Ezekiel 13:22-23

Ezekiel 13:22-23

[22] Because with lies  ye have made the heart  of the righteous  sad,  whom I have not made sad;  and strengthened  the hands  of the wicked,  that he should not return  from his wicked  way,  by promising him life:  [23] Therefore ye shall see  no more vanity,  nor divine  divinations:  for I will deliver  my people  out of your hand:  and ye shall know  that I am the LORD. 

What does Ezekiel 13:22-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Because these false prophetesses discouraged the righteous with falsehood without divine authorization and encouraged the wicked to continue in their wickedness, they would no longer see false visions or practice divination. They would die. The Lord would deliver His people from their deadly hands, and they would know that He was the Lord. [1]
"Modern-day fortune tellers are rather similar to the women described in this passage. Fortune tellers, interestingly, are usually women, and they tend to dress in a rather elaborate manner, often wearing clothing or jewelry associated with the occult arts, comparable to the "muffs" on the prophetesses in ancient Israel ( Ezekiel 13:18). They tend to give their advice in darkened rooms, where the attitude of the inquirer is influenced in an eerie way, and this corresponds to the veil put over the inquirer in Ezekiel"s description ( Ezekiel 13:18). They are paid for what they do, just as the ancient women were ( Ezekiel 13:19), and their advice is always dangerous ( Ezekiel 13:19) because it leads people astray from the truth of God, that truth being the only way to live and not die eternally. They are frauds, who envision "lies" (NKJV, "futility," Ezekiel 13:23) because their predictions are fabrications made up from their own minds ( Ezekiel 13:17), just as was done in Ezekiel"s time." [2]