| The Deceived Prophet |
When reading the Bible, one must be careful not to take a verse out ofcontext and place a wrong meaning on it. One must also be aware of errors in interpretationor in faulty wording by the translators. One must also take care in trying to fit somethingfrom an ancient culture into his own of today. Such are the dangers when one reads Ezekiel14: 9.
In many versions of the Bible, it is stated that God deceives a prophet,then punishes him for stating a false prophecy. Here is a passage which can be picked outby Bible critics to discredit God. If God is such a loving Being in whom many Christianshave great faith, why would He be so cruel to His prophets?
Is that really what this passage says? If so, many Christians have beendeluded by inconsistency in the Bible. If not, how can this passage be justified?
In this essay, I shall show that there has been both taking out of contextand translating in an unclear manner. The basic version used is the King James Version. Irefer to seven other versions where the translation or explanation is not quite the same.These are the only versions in our family library that give clues within the verse orexplanation to a different interpretation. Here is an example of where having access toseveral versions is helpful. With the help of the Holy Spirit, one can discern the truemeaning of the verse.
The verse is quoted from each of these eight versions, followed by whatappears to be said. Then I shall attempt to place the verse into its intended context.
| Versions Compared |
| AB | Amplified Bible | LB | Living Bible |
| EBR | The Emphasized Bible | NAB | New American Bible |
| IV | Inspired Version | NBV | New Berkeley Version |
| KJV | King James Version | SNB | Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible |
| Ezekiel14: 9 |
| AB | [The prophet has not been granted permission to give an answer to thehypocritical inquirer] but if the prophet does give the man the answer he desires [thusallowing himself to be a party to the inquirer's sin], I the Lord will see to it that theprophet is deceived in his answer, and I will stretch out My hand against him, and willdestroy him from the midst of My people Israel. It is clear that God has not told the prophet to answer the hypocrite. If theprophet does so, he places himself in a position of guilt along with the inquirer. God willcause that a false answer be given. Then God will take action against that prophet. |
| EBR | < Yea // the prophet himself // when he suffereth himself to be deceived, and speaketha word, // I, Yahweh // have suffereth that prophet to be deceived > Then will I stretchforth my hand against him, and destroy him out of the midst of my people Israel: The prophet has allowed himself to be deceived by someone other than God.When he speaks, God will not interfere to save him. Then God will take action against thatprophet. |
| IV | And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have not deceivedthat prophet; therefore I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from themidst of my people Israel. God has not caused the deception; but someone else has done so. The punishmentis the same as stated in the King James Version. |
| KJV | And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceivedthat prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midstof my people Israel. The prophet has prophesied that which is not true. God has deceived theprophet. Because he has spoken falsely, he will be punished by God and will be taken fromthe people. The versions in our family library not listed here appear to agree with thisinterpretation. |
| LB | And if one of the false prophets gives him a message anyway, it is a lie. His prophecywill not come true, and I will stand against that "prophet" and destroy him fromamong my people Israel. He is not a true prophet of God, but a false prophet who is involved. This isthe only version that uses the word "false" in the verse. The word"anyway" suggests that the prophet either knew that his prophecy was not true orwas not authorized by God to give the prophecy. As a result, God will punish him. |
| NAB | As for the prophet, if he is beguiled into speaking a word, I, the LORD shall havebeguiled that prophet; I will stretch out my hand against him and root him out of mypeople Israel. Footnote: I, the LORD, shall have beguiled that prophet: the ancientIsraelites attributed to God every action, good or evil; cf. 1 Samuel 18: 10; 2 Samuel24: 1ff. We would say, rather, that God permitted this deceit. The same interpretation can be given as to the King James Version. However,the footnote states that the Israelites believed that God has caused the deception. It alsostates that it really means that God did not cause it, but He allowed it to occur. |
| NBV | If that prophet is beguiled to speak a message, it is I, the LORD, who has beguiledthat prophet; I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from the midst ofMy people Israel. Footnote: v. 5: The prophets saw sin as related to God [cf. Amos 3: 6; Isaiah45: 7; 1 Kings 22: 20-23]. The Arabs still attribute all that happens, good and bad alike,to God. Footnote: v. 9a: As He did to mislead King Ahab [1 Kings 22:19-23]. There is the same implication as is stated in the King James Version.The footnotes point out that it is believed that God is responsible for the deception. |
| SNB | Yea the prophet himself, when he suffereth himself to be deceived, and speaketh a word,I, YAHVAH, have suffered that prophet to be deceived; then will I stretch forth My handagainst him and destroy him out of the midst of My people Israel: This version is a revision of Rotherham's Emphasized Bible. The interpretationis the same as in that one. |
| Examining the Context |
We need to consider all of chapters 13 and 14 to determinewhy the prophet is deceived. An American Translation (Beck)provides help.
