Ezekiel 13:11
say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse vividly portrays divine judgment not just as a simple rainstorm, but as a coordinated assault by nature's most destructive forces – torrential rain, crushing hailstones, and a violent wind. It's as if God unleashes the full fury of a tempest, transforming the very elements into agents of His wrath to tear down the flimsy defenses built on lies.
Ezekiel denounces false prophets who promise peace and security by "daubing" a crumbling spiritual wall with "untempered mortar," essentially patching up a false hope. This verse reveals God's coming judgment: an unstoppable storm of rain, hail, and wind will utterly demolish this deceptive structure, exposing the prophets' lies and the people's foolish trust.
Have you ever seen something painted over that was actually falling apart underneath? That's exactly what Ezekiel is calling out here. It looks good on the surface, but the foundation is rotten.
A Facade of False Peace
The prophets Ezekiel is addressing are like builders who slap a coat of white paint over a crumbling wall. They're offering superficial fixes and empty promises of 'peace' to God's people, trying to make a weak spiritual structure appear strong and secure.
This isn't just about bad construction; it's about misleading people.
What happens when a flimsy wall meets the full force of nature? The result is utter destruction. Ezekiel uses powerful imagery to show God's coming judgment.
The Elements of Divine Wrath
Ezekiel doesn't just say the wall will fall; he describes how it will fall, using the terrifying forces of an Eastern storm:
Understand the original words
taphel · Hebrew Verb
To cover over, coat, or daub, often used metaphorically for concealing truth, hypocrisy, or covering up sins with a false appearance of righteousness or security.
taphel · Hebrew Noun
A temporary or superficial layer, often used to describe something that lacks structural integrity or reality; in this context, it represents the deceptive and hollow messages of false prophets.
sheteph · Hebrew Noun
A sudden, overwhelming flood or downpour; in biblical prophecy, it often symbolizes divine judgment that sweeps away the wicked or their false securities.
se'arah · Hebrew Noun
A violent wind, frequently used in Scripture to represent the swift, powerful, and uncontrollable nature of God's judgment moving across the land.
Ezekiel's prophecy against the false prophets, who offered false assurances of peace, directly addresses the people of Judah in the immediate aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction. The imagery of a wall built with weak mortar being destroyed by a fierce storm powerfully illustrates how their superficial hopes, bolstered by deceitful leaders, could not withstand the devastating reality of the Babylonian conquest.
c. 626 BC
Neo-Babylonian Empire Rises
Nabopolassar established the Neo-Babylonian Empire, setting the stage for future conflicts with Assyria and its allies, including Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II conquers Judah and exiles a portion of its elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This event deeply impacts Ezekiel's ministry.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This catastrophic event is a central theme in Ezekiel's prophecies.
This passage directly echoes Ezekiel's imagery, comparing a wise person's life to a house built on rock that withstands the storms, contrasting with a foolish builder whose house built on sand collapses when tested by the same elemental forces.
Jeremiah 6:14Like Ezekiel's false prophets, Jeremiah condemns those who offer a false sense of security, proclaiming 'peace, peace' when there is no true peace from God's judgment.
Isaiah 28:17This passage parallels the idea of a flimsy defense being swept away by divine judgment, stating that a 'hail' of destruction will sweep away the refuge of lies built by those who misled God's people.
Exodus 9:23-24This account of the plague of hail in Egypt demonstrates God's power to unleash devastating natural forces as instruments of judgment, mirroring the hail and stormy wind described in Ezekiel's prophecy against the false prophets.
cambridgeEzekiel 13:11: "Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it."
11 . and ye, O great hailstones ] The apostrophe to the hailstones is rather unnatural. A different pointing gives the sense, and I will cause great hailstones to fall , but the construction is altogether improbable. Jeremiah 8:13 , is not in point. wind shall rent it ] Or, a strong wind shall brea…
pulpitEzekiel 13:11: "Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it."
Verse 11. - In words which would almost seem to have been in our Lord's thoughts in Matthew 7:25, we have the picture of an Eastern storm, torrents of rain passing into hail (LXX., λίθοι πετρόβολοι), accompanied by a tornado of irresistible violence (compare like pictures in Exodus 9:22; Joshua 10…
The verse vividly portrays divine judgment not just as a simple rainstorm, but as a coordinated assault by nature's most destructive forces – torrential rain, crushing hailstones, and a violent wind. It's as if God unleashes the full fury of a tempest, transforming the very elements into agents of His wrath to tear down the flimsy defenses built on lies.
Ezekiel denounces false prophets who promise peace and security by "daubing" a crumbling spiritual wall with "untempered mortar," essentially patching up a false hope. This verse reveals God's coming judgment: an unstoppable storm of rain, hail, and wind will utterly demolish this deceptive structure, exposing the prophets' lies and the people's foolish trust.
Ezekiel denounces false prophets who promise peace and security by "daubing" a crumbling spiritual wall with "untempered mortar," essentially patching up a false hope. This verse reveals God's coming judgment: an unstoppable storm of rain, hail, and wind will utterly demolish this deceptive structure, exposing the prophets' lies and the people's foolish trust.
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These elements aren't random acts of nature; they are the specific tools God will use to expose the falsity and bring down the corrupted system and its deceptive prophets.
c. 570 BC
Ezekiel's Vision of the New Temple
After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel receives visions of a restored Jerusalem and a new Temple, offering hope for future restoration.
"say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out." — The verse vividly portrays divine judgment not just as a simple rainstorm, but as a coordinated assault by nature's most destructive forces – torrential rain, crushing hailstones, and a violent wind.…
