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John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 13:18

Verse 18 It is said, then, woe to those who sew pillows or cushions; it is the same thing — to all armholes, and to those who make covers for the head of every stature. There is no doubt that by these tricks they deluded the minds and eyes of the simple. It is evident from the law that some ceremonies are useful, since God commands nothing superfluous; but Satan by his cunning turns everything useful to man’s destruction. Meanwhile we must remark that false prophets were always immoderately... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 13:19

Verse 19 Here God accuses these women of a double crime; one crime was that which I have mentioned, cruelly to destroy the souls which were sacred to God, and hence were destined to be saved; but he added a more atrocious crime — that of sacrilege, because they had abused the name of God to deceive. Nothing is less tolerable than when God’s truth is turned into a lie, because this is like reducing him to nothing. God is truth; if, therefore, that is abolished, what else will remain behind? God... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 13:20

Verse 20 Here Ezekiel begins to threaten those women with what would shortly happen, namely, that God would not only render them contemptible, but also ridiculous, before the whole people, that their delusions and impostures might sufficiently appear. This is the Prophet’s intention, as we shall afterwards see; but the Prophet is verbose in this denunciation. God therefore says, that he is an enemy to those cushions, that is, to those false ceremonies which were like cloaks to deceive miserable... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 13:21

Verse 21 What the Prophet had said concerning the pillows he now pronounces of the veils, by which they were accustomed to cover either their own heads, or those of the persons who consulted them. The conclusion is, that God would put an end to such follies. For the people were so fascinated by these silly things, that it became necessary to strip away these masks, since these women were always ready to deceive. He adds also, that he would do that for the benefit of his own people. We have said... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 13:22

Verse 22 He explains in other words what we saw yesterday: but the repetition adds to the weight of the matter. The Prophet therefore shows that he had a just cause of complaint, because the women so deceived the people. He says now that they made the heart of the righteous sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked: the sentiment is the same, though the words are changed. He had previously said that they gave life to those devoted to death, and slew those destined to life; but now he shows... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 13:17-20

Effeminate religion. If Ezekiel is not to be read with prosaic literalness as referring to the women of Jerusalem, but is to be understood to describe, in scornful metaphor, the false prophets as daughters of Jerusalem sewing pillows, he has here given us a picture of effeminate religion. I. THE RELIGION WHICH IGNORES STERN FACTS IS EFFEMINATE . 1 . There is a noble sphere for woman in religion. The women of the Bible give us many a fine example of exalted piety.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 13:17-23

False prophetesses. Women have always played an important part in the religious history of every nation, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. The Scriptures, with their proverbial impartiality, record instances of both kinds—of women who rendered signal service to their people by their fidelity to God, and of women who used their influence to corrupt and to mislead those over whom their power extended. Of the prophetesses whose pretensions are exposed in this passage we know nothing... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 13:17-23

Effeminate religion. Moral evil is sadly contagious. The boastful, arrogant temper of the false prophets spread to the women also. It was a time of great excitement—a national crisis, in which all political considerations were intermingled with religion. Amid the general panic of fear, women as well as men were stirred to action. The party who sought God and desired to know his will were a small minority. The major part of the people, both men and women, were carried away by a spirit of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 13:17-23

False prophetesses, their characteristics and condemnation, "Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people," etc. God sometimes raised up and inspired women to be prophetesses to his people. Miriam ( Exodus 15:20 ), Deborah ( 4:4 ), Hannah ( 1 Samuel 2:1-10 ), and Huldah ( 2 Kings 22:14-20 ) were genuine prophetesses of the Lord in the times of the Old Testament. And in the time of Ezekiel there were false prophetesses—women who pretended to possess... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 13:18

Woe to the women who sew pillows, etc. Ezekiel's minute description, though it is from a different standpoint, reminds us of that in Isaiah 3:18-26 . In both cases there are the difficulties inseparable from the fact that he had seen what he describes, and that we have not; and that he uses words which were familiar enough then, but are now found nowhere else. so that (as in the case of the ἐξουσία of 1 Corinthians 11:10 ) we have to guess their meaning. The picture which he draws... read more

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