These false prophets profaned God not for grand riches, but for "handfuls of barley and pieces of bread," revealing how cheap they held God's name. They twisted God's truth to threaten the faithful and comfort the wicked, essentially reversing God's true judgment of life and death.
You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.
English Standard Version (ESV)
These verses confront a group of female prophets who are falsely reassuring the people of Jerusalem. They claim to speak for God, offering comfort and promises of peace, but in reality, they are distorting God's message for meager personal gain. This leads them to falsely predict doom for those who should be comforted and offer false hope to those who are destined for judgment.
What would drive someone to twist God's truth for a mere handful of barley? Ezekiel's prophecy reveals the shocking cheapness of these false prophets.
The prophetesses in Ezekiel's day were guilty of a profound act of sacrilege: they "profaned" God's name. This wasn't just about speaking lies; it was about making God Himself appear untrustworthy and common.
A Devalued Name
These weren't just inaccurate fortune-tellers; they wielded a terrifying power over life and death, twisting God's judgment for their own gain.
The most devastating accusation against these prophetesses is their role as 'soul architects' – but instead of building up, they destroyed.
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The Fatal Flip
This dual deception – damning the righteous and validating the wicked – was the ultimate perversion of God's justice.
The blame doesn't solely rest on the deceptive prophetesses; the people who listened were also complicit in their own spiritual downfall.
Ezekiel 13:19 doesn't just condemn the liars; it also calls out the listeners. The people weren't just passive victims; they were active participants in their deception.
The Lie They Chose
Understand the original words
chalal · Hebrew Verb
To make something common, impure, or unholy. It is the opposite of sanctification and involves treating God's name or reputation with contempt by misrepresenting His truth.
kazab · Hebrew Noun
A departure from the truth, representing both the act of deceiving others and the state of spiritual falsehood that separates people from God. Lying is contrary to the nature of God, who is Truth.
This prophecy was delivered during the final, desperate years of Jerusalem before its destruction. The false prophetesses were not just wrong; they were actively contributing to the city's doom by offering false hope, profaning God's name for meager profits, and leading the people away from repentance and true reliance on God.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, along with many nobles and skilled workers to Babylon. This event leaves Jerusalem weakened and under Babylonian control.
c. 594 BC
Ezekiel's Call to Prophecy
The prophet Ezekiel receives his call from God while in exile in Babylon, commissioning him to warn the remaining people in Judah and Jerusalem.
c. 589 BC
Siege of Jerusalem Begins
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem, beginning a brutal period of starvation and conflict for the inhabitants trapped within the city walls.
c. 587 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians. The city is destroyed, the Temple is plundered, and a significant portion of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon.
c. 587 BC
Ezekiel Condemns False Prophets
While in exile, Ezekiel pronounces judgment on false prophets and prophetesses in Jerusalem who have misled the people with comforting lies, profaning God's name for personal gain.
This passage shows the custom of bringing gifts, like bread and a small amount of money, to a prophet, which parallels the 'handfuls of barley and pieces of bread' mentioned in Ezekiel as the paltry payment for false prophecy.
Jeremiah 5:31This verse describes a similar situation where prophets prophesy lies, and the people love to have it so, mirroring the dynamic in Ezekiel where the people willingly 'listen to lies' from the false prophetesses.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16Paul's description of the Gospel being a 'death to death' for some and 'life to life' for others highlights the paradoxical effect of true prophecy, which false prophecy in Ezekiel attempts to mimic by leading the righteous to despair and the wicked to false security.
Matthew 7:15Jesus warns against false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but are ravenous wolves inside. This directly relates to Ezekiel's condemnation of those who, under the guise of divine authority, secretly cause destruction for their own gain.
calvinEzekiel 13:19: "And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?"
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
Et profanastis me erga po…
barnesEzekiel 13:19: "And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?"
Pollute me - Profane Me by your false words, which ye pretend to be from Me. Handfuls of barley - Such were the gifts with which men used to approach a seer (compare 1 Samuel 9:7-8; 1 Kings 14:3).
These false prophets profaned God not for grand riches, but for "handfuls of barley and pieces of bread," revealing how cheap they held God's name. They twisted God's truth to threaten the faithful and comfort the wicked, essentially reversing God's true judgment of life and death.
These verses confront a group of female prophets who are falsely reassuring the people of Jerusalem. They claim to speak for God, offering comfort and promises of peace, but in reality, they are distorting God's message for meager personal gain. This leads them to falsely predict doom for those who should be comforted and offer false hope to those who are destined for judgment.
These verses confront a group of female prophets who are falsely reassuring the people of Jerusalem. They claim to speak for God, offering comfort and promises of peace, but in reality, they are distorting God's message for meager personal gain. This leads them to falsely predict doom for those who should be comforted and offer false hope to those who are destined for judgment.
"You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies." — These false prophets profaned God not for grand riches, but for "handfuls of barley and pieces of bread," revealing how cheap they held God's name. They twisted God's truth to threaten the faithful a…
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Last reviewed October 2026
