Ezekiel 13:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Simmachus expresses this in a more straightforward manner: Like foxes among the ruins, your prophets, O Israel, failed to enter the breaches or establish defenses for the children of Israel, so they could stand firm in the Lord’s day of judgment. In other words, your prophets, O Israel, resembled foxes inhabiting fallen structures. Just as these foxes do not block the entrances to the ruins, allowing anyone to come and go freely, your prophets observed the negligence of the people without obstructing their path to immorality. They did not provide the guidance of righteous words to help the people prevail against their adversaries in the day of wrath; instead, they exploited the vulnerabilities of the people for their own gain.

To act in defiance means to stand against any authority that operates outside the bounds of lawful reason. However, on the day of the Lord, we engage in the battle for the house of Israel, resisting the barriers that stand unjustly, as we advocate for the innocent faithful in their struggle against the wrongs inflicted by the wicked.