Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 13:22
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:
22. heart of the righteous sad ] Or, discourage the heart of the righteous opposed to “strengthen the hands” of the wicked. The word rendered “made sad” or pained in the end of the clause might have been expected.
by promising him life ] Rather: and be saved alive; lit. so as to save him alive. The agent is not expressed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Eze 13:22
Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad.
The baleful influence of infidelity
I. Infidelity exerts a baleful influence upon the righteous. Note the charge, Because, etc.
1. It casts a shadow upon his pathway. It is the shadow of midnight. Leaves him to grope his way in darkness. Ignoring Gods Word, it points to the light of nature, and says, This is sufficient, walk here! But these are questions that the voice of the winds, the hills, the stars do not answer, Can sins be forgiven? If so, how? In the hour of trial natures light grows dim. The mariner may follow the stars till the storm at midnight; then the lighthouse.
2. It is a blight to his sweetest joys. Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad. God makes the righteous glad, not sad. True religion is as the oil of joy to the heart. The righteous have songs in the night. But as frost is to the flower, so is unbelief to the better impulses of the heart. What ray of hope, what ground for rejoicing does infidelity afford? Ah! it is the ruthless hand that snatches away the staff upon which the struggling soul rests.
3. It seeks to undermine his hopes–strikes at the very foundation of them (Psa 11:3). Ah! he may sit down in sadness and heave an unending sigh. He may hang his harp upon the willows.
II. Infidelity exerts a baleful influence upon the wicked.
1. It encourages him to follow his own inclinations as his guide. The false prophets are described as those that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. So they taught all to do. And so is the spirit of infidelity in all ages of the world. The depraved heart is its criterion.
2. It encourages him to continue in sin–That he should not return from his wicked way. It advocates no such return. Nothing to turn from–nothing to turn to. Nay, it rather strengthens his hands.
3. It encourages him to dismiss from his mind all thought of the future. It cries to the sin-stricken soul, Peace, peace. Think not of the hereafter; there may be none, no heaven to gain, no hell to shun. Be at peace! It is opposed to God, good men, and bad men. It must be destroyed–Wall of bulrushes must fall–There shall be an overflowing shower. And ye shall know that I am the Lord. (M. L. Bibb.)
Making the righteous sad
That is a severe indictment. It was brought by God, and was addressed to the false prophets, and especially to the lying prophetess, who exercised their evil ministry in the days of Ezekiel. In holy wrath, the Lord hurls this flaming impeachment upon these cruel and deceitful ministrants, Ye have grieved the heart of the righteous: whom I have not made sad. (Revised Version.) We are here introduced to sad people. They were righteous–God declares them such. But they were full of grief. Grief and righteousness are often associated. But the sadness of these grieved ones was not imposed by God. He recognises the sorrow, but disavows it. I have not made them sad is His express word of repudiation. Sometimes sadness is from God. He doth not willingly grieve the children of men. Especially reluctant is He to grieve those who are covenanted unto Him. But anon He does it. Sadness is one of Gods methods of education for His righteous ones. Thou didst it, the saddened righteous can confidently and resignedly say in certain of lifes calamitous hours. Let all the sad inquire whence cometh their sadness. From what fountain does the dark and turbid stream arise? It may spring from yourself. Has some strong besetting sin wrecked your gladness? Sadness often originates in temperament. Do not blame God if you are melancholic; blame your yielding to your temperament. Grace can enable a man to rise above his temperament. If self makes a man presumptuous, it full as often makes him despondent. The worry of these worrying days frequently issues in sadness. O righteous one! Thy sadness is not the frown of thy God. Thou art cumbered with much serving. The pace of life is exhausting thee. God has not made you sad. Nerve and body and brain are overwrought. Sadness is wrought, all too often, by our fellow men. Why are you sad? An enemy hath done this. An ingrate friend is responsible. A prodigal child. A remorseless creditor. A thankless debtor. Oh, the