The Meaning of Ezekiel 14:9 Explained

Ezekiel 14:9

KJV: And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

YLT: And the prophet, when he is enticed, and hath spoken a word -- I, Jehovah, I have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel.

Darby: And if the prophet be enticed and shall speak a word, I Jehovah have enticed that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand against him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

ASV: And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And if the prophet  be deceived  when he hath spoken  a thing,  I the LORD  have deceived  that prophet,  and I will stretch out  my hand  upon him, and will destroy  him from the midst  of my people  Israel. 

What does Ezekiel 14:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

If the idolater prevailed on the false prophet to speak, it was Yahweh in His sovereignty who allowed that prophet to speak (cf. Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 1 Kings 22:23). [1]
"Such a statement is only intelligible when we remember that ancient habits of thought [1] overlooked secondary causes, and attributed events directly to the action of God." [3]
The Lord would also judge the false prophet with death.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 14

1  God answers idolaters according to their own heart
6  They are exhorted to repent, for fear of judgments, by means of seduced prophets
12  God's irrevocable sentence of famine
15  of wild beasts
17  of the sword
19  and of pestilence
22  A remnant shall be reserved for example of others

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 14:9 mean?

And the prophet if is induced and to speak anything I Yahweh have induced - prophet that and I will stretch out - My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel
וְהַנָּבִ֤יא כִֽי־ יְפֻתֶּה֙ וְדִבֶּ֣ר דָּבָ֔ר אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ פִּתֵּ֔יתִי אֵ֖ת הַנָּבִ֣יא הַה֑וּא וְנָטִ֤יתִי אֶת־ יָדִי֙ עָלָ֔יו וְהִ֨שְׁמַדְתִּ֔יו מִתּ֖וֹךְ עַמִּ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

וְהַנָּבִ֤יא  And  the  prophet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
יְפֻתֶּה֙  is  induced 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּתָה 
Sense: to be spacious, be open, be wide.
וְדִבֶּ֣ר  and  to  speak 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
דָּבָ֔ר  anything 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
פִּתֵּ֔יתִי  have  induced 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּתָה 
Sense: to be spacious, be open, be wide.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַנָּבִ֣יא  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
הַה֑וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
וְנָטִ֤יתִי  and  I  will  stretch  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יָדִי֙  My  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
עָלָ֔יו  against  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וְהִ֨שְׁמַדְתִּ֔יו  and  destroy  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.
מִתּ֖וֹךְ  from  among 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
עַמִּ֥י  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.