Text -- Ezekiel 13:18-23 (NET)

13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands on all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 13:19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies! 13:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds. 13:21 I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 13:22 This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life. 13:23 Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Eze 13:18

¹ sn The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:413.

² tn Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.

³ tn The Hebrew term occurs in the Bible only here and in v. 21. It has also been understood as a veil or type of head covering. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:414) suggests that given the context of magical devices, the expected parallel to the magical arm bands, and the meaning of this Hebrew root (סָפַח [safakh, “to attach” or “join”]), it may refer to headbands or necklaces on which magical amulets were worn.

⁴ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).

NET Notes: Eze 13:19

¹ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

NET Notes: Eze 13:20

¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

² tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

NET Notes: Eze 13:21

¹ tn Heb “from your hand(s).” This refers to their power over the people.

NET Notes: Eze 13:23

¹ tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.