inhumanity of humanity! Charge not God foolishly because of sadness. Asperse not the kind Lord. Satan often seeks to ruin us by sadness. Quite as often as by pleasure he seeks to spoil us by grief. Sadness is one of the fiercest of his fiery darts. Beware of Giant Despair, O pilgrim. I am sure we far too often charge God with our sadness. It is well we should weigh this ancient disclaimer of His: Whom I have not made sad. Trace your sadness to its true source. It may be that God has done it. But it may be He is in no wise responsible. Some impose sadness upon the righteous in Gods name. That is exactly what these false prophetesses did. The Almighty charges them with the high crime. He says, Ye have made the heart of the righteous sad. They had spoken in Jehovahs name. They professed to be His forthtellers, but they lied. They spake out of their own hearts. What awful things have been done in Gods name! Men have stolen the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. In the name of God mankind has accomplished its worst infamies. Men have lied and persecuted and slain, claiming the while that they thereby fulfilled the counsel of God. Let us see if this wrong-doing is not perpetrated even in our time. Do not some confound religion and sadness? Assuredly they do. But, thank God, they are not synonymous. Religion and seriousness are essentially allied, but not so religion and sadness. Say ye to the righteous, It shall be well with him. The work of righteousness is not sadness, but peace and assurance. Do not measure the depth of a mans piety by the length of his face. Sadness is far oftener the consequence of a disordered liver than of a righteous heart. Beware, above all things, of prophet or prophetess representing righteousness as essential sadness! Here is a great test of a ministry. Is it generally saddening to the righteous? Then it is undivine. They are no true prophets who make the heart of the righteous sad. Sadden the evil-doer by all means. Make him to pierce himself through with many sorrows. But do not sadden the righteous. Dr. A.B. Davidson renders my text, Ye have discouraged the righteous. So they showed how essentially ungodlike was their ministry. God never discourages the righteous. He is the God of all encouragement. He ministers every form of legitimate encouragement. God is the supreme encourager. Fellow servant of God, is yours a saddening ministry to the saint? Then there is surely a grave wrongness in it. Let all whose ideal and endeavour it is to be righteous be of good cheer. Refuse to be loaded with sadness in Gods name. Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. How had these godless prophetesses accomplished their beglooming ministry? The Lord supplies the answer, and in no measured terms: With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad. They had uttered false predictions of calamities which were to descend upon the godly. False teaching usually has a saddening effect upon the righteous. Truth sometimes makes Gods people sad, but it is not intended to do so. But lies palmed off as religious truth make the heart of the righteous sad. They often encourage and delight the evil-doer. They give him warrant to take his licence. Today, as in days past, we can readily see false teaching working upon the righteous its unkindly work. This is true of teaching which is intrinsically false. Inveracious theologies sadden the righteous. What evil presentations we sometimes hear and read! He is represented now as a despot, and now as morally indifferent. A false theology makes the heart of the righteous sad. Has not erroneous teaching concerning the Bible the same effect? If its inspiration were the dubious thing it is sometimes declared to be, it would indeed be a miserable estate in which the righteous are found. When the Word of God is described as a farago of myths and legends and forgeries, is not the heart of the righteous sad? False teaching regarding the atonement works kindred sorrow. Paul said, We joy in God, by whom we have received the atonement. Destroy that cardinal truth, and you make the heart of the righteous sad. Resolve the death of Christ into a martyrdom, an ethical example, the supreme historic instance of altruism, and you dry up the freshest spring of gladness which humanity knows. Preach the doleful tidings that our moral chains must weight us long as we live beneath. And by such erroneous teaching the heart of the righteous is fatally saddened. Proclaim that there is no privilege of assurance for Gods children. And again you plunge the righteous in nocturnal gloom. But this sadness is evoked not alone by indoctrination which is inherently false, but by that which is