The heading "Against False Prophets" describes 13: 1-16. The Lordtells Ezekiel to prophesy against the prophets of Israel. They prophesy through illusions,not visions. What they say does not come true. They claim that what they say comes from Godwhen it does not. They deceive the people, who look to them for guidance. God condemns theseprophets and will remove them.
The heading "Against Witches" describes 13: 17-23. The Lord tellsEzekiel to prophesy against the women who make up prophecies. These women give wrist charmsand head veils to people, then state lies to them. They cause good people to die and evilpeople to live through their power. Their spells have been disastrous for many people. Allthis has been to provide themselves with a meagre living. God will destroy their power andrescue His people.
The heading "Against Those Who Cherish Idols" describes 14: 1-11.Some leaders of the people come to Ezekiel. The Lord speaks to Ezekiel in regard to them.Everyone who cherishes his idols sets up the source for sinning. When such a person comes toa prophet, the Lord will tell the prophet to advise the person to repent, turn away from hisidols, and eliminate all his abominations. When a person who has turned from the Lord andcherishes his idols comes before the Lord in hypocritical fashion, the Lord will oppose thatperson, making him an example as He destroys him from among His people. If the prophet allowshimself to be deceived into prophesying in this case, without the Lord's counsel, the Lordwill not prevent the deception from happening. The prophet has caused his own downfall throughhis own sin and will be destroyed by the Lord. The hypocritical person who has come to theprophet will also be destroyed. These actions will be taken to protect God's people fromwandering away from Him.
The heading "Noah, Daniel, and Job Could Save Only Themselves"describes 14: 12-23. If a country sins exceedingly against God, He will punish it throughsuch disasters as famine, ferocious animals, war, or plague. Even such righteous men as Noah,Daniel, and Job would be unable to save anyone but themselves. However, God will spare a fewpeople so that it will be known what has happened.
Deception means delusion, falsehood, fraud, hypocrisy, lie, or trickery.God cannot lie (Titus 1: 2; Hebrews 6: 18). Therefore, He does not cause the prophet to bedeceived. Satan, or the Devil, deceives the whole world (Revelation 12: 9). Thus, the prophetis deceived by Satan. The two chapters give warning to the children of Israel against thedeception of false prophets, witches, and idols. If the people allow themselves to be deceivedand do not repent and turn away from their sins, not only the deceivers, but also theythemselves will be destroyed. When Ezekiel 14: 9 is put into its proper context, one can seethat God will deceive no one, but will punish those who deceive others or who allow themselvesto be deceived. He will allow deception to take place when people choose to turn away fromHim. Some translators appear to have been lax in translating or in not having included afootnote to avoid a wrong understanding by the reader.
Although God gave these prophecies through Ezekiel, there are applicationsto Christians and non-Christians today. All of us are aware that there is deception everywherearound us. Sometimes, we may not pinpoint it until we fall victim to it. Often, there isdeception when we blindly accept what we believe is truth. False prophets are those church leaders, at any level, who elevate themselvesor allow themselves to be elevated and mislead their followers. Some of them do it forpersonal financial gain. Some of them do it out of pride. Some accept the traditions of theirreligion without carefully examining the Scriptures and seeking God's will. Some commit othersins which will lead eventually to their downfall. They are in a position of spiritualleadership and must set the proper example, including seeking forgiveness when they have donewrong. A true leader with the Spirit of God working in him will not mislead his followers. Hewill recognize his strengths and weaknesses. He will keep in constant contact with God inorder to follow His will. False prophets are motivated by Satan. Witches are more prevalent than one may suppose. They will not be seen inblack outfits and riding on broomsticks. Be wary of persons conducting seances, castingspells, or working with the occult in any form. Persons doing such things as magic,fortune-telling, tea-leaf reading, tarot card reading, meditation, and healing through chantsand superstition are practising witchcraft. Such are condemned by God. They receive theirpower from Satan. We usually look to religions other than our own, particularly those that arenon-Christian, when we think of idols. You may be surprised to learn that idols may exist inyour church or your home. Any object which is revered for religious reasons by you or by anyChristian or non-Christian organization is an idol. Be wary of souvenirs. Our family wassurprised with how many we found in our home that we innocently purchased or accepted asgifts. Besides this prophecy by Ezekiel, the warning is very clear in the Ten Commandments. We cannot have idols, practise idolatry, and associate with witches andfalse prophets while trying to serve God. This will not be tolerated by God. We can take theadvice that He gave to Ezekiel, that we repent and turn away from our sins. The alternativeis the consequences that He told Ezekiel, that we shall be destroyed. May it be known to allthat God deceives no one. He speaks only the truth.
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