Ezekiel 13:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Its foundations will be exposed, leading to its demise, and there will be devastation within it, and you shall recognize that I am the Lord. I will direct My wrath against the wall and against those who have adorned it with false coverings. I will declare to you, 'There is no wall, nor those who cover it,' the prophets of Israel who claim to prophesy peace to Jerusalem, while there is none, says the Lord God.

The prophets of Israel will not be gathered among the people of God or be counted within the house of Israel, nor enter the promised land, for they have deceived my people instead of calling them to true repentance and turning away from wickedness. They spoke of peace and prosperity, even as it is written elsewhere, ‘Peace, peace,’ where is the peace? Therefore, through the commandments of the law and the exhortations of the holy prophets, God metaphorically constructed a barrier—to safeguard them from wild beasts and enemy attacks. When they turned to God, they were encircled as if by this protective wall. Yet the false prophets repeatedly assured them of peace, emphasizing their deception. The wall in question, termed thiphel, was covered by these false prophets with unworthy materials, as Simmachus translates it—pure clay without any strengthening admixture, leading to its weakness. According to the translations of the LXX and Theodotion, it was daubed with folly, while Aquila rendered thaphel as without flavor, illustrating how food without seasoning is tasteless, much like clay without a binding component lacks strength.

Thus, declare to those who offer empty promises and illusory help that this wall and barrier will indeed fall. I will send severe rains, symbolizing ferocious enemies—the Babylonians and Chaldeans—and hailstones descending from above, all expressed in metaphor. A sudden whirlwind will topple and annihilate the feeble wall, and afterward, they will question the false prophets: ‘Where is the sealant you used, and where is the aid you assured?’ What is stated regarding the false prophets also pertains to heretics, for all their fabrications will crumble under God’s wrath, and the structure of their harmful doctrines, lacking the seasoning of the Holy Spirit, will collapse into dust. The barrier will be leveled completely, and both the false prophets and the people who were deceived will face destruction. After executing His wrath, He will declare to them: there is no longer a wall, meaning there is no protection for you, and those who offered false coverings will be proven worthless. Then you shall know with certainty that I am the Lord.

To identify those who cover the wall, consider the prophets of Israel—the false prophets who proclaim visions of peace concerning Jerusalem—they are the architects of sin, negligence, and folly. For there will be no peace, says the Lord, because He did not send or speak to them. In the LXX translation, it states that no strongholds were found within their fabrications, referring to the bonds of stones or wooden braces that would reinforce the walls. The phrase ‘he built the wall’ is much directed at the people of Israel who placed their confidence in unfounded hopes, either gleaned from Egypt or false assurances of peace.

Those who apply the anointing to the wall believe that this act will secure it. Thus, declare to them that the wall will collapse and be brought to ruin. There will come a torrential storm, and I will strike their walls with stones, leading to their downfall; the wind that supports this wall will scatter it. The wall shall indeed crumble. The Lord illustrated these truths metaphorically, as if speaking of a wall, to represent the invasion of foes. He indicated that the king and the leaders serve as the walls, binding the people together like the supports of a building. In this analogy, He depicted the Chaldeans as the driving storm, the stones, and the wind that assembles them. Therefore, when the wall collapses, the Lord asserts, will they not ask you, "Where is your anointing, where is your assurance?" When it becomes evident that your prophecies are untrue, and in place of the anticipated peace, they experience conflict, suffering, and captivity, will they not question you, "Where are your promises of peace?" Thus, the Lord, reiterating His message with greater clarity, following His warnings of invading arrows, a cloud of stones, and the ruin of the poorly constructed wall, rebukes those who call the good news false and presents His words more explicitly for they say: