They failed to speak truth, offering false hope and distraction rather than turning Israel to repentance.
In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel declares, “O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins” (v.4). Ezekiel is living during the time of the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BC), a period when many in Israel found themselves displaced from their homeland. According to this verse, the prophets who should have guided the people with wisdom and truth instead prowled about like foxes, which were known to stir up destruction among ancient ruins. This imagery evokes a sense of cunning and stealth, suggesting that their messages were driven by deceit rather than by faithful communication of the LORD’s will.
When Ezekiel states “your prophets have been like foxes among ruins” (v.4), he underscores the ways in which these supposed messengers only served their own purposes. Historically, foxes living in desert ruins would burrow into cracks, widen the devastation, and disrupt the foundation. These prophets, similarly, neglected Israel’s spiritual foundation, leaving the people more vulnerable. Foxes were also opportunistic, seizing whatever they could find to feed themselves. Like them, these prophets took advantage of Israel’s desperate situation without pointing to repentance or genuine hope.
In tying this verse to broader biblical teaching, Jesus likewise warns about leaders who deceive God’s people, referring to them as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in Matthew 7:15. Such parallels highlight the widespread biblical theme that false teachers can exist both in Ezekiel’s day and in later generations. Ezekiel, called by God in the sixth century BC, fits into Israel’s prophetic timeline after the prophet Jeremiah and before the restoration period of Ezra and Nehemiah. By calling out these misleading prophets, he invites the people to discern truth and follow the genuine word of the LORD.
These prophets lived among the devastated land of Israel, which sits in the ancient Near East on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their role should have been to rebuild and warn, but as “foxes among ruins” (v.4), they contributed to Israel’s spiritual collapse instead of guiding the people back to God.
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Ezekiel 13:4 meaning
In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel declares, “O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins” (v.4). Ezekiel is living during the time of the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BC), a period when many in Israel found themselves displaced from their homeland. According to this verse, the prophets who should have guided the people with wisdom and truth instead prowled about like foxes, which were known to stir up destruction among ancient ruins. This imagery evokes a sense of cunning and stealth, suggesting that their messages were driven by deceit rather than by faithful communication of the LORD’s will.
When Ezekiel states “your prophets have been like foxes among ruins” (v.4), he underscores the ways in which these supposed messengers only served their own purposes. Historically, foxes living in desert ruins would burrow into cracks, widen the devastation, and disrupt the foundation. These prophets, similarly, neglected Israel’s spiritual foundation, leaving the people more vulnerable. Foxes were also opportunistic, seizing whatever they could find to feed themselves. Like them, these prophets took advantage of Israel’s desperate situation without pointing to repentance or genuine hope.
In tying this verse to broader biblical teaching, Jesus likewise warns about leaders who deceive God’s people, referring to them as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in Matthew 7:15. Such parallels highlight the widespread biblical theme that false teachers can exist both in Ezekiel’s day and in later generations. Ezekiel, called by God in the sixth century BC, fits into Israel’s prophetic timeline after the prophet Jeremiah and before the restoration period of Ezra and Nehemiah. By calling out these misleading prophets, he invites the people to discern truth and follow the genuine word of the LORD.
These prophets lived among the devastated land of Israel, which sits in the ancient Near East on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their role should have been to rebuild and warn, but as “foxes among ruins” (v.4), they contributed to Israel’s spiritual collapse instead of guiding the people back to God.