יחזקאל, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״ט

The phenomenon of false prophecy reveals itself as a pathetic reality where authentic faith in God is replaced by cheap illusions. By exploiting the innocence of the masses, these women commit a profound disgrace against God's holiness. The primary approach among commentators is that this desecration occurs because the prophetesses actively strip away the people's trust in God, redirecting their faith toward magic and falsehoods [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Furthermore, this deception is not hidden away but committed publicly, right in the midst of the community [רד״ק].

A striking detail of this practice involves the use of simple food items, such as handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. The primary approach among commentators is that these items represent the women's miserable payment. For just a handful of grain or a slice of bread, they were willing to invent prophecies, reflecting their low status and the disgraceful, cheap price at which they sold their lies [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective suggests that the food itself served as magical props. According to this view, the women would throw barley grains and breadcrumbs like lots, predicting the future based on how they landed [אברבנאל], or they would hide the food inside special pillows used to perform their witchcraft [רד״ק].

Using these magical practices, the women claimed the power to decide who would live and who would die, issuing false judgments over people's lives. They would decree death for the righteous while promising life to the wicked [רד״ק]. Alternatively, they simply preyed on personal distress and petty conflicts. For example, they might assure a client that a hated enemy would soon die, or comfort someone with the promise that a sick relative would recover [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Ultimately, all of these were empty promises and fake decrees that would never materialize in reality [רש״י, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

This destructive cycle is ultimately fueled by the tragic cooperation of the public. While the prophetesses initiate the deception by exploiting the innocent, their sin only succeeds and flourishes because the people themselves are eager to listen, willing to accept the lies, and inclined to believe them [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].