Ezekiel 13:21
I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
I will also tear off your veils

God would expose the false prophetesses who used symbolic acts and deceptive promises to mislead the people. Their practices gave false security to those facing coming judgment.

Isa 25:7 On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud…
Nam 3:5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts.…
Isa 47:2-3 Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil;…

and deliver My people from your hands,

The Lord would remove His people from the influence of those who profited from fear, superstition, and lies. Though Judah had embraced deception, God remained determined to judge the deceivers and preserve those who belonged to Him.

Ezk 34:10 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against…
Jer 23:1-2 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter…
Isa 49:25 Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives…

so that they will no longer be prey in your hands.

The false prophetesses treated vulnerable people as objects to exploit, strengthening the wicked while discouraging the righteous. God would end their power to ensnare and manipulate the nation.

Ezk 34:22 I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey.…
Ezk 34:28 They will no longer be prey for the nations…
Zep 3:13 The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies,…

Then you will know that I am the LORD.

The judgment of the false prophetesses would demonstrate that the Lord alone speaks truth and rules over Israel. Their exposure would confirm the certainty of His word and the reality of His authority.

Ezk 6:7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know…
Exo 7:5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD,…
Ezk 36:23 I will show the holiness of My great name,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God during the Babylonian exile, tasked with delivering God's messages to the Israelites.

2. False Prophets
Individuals in Israel who claimed to speak for God but led the people astray with lies and deceit.

3. Veils
Symbolic of the deceptive practices used by false prophets to ensnare and manipulate the people.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who reveals His power and authority through judgment and deliverance.

5. The Israelites
God's chosen people, who were often led astray by false teachings but are promised deliverance by God.
Teaching Points
Discernment in Spiritual Leadership
Believers must be vigilant and discerning about who they follow and listen to, ensuring that teachings align with Scripture.

God's Sovereignty and Justice
God is sovereign and will ultimately expose deceit and deliver His people from falsehood, affirming His justice and authority.

The Danger of Deception
False teachings can lead believers astray, making it crucial to remain grounded in the truth of God's Word.

The Assurance of Deliverance
God's promise to deliver His people from deception is a source of hope and assurance for believers facing spiritual challenges.

Knowing God Through His Actions
God's interventions in history, such as delivering His people from false prophets, reveal His character and deepen our understanding of Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we identify false prophets or teachers in today's context, and what steps can we take to protect ourselves from their influence?

2. In what ways does God's promise to "tear off your veils" demonstrate His commitment to truth and justice?

3. How does the theme of deliverance in Ezekiel 13:21 relate to the broader account of God's salvation plan throughout the Bible?

4. What practical measures can we implement in our daily lives to ensure we are not led astray by deceptive teachings?

5. How does understanding God's actions in Ezekiel 13:21 enhance our relationship with Him and our trust in His sovereignty?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jeremiah 23
This chapter also addresses false prophets and their misleading messages, emphasizing God's disapproval and the consequences of their deceit.

Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus warns about false prophets, describing them as wolves in sheep's clothing, and emphasizes the importance of discerning their true nature by their fruits.

2 Peter 2:1-3
Peter warns the early church about false teachers who will introduce destructive heresies, similar to the false prophets in Ezekiel's time.
Effeminate ReligionW. Jones Ezekiel 13:17-23
False ProphetessesJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 13:17-23
False Prophetesses, Their Characteristics and CondemnationW. Jones Ezekiel 13:17-23
People
Ezekiel
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Deliver, Delivered, Fall, Free, Hands, Hunted, Kerchiefs, Longer, Pads, Parted, Power, Prey, Save, Tear, Torn, Veils, Violently
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 13:21

     5195   veil

Ezekiel 13:1-23

     7760   preachers, responsibilities

Ezekiel 13:17-23

     5745   women
     8807   profanity

Ezekiel 13:20-21

     5457   power, human

Library
That the Ruler Should not Set his Heart on Pleasing Men, and yet Should Give Heed to what Ought to Please Them.
Meanwhile it is also necessary for the ruler to keep wary watch, lest the lust of pleasing men assail him; lest, when he studiously penetrates the things that are within, and providently supplies the things that are without, he seek to be beloved of those that are under him more than truth; lest, while, supported by his good deeds, he seems not to belong to the world, self-love estrange him from his Maker. For he is the Redeemer's enemy who through the good works which he does covets being loved
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Of the Character of the Unregenerate.
Ephes. ii. 1, 2. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. AMONG all the various trusts which men can repose in each other, hardly any appears to be more solemn and tremendous, than the direction of their sacred time, and especially of those hours which they spend in the exercise of public devotion.
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

That the Ruler Should be Discreet in Keeping Silence, Profitable in Speech.
The ruler should be discreet in keeping silence, profitable in speech; lest he either utter what ought to be suppressed or suppress what he ought to utter. For, as incautious speaking leads into error, so indiscreet silence leaves in error those who might have been instructed. For often improvident rulers, fearing to lose human favour, shrink timidly from speaking freely the things that are right; and, according to the voice of the Truth (Joh. x. 12), serve unto the custody of the flock by no means
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

"Now the End of the Commandment," &C.
1 Tim. i. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment," &c. We come now, as was proposed, to observe, Thirdly,(474) That faith unfeigned is the only thing which gives the answer of a good conscience towards God. Conscience, in general, is nothing else but a practical knowledge of the rule a man should walk by, and of himself in reference to that rule. It is the laying down a man's state, and condition, and actions beside the rule of God's word, or the principles of nature's light. It is the chief piece
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Purity and Peace in the Present Lord
PHILIPPIANS iv. 1-9 Euodia and Syntyche--Conditions to unanimity--Great uses of small occasions--Connexion to the paragraphs--The fortress and the sentinel--A golden chain of truths--Joy in the Lord--Yieldingness--Prayer in everything--Activities of a heart at rest Ver. 1. +So, my brethren beloved and longed for+, missed indeed, at this long distance from you, +my joy and crown+ of victory (stephanos), +thus+, as having such certainties and such aims, with such a Saviour, and looking for such
Handley C. G. Moule—Philippian Studies

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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