Ezekiel 13:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prophets of Israel can be likened to foxes, raiding the henhouses, as depicted by Aquila and the Seventy, while Symmachus and Theodotion illustrate them ensconced amid the ruins. They fail to oppose adversaries or defend the walls safeguarding the house of Israel. We see that Aaron intervened to halt the consuming fire that threatened Israel, standing resolutely to protect the people (Numbers 16). Jeremiah, too, is instructed not to resist the Lord, for persistent intercession cannot forestall His wrath (Jeremiah 1). Just as a wall stands firm against an enemy's advance, God’s decree can be met with the petitions of the faithful.

For this reason, it is said to Moses, “Leave Me, and I will annihilate this people” (Exodus 32:10). Here, the invitation to “Leave Me” indicates that He allows for resistance. Yet, in the conflict of the Lord’s day, they cannot intervene to shield the people through prayer or challenge God’s intentions with their appeals. Thus, the prophets perceive illusions, utter falsehoods, and claim divine commissioning without God’s authorization, perpetuating their errors, and seeking to confirm their deceit as the Lord's message.

In the broader context, heretics, through their subtlety, are akin to foxes, as the Savior remarked, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests” (Matthew 8:20). Concerning Herod, it is noted: “You shall call that fox a fox” (Luke 13:32). These cunning foxes mislead the innocent and ravage the vineyard, as Solomon cautioned: “Take us the little foxes that spoil the vines” (Song of Solomon 2:15). The psalm warns that those ensnared in their deception will be cast into the depths, delivered into the hands of instruments, and become part of the fox (Psalm 62:10-11).

These prophets, akin to foxes, did not stand firm and are unworthy of hearing Peter’s declaration: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). They do not resemble Moses, to whom it was said, “You shall stand with Me” (Deuteronomy 5:31), nor the one who seeks to “set my feet upon the rock” (Psalm 39:3). They failed to stand upon the firmament, of which it is proclaimed in Psalm 18, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

They have gathered the foolish, taking advantage of their simplicity, akin to cattle approaching the house of God. Thus, it is said, they amassed flocks against the house of Israel. They did not rise up nor could they assist others; their actions are pervasive with deceit. The subsequent phrase, “and they began to rebuild,” indicates their aspirations to ascend but their failure to achieve what they desire, leading to the question: "Have you not seen false visions, and have you not voiced empty prophecies?" The phrase “and you said, ‘The Lord says,’ when I did not say,” is absent from the LXX.