Ezekiel 13:18

18. Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes Rather, who sew coverings [fillets, or bandages] upon all joints of the hand. The exact meaning of this expression is not known. It could hardly refer merely to the luxurious voluptuousness of these women, as so many of the early commentators believed. Garlands, fillets, and amulets of various kinds are mentioned as being used on the hand, not only in the Greek mysteries, but in the ancient Babylonian incantations; but whether these “cushions” were used on knuckles or wrist or elbow, or what was the method of their use, is not yet discovered. Bertholet thinks these were amulets which possessed some natural magnetic power.

Make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature These kerchiefs or veils seem to have been thrown over the heads of those who came to consult the soothsayers concerning the future, in order to blindfold them and draw them into the magic circle. These coverings differed in length according to the stature of the inquirer. “We may perhaps read between the lines the thought that their utterances, like their veils, were adapted to suit every age and every taste.… Ezekiel points out, we may believe, what he had seen. And in those veils he had seen a net cast over the victims of the false prophetesses, a snare from which they could not escape.” Plumptre.

Will ye save the souls alive that come unto you Literally, and save souls alive for yourselves? These hunters of souls killed without mercy, but saved some alive the very ones that deserved to die (Ezekiel 13:19). The meaning is that their prophecies brought comfort to the wicked and sadness to the righteous (Ezekiel 13:22). “To keep alive is to predict life and good fortune and to slay is to predict death.” Toy.