such relatively. When true teaching is perverted in its application, it has the value of false teaching. This was the fallacy of which Jobs comforters were guilty. They were capable theologians. Their theology was true in its essence, but false in its application. Thereby they made Jobs heart sad with sore sadness. We must study the relativity of truth. Truth misapplied is as untruth. Assurance is a glorious truth, and a radiant possibility for all, but preach it as essential to salvation, and you must make the heart of the righteous sad. There is a Divine retribution for such as give sadness to the righteous. In the two verses which precede the text, the particular punishment of these false prophetesses is described. And the verse of my text adds that it is because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad. In the verse which follows the threat of God is repeated. All who effect this saddening of the saints shall suffer for their deed. This principle has worldwide application. Let ministers and teachers of religion beware lest God judge them for this disservice to His people. Oh, the delicacy of our office who speak Gods messages! Masters and mistresses need to watch their ways in this regard. Take heed lest inadvertently you make the heart of a righteous servant sad. Friends and acquaintances should be alert to prevent this evil. A thoughtless word may arouse the anger of God by creating sadness in His righteous ones. Restrain unkind speech. Parents may grieve right-doing children. Oh, pray that the judgment of God may never light on us because we have made the heart of the righteous sad! We do a godly deed when we cheer the righteous. Is not that plainly implied in this word of Jehovah which we are studying? We are never more clearly Gods fellow workers than when we hearten Gods people. Be sure you are a true minister of Christ if you encourage the righteous. They greatly need good cheer in these strenuous days. They have grievous burdens to bear. Covet to be an encourager! Strive to uplift the heart of Gods people. Do you ask how you can accomplish this grateful ministry? Speak cheering words. We can hearten the righteous by kindly acts. Eloquent deeds have a sonority which no eloquent speech can attain. A timely gift may fill a sad heart with melody sweeter than an angels song. Our very deportment may accomplish the service of God upon sad souls. There is a Gospel in some mens smile. Faces may be benedictions. Righteousness is the ultimate cure of sadness. Does not this text proclaim that gospel? Character is the final secret of gladness. They who hate evil and do righteousness are anointed with gladness above their fellows. The righteous have a right of gladness. This is especially true in the Christian dispensation. Christian righteousness is realised by faith in the crucified and risen Lord. Such as believe rejoice in the Lord, and this joy none can take from them. (D. T. Young.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 22. With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad] Here is the ministry of these false prophetesses, and its effects. They told lies: they would speak, and they had no truth to tell; and therefore spoke falsities. They “saddened the souls of the righteous, and strengthened the hands of the wicked.” They promised them life, and prevented them from repenting and turning from their sins.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With lies; diametrically opposing what my prophets told to my people in my name.
The heart; the soul, which in weak ones received some saddening impressions from your lies; in the strongest and wisest it was matter of grief, to see so many contradict the Lord to their own ruin.
The righteous; who keep my law, and have respect to all my precepts, though none can fulfil the law; the upright and just, against whom you do thunder out your woes; but I know better how to distribute my orders. I never commissioned, nor ever will commission, any prophet to sadden the heart of a just one, who needs and is fit for encouragement, or to threaten where they should promise.
By promising him life; your flatteries persuade the worst to think they are in a good way, need not repent and return, and so, their hearts hardened in wickedness, their hands do work it. God would convince and turn the wicked, but you confirm them that they return not from sin; you assure them, but it is with lying words, that they shall not die by pestilence, nor famine, nor sword, but live and prosper.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. ye have made . . . the righteoussadby lying predictions of calamities impending everthe godly.
strengthened . . . wicked(Jer 23:14).
