Ezekiel 13:14-23

13:14 I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, ¹  and you will know that I am the Lord. 13:15 I will vent my rage against the wall, and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you, “The wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no more – 13:16 those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem ²  and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the sovereign Lord.’

13:17 “As for you, son of man, turn toward ³  the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. ⁴  Prophesy against them 13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands ⁵  on all their wrists ⁶  and make headbands ⁷  for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! ⁸  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 ⁹  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 ¹⁰  that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives ¹¹  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; ¹²  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 ¹³  will know that I am the Lord.’”

Jude 1:12-19

1:12 These men are ¹⁴  dangerous reefs ¹⁵  at your love feasts, ¹⁶  feasting without reverence, ¹⁷  feeding only themselves. ¹⁸  They are ¹⁹  waterless ²⁰  clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit ²¹  – twice dead, ²²  uprooted; 1:13 wild sea waves, ²³  spewing out the foam of ²⁴  their shame; ²⁵  wayward stars ²⁶  for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness ²⁷  have been reserved.

1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, ²⁸  even prophesied of them, ²⁹  saying, “Look! The Lord is coming ³⁰  with thousands and thousands ³¹  of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on ³²  all, and to convict every person ³³  of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds ³⁴  that they have committed, ³⁵  and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ³⁶  1:16 These people are grumblers and ³⁷  fault-finders who go ³⁸  wherever their desires lead them, ³⁹  and they give bombastic speeches, ⁴⁰  enchanting folks ⁴¹  for their own gain. ⁴² 

Exhortation to the Faithful

1:17 But you, dear friends – recall the predictions ⁴³  foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴⁴  1:18 For they said to you, “In the end time there will come ⁴⁵  scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires.” ⁴⁶  1:19 These people are divisive, ⁴⁷  worldly, ⁴⁸  devoid of the Spirit. ⁴⁹ 

Jude 1:2

1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you! ⁵⁰ 

Jude 1:9

1:9 But even ⁵¹  when Michael the archangel ⁵²  was arguing with the devil and debating with him ⁵³  concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”

[13:14]  ¹ tn Or “within it,” referring to the city of Jerusalem.

[13:16]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:17]  ³ tn Heb “set your face against.”

[13:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “from their heart.”

[13:18]  ⁵ sn The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:413.

[13:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.

[13:18]  ⁷ 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.

[13:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).

[13:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

[13:20]  ¹⁰ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[13:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

[13:21]  ¹² tn Heb “from your hand(s).” This refers to their power over the people.

[13:23]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.

[1:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “these are the men who are.”

[1:12]  ¹⁵ tn Though σπιλάδες (spilades) is frequently translated “blemishes” or “stains,” such is actually a translation of the Greek word σπίλοι (spiloi). The two words are quite similar, especially in their root or lexical forms (σπιλάς [spila"] and σπίλος [spilos] respectively). Some scholars have suggested that σπιλάδες in this context means the same thing as σπίλοι. But such could be the case only by a stretch of the imagination (see BDAG 938 s.v. σπιλάς for discussion). Others suggest that Jude’s spelling was in error (which also is doubtful). One reason for the tension is that in the parallel passage, 2 Pet 2:13, the term used is indeed σπίλος. And if either Jude used 2 Peter or 2 Peter used Jude, one would expect to see the same word. Jude, however, may have changed the wording for the sake of a subtle wordplay. The word σπιλάς was often used of a mere rock, though it normally was associated with a rock along the shore or one jutting out in the water. Thus, the false teachers would appear as “rocks” – as pillars in the community (cf. Matt 16:18; Gal 2:9), when in reality if a believer got too close to them his faith would get shipwrecked. Some suggest that σπιλάδες here means “hidden rocks.” Though this meaning is attested for the word, it is inappropriate in this context, since these false teachers are anything but hidden. They are dangerous because undiscerning folks get close to them, thinking they are rocks and pillars, when they are really dangerous reefs.

[1:12]  ¹⁶ tc Several witnesses (A C^vid 1243 1846 al), influenced by the parallel in 2 Pet 2:13, read ἀπάταις (apatai", “deceptions”) for ἀγάπαις (agapai", “love-feasts”) in v. 12. However, ἀγάπαις has much stronger and earlier support and should therefore be considered original.

[1:12]  ¹⁷ tn Or “fearlessly.” The term in this context, however, is decidedly negative. The implication is that these false teachers ate the Lord’s Supper without regarding the sanctity of the meal. Cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22.

[1:12]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “shepherding themselves.” The verb ποιμαίνω (poimainw) means “shepherd, nurture [the flock].” But these men, rather than tending to the flock of God, nurture only themselves. They thus fall under the condemnation Paul uttered when writing to the Corinthians: “For when it comes time to eat [the Lord’s Supper,] each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor 11:21). Above all, the love-feast was intended to be a shared meal in which all ate and all felt welcome.

[1:12]  ¹⁹ tn “They are” is not in Greek, but resumes the thought begun at the front of v. 12. There is no period before “They are.” English usage requires breaking this into more than one sentence.

[1:12]  ²⁰ tn Cf. 2 Pet 2:17. Jude’s emphasis is slightly different (instead of waterless springs, they are waterless clouds).

[1:12]  ²¹ sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.

[1:12]  ²² tn Grk “having died twice.”

[1:13]  ²³ tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”

[1:13]  ²⁴ tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”

[1:13]  ²⁵ tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.

[1:13]  ²⁶ sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.

[1:13]  ²⁷ tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.

[1:14]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”

[1:14]  ²⁹ tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).

[1:14]  ³⁰ tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.

[1:14]  ³¹ tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.

[1:15]  ³² tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).

[1:15]  ³³ tn Or “soul.”

[1:15]  ³⁴ tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.

[1:15]  ³⁵ tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.

[1:15]  ³⁶ sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.

[1:16]  ³⁷ tn “And” is not in Greek, but is supplied for the sake of English style.

[1:16]  ³⁸ tn Or “going.” Though the participle is anarthrous, so also is the subject. Thus, the participle could be either adverbial or adjectival.

[1:16]  ³⁹ tn Grk “(who go/going) according to their own lusts.”

[1:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and their mouth speaks bombastic things.”

[1:16]  ⁴¹ sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.

[1:16]  ⁴² tn Or “to their own advantage.”

[1:17]  ⁴³ tn Grk “words.” In conjunction with προεῖπον (proeipon), however, the meaning of the construction is that the apostles uttered prophecies.

[1:17]  ⁴⁴ sn This verse parallels 2 Pet 3:2 both conceptually and in much of the verbiage. There is one important difference, however: In 2 Pet 3:2 the prophets and apostles speak; here, just the apostles speak. This makes good sense if Jude is using 2 Peter as his main source and is urging his readers to go back to the authoritative writings, both OT and now especially NT.

[1:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “be.”

[1:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “going according to their own desires of ungodliness.”

[1:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “these are the ones who cause divisions.”

[1:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “natural,” that is, living on the level of instincts, not on a spiritual level (the same word occurs in 1 Cor 2:14 as a description of nonbelievers).

[1:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “not having [the] Spirit.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

[1:9]  ⁵¹ tn The word “even” is not in Greek; it is implied by the height of the contrast.

[1:9]  ⁵² sn According to Jewish intertestamental literature (such as 1 En. 20), Michael was one of seven archangels.

[1:9]  ⁵³ tn The sentence structure is a bit different in Greek. Literally it reads: “But Michael the archangel, when arguing with the devil and disputing.”