Ezekiel 13:18

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?

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
say	וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ ve.'a.mar.Ta	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
saith	אָמַ֣ר 'a.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Lord	אֲדֹנָ֣י 'a.do.Nai	H136	the Lord (used as a proper name of God only) · proper noun, a title
GOD	יְהוִ֗ה Yah.weh	H3069	YHWH · proper noun, a title
Woe	הוֹי֩ hO	H1945	oh! · interjection
sew	לִֽמְתַפְּר֨וֹת lim.ta.pe.Rot	H8609	to sew · preposition + verb, piel active participle, feminine plural absolute
pillows	כְּסָת֜וֹת ke.sa.Tot	H3704	a cushion or pillow (as covering a seat or bed) · noun, common feminine plural absolute
armholes	אַצִּילֵ֣י 'a.tzi.Lei	H679	a joint of the hand (i.e. knuckle) · noun, common masculine plural construct
make	וְעֹשׂ֧וֹת ve.'o.Sot	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, feminine plural absolute
kerchiefs	הַמִּסְפָּח֛וֹת ha.mis.pa.Chot	H4555	a veil (as spread out) · definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
head	רֹ֥אשׁ rosh	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine singular construct
stature	קוֹמָ֖ה ko.Mah	H6967	height · noun, common feminine singular absolute
hunt	לְצוֹדֵ֣ד le.tzo.Ded	H6679	to lie alongside (i.e. in wait) · preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct
souls	נְפָשׁ֑וֹת ne.fa.Shot	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine plural absolute
hunt	תְּצוֹדֵ֣דְנָה te.tzo.De.de.nah	H6679	to lie alongside (i.e. in wait) · verb, piel imperfect, 2nd person feminine plural
souls	הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ ha.ne.fa.shOt	H5315	properly · interrogative particle + noun, common feminine plural absolute
people	לְעַמִּ֔י le.'a.Mi	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
save	תְחַיֶּֽינָה te.chai.Yei.nah	H2421	to live · verb, piel imperfect, 2nd person feminine plural
souls	וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת u.ne.fa.Shot	H5315	properly · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural absolute
alive	חָיָה châyâh	H2421	to live

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices…
Ezekiel 13:20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear th…
Jeremiah 6:14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Ezekiel 22:25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken…
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having it…
Jeremiah 4:10 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reach…
Ezekiel 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it…
Ezekiel 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 13:17–end

As God has promised that when he pours out his Spirit upon his people both their sons and their daughters shall prophesy, so the devil, when he acts as a spirit of lies and falsehood, is so in the mouth not only of false prophets, but of false prophetesses too, and those are the deceivers whom the prophet is here directed to prophesy against; for they are not such despicable enemies to God's truths as deserve not to be taken notice of, nor yet will either the weakness of their sex excuse their sin or the tenderness and respect that are owing to it exempt them from the reproaches and threatenings of the word of God. No: Son of man, set they face against the daughters of thy people, Eze 13:17.…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 13:18

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 (Eze 13:10), so the women are said to sew pillows, &c., both alike typifying the "peace" they promised the impenitent. make kerchiefs--magical veils, which they put over the heads of those consulting them, as if to fit them for receiving a re…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 13:18

That 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 seems to point out that state of softness and effeminacy to which the predictions of those false prophetesses allured the inhabitants of Jerusalem. A careless voluptuous life is that which is here particularly reprehended. And make kerchiefs -…

The Church Fathers

Allow me, O Christ, to break all pillows made for the luxury of souls.
— Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:4

When the work of the speaker is deployed in licentious talk, a veil is placed on the head of everyone regardless of age, not just the children and the young but also the elderly.
— Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:3

The Word of God must proclaim what is for the salvation of the hearer, what exhorts him to continence, to the practice of sensible actions, to all the things to which the person who is assiduous in works and not pleasures must apply himself in order to be able to obtain what God has promised.
— Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 3:3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Bolster — The Hebrew word kebir, rendered “pillow” in 1 Sam. 19:13, 16, but in Revised Version marg. “quilt” or “network,” probably means some counterpane or veil intended to protect the head of the sleeper. A…
Kerchief — Mentioned only Ezek. 13:18, 21, as an article of apparel or ornament applied to the head of the idolatrous women of Israel. The precise meaning of the word is uncertain. It appears to have been a…
Dress · Kerchiefs — Kerchiefs
Pillow · .Of false teachers — .Of false teachers

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ezekiel 13:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 13:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 13:18

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 13:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezekiel 13:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 13:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 13:18

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 13:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Ezekiel 13:18

John Calvin on Ezekiel 13:17-18

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 13:17-19

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 13:17-19

Rashi on Ezekiel 13:18