heart of . . . righteous . .. hands of . . . wickedHeart is applied to therighteous because the terrors foretold penetrated to their inmostfeelings; hands, to the wicked because they were so hardenedas not only to despise God in their minds, but also to manifest it intheir whole acts, as if avowedly waging war with Him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad,…. By polluting the name of the Lord; by hunting and decoying souls into their destructive nets; and by threatening such who would not give heed to their superstitious rites, lying divinations, and false prophecies: so false teachers make the hearts of such sad, who, having seen the insufficiency of their own righteousness, trust in the righteousness of Christ, and are justified by it; by teaching such doctrines as depreciate the love and grace of God the Father; making his love dependent on the creature; his covenant conditional, and salvation to be by works, and not by grace; as detract from the person, offices, and grace of Christ; denying his deity and divine sonship; making light of his blood, and setting up man’s righteousness against his: and such as are injurious to the Spirit’s work; ascribing regeneration and conversion to man’s free will; giving such marks and signs of grace as are not to be found in any, and representing it as what may be entirely lost:
whom I have not made sad; nor would he have them made sad by others; neither by false prophets and their lies, nor by any other means; neither by anything within them, nor anything without them; not by any or all of their spiritual enemies: he would have them comforted; the covenant of grace, and the promises of it, are made for such a purpose; the Scriptures are written for this use; ordinances are designed for this end; ministers are appointed for this work; and this is the office of the divine Spirit; and the Son of God himself was sent on this account:
and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way; by repentance and reformation; and so far were the wicked from returning from it in this way, that they were emboldened in sin, and hardened in it; and were more frequent and open in the commission of it; and that through the prophecies of these false prophetesses; as wicked men are by the doctrines of false teachers: and particularly
by promising him life; or that he should live long, and enjoy much peace and prosperity in the land of Israel, and not be carried captive into Babylon; and so false teachers harden men in sin, by giving them hopes of eternal life, though they continue in their evil ways; or upon the foot of universal redemption, and upon their repentance, as the fruit of their own free will; and therefore take their swing of sin, as believing that Christ died for all men, and so for them, and therefore shall be saved, live as they will; and that it is in their power to repent when they please, and therefore procrastinate it to the last.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He explains in other words what we saw yesterday: but the repetition adds to the weight of the matter. The Prophet therefore shows that he had a just cause of complaint, because the women so deceived the people. He says now that they made the heart of the righteous sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked: the sentiment is the same, though the words are changed. He had previously said that they gave life to those devoted to death, and slew those destined to life; but now he shows more clearly the meaning of killing the soul that should not, or ought not to die, when the heart of the righteous is made sorrowful. By the righteous he means those whom the false prophets inspired with causeless terror. But why, it is asked, does he say that the righteous are grieved, since we have formerly taught that no others were deceived unless those who spontaneously throw themselves into the snares and traps of Satan? I answer, that the false prophets thundered so, and their lies were so spread about here and there as to involve the simple: for they scatter their threats so as to reach all men. Hence they wound weak consciences; as at this day when the lies of Satan fly about; by which true religion is corrupted, many simple ones are frightened, for they are destitute of judgment, and do not distinguish whether God threatens, or man vaunts himself rashly.
We see, then, how false prophets cause the righteous sorrow, when they suggest scruples, and, under the penalty of mortal sin, denounce first one thing and then another: then they deprive them of confidence in God’s favor, and strike them with various terrors, as we discern clearly in the papacy of this very day. Let us take that one point which is with them without controversy, that our confidence springs from our works, and hence that we cannot determine whether God is propitious to us or not., and thus they overthrow all assurance of faith. They retain, indeed, the name of faith, but meantime they wish wretched consciences to vacillate and be turned about with disquiet, since no one can know whether he can invoke God as a father. (31) That confidence which Paul says is common to all Christians, they call presumption and rashness. (Eph 3:12.) We see, then, how that point not only grieves the righteous, but disturbs innocent consciences: for a series of traditions is afterwards added, and the penalty of eternal death is always annexed. hence it happens that those who wish to worship God in any other way, when they are thus rendered spiritless, know not which way to turn: hence also they lose all fear of God, since no one can seriously reverence God unless he who feels him to be easily entreated, as we learn from Psa 130:6.
We now understand what the Holy Spirit means when he reproves the women because they made the heart of the righteous sad. It is added, but I was unwilling to grieve them. For God’s faithful servants often inspire terror, but only when necessary. For they cannot otherwise subdue those who exult in their lusts, and they cannot bring them to obedience unless they overcome them with fear. Hence even true prophets and evangelists cause pain, as Paul says: If I have caused you sorrow, I do not repent of it: for so I thought to do: for there is salutary grief. (2Co 7:8.) Besides, true prophets do not afflict men for nothing; they only cause anxiety in the minds of those whom God wishes to grieve: hence they do not fabricate the material for sorrow and pain in their own brain, but receive it from God’s mouth and the spirit of revelation. Hence the word righteous is used, and falsely is added, by which particle the severity which true prophets are often compelled to use is distinguished from the roughness, or rather savage rudeness, of false prophets. For as I have said, they frighten wretched consciences. But by what right? by transferring God’s power to themselves; just as at the present day the Pope with swelling cheeks thunders forth that himself and his throne are apostolic, and therefore infallible. Since, therefore, false prophets thus contend by fallacies, the simple are overcome by fear.
