Ezekiel 14:9

If the prophet be deceived— The reader will observe, that Ezekiel, or God by Ezekiel, is here speaking of false prophets or anti-prophets, as described in the foregoing chapter; such as had set themselves up in opposition to the true prophets of God. They were prophets that prophesied out of their own hearts: ch. Ezekiel 13:2; Ezekiel 13:17. They were foolish prophets that followed their own spirit, and saw nothing of truth: Ezekiel 14:3. They were such as had seen vanity and lying divination, pretended to be God's prophets, when the Lord had not sent them: Ezekiel 14:6. They seduced the people, saying, Peace, when there was no peace: Ezekiel 14:10; Ezekiel 14:16. Of one of the prophets of this wicked stamp Ezekiel is here speaking, as may easily be perceived by what is said in this same verse, that God will stretch out his hand upon the prophet, and will destroy him: (see for remarkable instances, Jeremiah 28:15; Jeremiah 29:21; Jeremiah 22:3 l, 32.): and in the next verse it is added; that the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; which words carry a plain intimation, that the prophet here spoken of is understood to have been as bad as the idolaters who are here supposed to consult him, and to have been as much a false prophet, as they were false worshippers; alike in temper and principles, and therefore also to be punished alike, for encouraging idol-worship under false pretences to inspiration. Having seen then what kind of a prophet the text speaks of, it will now be the easier to explain the rest. God declares that he will deceive,—will disappoint or infatuate such a prophet first, and next destroy him: he will give him up first to strong delusions, and then to destruction. The text may not improperly be rendered thus, If the prophet be infatuated when he speaketh a thing, I the Lord will infatuate that prophet still more. So the sense of the passage may amount nearly to the same with that of St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:20. (or however the verb here may bear the like signification as εμωρανε there); God hath made foolish the wisdom of the world; or to that which Isaiah says, ch. Ezekiel 44:25 that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, or lying prophets, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise-men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish. But it is observable, that Isaiah subjoins in the verse immediately following; that confirmeth the word of his servant (Isaiah the true prophet) and performeth the counsel of his messengers. Compare 1 Samuel 3:19 whence it may be perceived how God illuminates the understandings and ratifies the predictions of his own true prophets, while he infatuates the counsels and disappoints the lying confidence of evil men and seducers. See Waterland's Scripture Vindicated, part 3: p. 100.