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.

Where else these words appear

“untempered” Hebrew H8602 · used in 7 verses

  • Job 6:6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
  • Ezekiel 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
  • Ezekiel 13:14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

“daubed” Hebrew H2902 · used in 11 verses

  • Leviticus 14:42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house.
  • 1 Chronicles 29:4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:
  • Ezekiel 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.

“divining” Hebrew H7080 · used in 20 verses

  • Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
  • Isaiah 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
  • Ezekiel 21:21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

“seeing” Hebrew H2374 · used in 22 verses

  • 2 Samuel 24:11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
  • 2 Chronicles 19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.
  • Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.