It is now added, that they strengthened the hands of the impious (literally, of the impious man in the singular). When the Prophet spoke of the righteous, he used the word heart: he now uses the word hand, and not without reason. For the false terrors in which the false prophets indulged, penetrate even to the intimate affections, and as each is affected by the fear of God, so he becomes afraid of those threats which he hears uttered in God’s name. We see, then, that it was said with very good reason that the mind of the righteous was sadly grieved; and now when he says that he had strengthened the hands of the impious, he means that audacity was added, so that not only the wicked always remain obstinate against God, but they break out in unbridled license, and hesitate not openly to violate God’s law: for strengthening the hands is more than grieving the mind. For it may and it does happen, that a man may swell with pride and contempt of God, and yet modesty may hinder him from basely contaminating himself with many crimes. But when the hands themselves are engaged in licentiousness, all evils are heaped together. Now, therefore, we understand the reason of this difference. In fine, Ezekiel means that the impious had been hardened by the blandishments of these women, so as not only to despise God in their minds, but to bear witness through their whole life, that they were openly and confessedly erecting the standard of war against God. In this sense, then, he says, that they had strengthened the hands of the impious.
He adds, that he should not be converted. Here he more clearly defines how those souls which were devoted to death (32) were kept alive, since such confidence was set before them as to lull and stupefy their consciences. He does not say, then, that the hands of the impious were strengthened, as in a conspiracy of the wicked one often assists another, as if they mutually bound their hands together. But the Prophet now speaks in another sense, namely, that these women so hardened the wicked that they went on securely in their wickedness, and made a laughing-stock of God and his law. You have strengthened the hands that they should not be converted: but how? by affording them life. Hence we gather that men cannot be humbled otherwise than by placing death before them, because all willingly indulge themselves, and hypocrisy is so ingrained in us by natural corruption, that every one readily persuades himself that all things will turn out well. Unless, therefore, death is presented before our eyes, and God himself appears as a judge to destroy us, we remain like ourselves, and proceed to still greater audacity. The Prophet signifies this when he says, that by giving life to the impious the false prophets strengthened their hands, and opposed their repentance altogether. How so? When the sinner thinks God propitious to him, he is not anxious about reconciliation, but abuses God’s forbearance, and is daily rendered bolder, until at last he puts off all sense of fear. Hence this is the true preparation for conversion, when the sinner is slain; that is, acknowledges himself liable to the judgment of God, and takes a formidable view of his wrath. When, therefore, he sees himself lost, then he begins to think of conversion; but when men sleep over their sins, as I have said, they persist till they arrive at constant apathy, as Paul says when he remarks that they have no longer any sense of sorrow. (Eph 4:19.)
(31) The modern state of this controversy is fully explained in Ward’s “Ideal of the Christian Church.” He utterly rejects Calvin’s theory, and then very consistently joins the Church of Rome.
(32) The Latin edition of 1565 has “motu:” the true reading is “ morte.” The French version is correct in rendering it by “ perdition.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
22. By promising him life Rather, he should live. (Compare Eze 18:9; Eze 18:17; Ezekiel 33.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Because with lies you have grieved the heart of the righteous whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way and be saved alive. Therefore you will no more see vanity, nor divine divinations, and I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you will know that I am Yahweh.”
The prophetesses had done the very opposite of the purpose intended for them. Instead of making the righteous glad and the wicked aware of their sins, they had by their lies grieved the hearts of those Whom Yahweh wished to make happy, and had strengthened the wicked in their sins, removing from them the fear of temporal judgment. Thus the wicked continued happily on in their wicked ways, instead of repenting and finding life, and the righteous grieved when they should not have needed to.
