely allowed the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!’ But in fact a sword is already at our throats.”
• Jeremiah 6:14They offer only superficial help for the harm my people have suffered. They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’ But everything is not all right!
• 2 Timothy 4:3For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.
• Ezekiel 22:25Her princes within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows within it.
• Ephesians 4:14So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.
• 2 Peter 2:14Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!
• Ezekiel 13:22This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 13:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18That sew pillows to all arm holes - I believe this refers to those cushions which are so copiously provided in the eastern countries for the apartments of women; on which they sit, lean, rest their heads, and prop up their arms. I have several drawings of eastern ladies, who are represented on sofas; and often with their arm thrown over a pillow, which is thereby pressed close to their side, and against which they thus recline. The prophet's discourse…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-23Verses 17-23 A rebuke to the false prophetesses, and a declaration that God will confound them, and deliver their victims from their snares. Women were sometimes inspired by the true God, as were Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, and Huldah; but an order of prophetesses was unknown among the people of God, and the existence of such a class in the last days of the kings of Judah was a fresh instance of declension into pagan usages. Ezekiel 13:18-21. Render thus…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-23Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19Similar to the false male prophets (Ezekiel 13:1–16), some women prophets spoke words from their own imaginations. The false male prophets used traditional prophecy methods, but the women used magical techniques with charms and veils. Seeking personal gain, such as a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread, they promised life and death (compare Ezekiel 3:17–21; 33:1–9) to the wrong people.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. sew pillows to ... armholes--rather, elbows and wrists, for which the false prophetesses made cushions to lean on, as a symbolical act, typifying the perfect tranquility which they foretold to those consulting them. Perhaps they made their dupes rest on these cushions in a fancied state of ecstasy after they had made them at first stand (whence the expression, "every stature," is used for "men of every age"). As the men are said to have built a wall…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 13:18

• Dress
• Hypocrisy
• Minister, Christian
• Pillow
• Women

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Bolster
• Follow
• Kerchief
• Armhole
• Dress
• Habor
• Ornament
• Scab, Scabbed

Commentaries on Ezekiel 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings