And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

EZEKIEL 22:28KJV
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Ezekiel 22:28 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 22:28 mean?

Ezekiel 22:28 says that the prophets in Jerusalem have covered up wrongdoing by using false messages, claiming to speak for God when God has not spoken to them. The verse accuses these prophets of seeing empty visions and making up lies, misleading the people by pretending their words come from the Lord.

In this verse, God is speaking through Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, exposing the corruption among their spiritual leaders. The situation is one where the leaders, especially the prophets, are not only failing to correct injustice but are actually making things worse by giving false assurances and pretending God supports them. This is part of a larger passage where God lists the sins of Jerusalem’s leaders and explains why judgment is coming.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 22:28

  • "Daubed" (טָפַל, ṭāpal) means to smear or plaster, here used as a metaphor for covering up or hiding the truth. The prophets are not fixing the problem, only making it look better on the surface.
  • "Untempered" (תָּפֵל, tāp̄ēl) means something weak or worthless, like mortar without strength. The image is of a wall covered with flimsy plaster that will not hold up, symbolizing false assurances.
  • "Vanity" (שָׁוְא, shāv') means emptiness or worthlessness. The visions the prophets claim to see have no substance or truth.
  • "Divining" (קָסַם, qāsam) means to practice divination or fortune-telling, which is condemned in the Hebrew Bible. Here, it shows the prophets are inventing messages rather than receiving them from God.

Why Ezekiel 22:28 matters

  • This verse clarifies that not everyone who claims to speak for God is actually delivering God’s message; discernment is needed.
  • The image of "untempered mortar" shows that false assurances and lies may look convincing for a time but will eventually fail and be exposed.
  • Ezekiel 22:28 connects to the wider chapter by showing that corruption was not only among political leaders but also among spiritual leaders, making the city’s situation even more dire.