This was why Yahweh would bring His judgment of death on the prophetesses, so that they could no longer see what was vain and empty and divine what was false, to the hurt in the end of both righteous and wicked. So were they, and we, discovering why God’s judgment on Jerusalem was going to fulfil His purposes and was in line with His justice and holiness. Then all would know that He really is Yahweh, the holy and living God Who acts.
There is little difference between these prophetesses and those who in our day go to the occult to receive advice, discover the future and contact the dead, and indeed even in some cases to bring harm on others. These practises are equally condemned.
So God was building up a picture as to why Jerusalem had to be destroyed. He had outlined the detail of the different forms of idol worship going on in Jerusalem (Eze 8:5-18) and its surrounds (Eze 6:1-7), which involved both priesthood (Eze 8:16) and laity, with its resulting descent into all kinds of wickedness, He had described the evil ways of the civil leaders, with the resulting violence (Eze 11:1-13), and now He had demonstrated the evil of the false prophets, and the wicked practises of the prophetesses. The whole city was a mass of wickedness, ripe for judgment.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 13:22 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:
Ver. 22. Because with lies ye have made the heart of my people sad. ] False doctrines and wicked practices grieve the hearts of the godly, and strengthen the hands of the ungodly, as these unhappy times do abundantly evince. The times truly are good (and in many respects better than they have been), but the days are evil.
By promising him life.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the righteous = a righteous one.
the wicked = a lawless one. Hebrew. rasha. App-44.
his wicked way = his wrong way. Heb raa. App-44.
by . . . life. Here the Figures in Eze 13:20 are translated.
life. Continuance in life: i.e. escape from the judgments announced by Jehovah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
with lies: Eze 9:4, Jer 4:10, Jer 14:13-17, Jer 23:9, Jer 23:14, Lam 2:11-14
and strengthened: Jer 23:14, Jer 27:14-17, Jer 28:16, Jer 29:32
by promising him life: or, that I should save his life, Heb. by quickening him. Eze 13:16, Gen 3:4, Gen 3:5, Jer 6:14, Jer 8:11, Jer 23:17, 2Pe 2:18, 2Pe 2:19
Reciprocal: Deu 29:19 – that he bless 1Sa 23:16 – strengthened 1Ki 13:18 – But 1Ki 22:6 – Go up 2Ch 18:5 – Go up Neh 6:12 – I perceived Job 4:3 – and thou hast Pro 12:22 – Lying Pro 19:9 – and Pro 24:24 – that Isa 5:18 – draw Isa 9:15 – the prophet Isa 28:15 – we have made Isa 57:11 – that thou Jer 18:11 – return Jer 20:6 – thy friends Jer 23:22 – then Jer 28:15 – The Lord Jer 29:31 – Because Lam 2:14 – they have Eze 7:13 – neither Eze 13:6 – made Eze 13:18 – will ye save Eze 13:19 – to slay Eze 22:28 – seeing Amo 2:4 – and their Mic 2:11 – a man Mic 3:6 – night Zec 10:2 – the diviners Mat 7:15 – false Rom 14:15 – thy brother 2Co 11:15 – whose
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 13:22. In all situations there will be some righteous persons who try to resist the influence of false teachers. Such persons will anger the would-be deceiver and it will cause him to threaten some severe calamity to come upon them and in this way make their heart sad. But the wicked ones who deserve to be condemned will be encouraged by the false prophets to look for peace, and this will influence them to feel that nothing is wrong with their conduct and the result will be that they will not reform. (See the note at 2Ki 22:17, volume 2 of this Commentary.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the {n} 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:
(n) By threatening them that were godly, and upholding the wicked.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
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. [Note: For another study of this passage, see W. H. Brownlee, "Exorcising the Souls from Ezekiel xiii, 17-23," Journal of Biblical Literature 69 (1950):367-73.]
"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 (Eze 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 (Eze 13:18). They are paid for what they do, just as the ancient women were (Eze 13:19), and their advice is always dangerous (Eze 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,’ Eze 13:23) because their predictions are fabrications made up from their own minds (Eze 13:17), just as was done in Ezekiel’s time." [Note: Stuart, p. 124.]