‘He Prophesies for Distant Times’: Textual Evidence for Prophetic Editing in Ezekiel 12:21-13:7

Ezekiel 12:21 to 13:7 contains two disputations on the nature of prophecy and a set of woe oracles against false prophets. These sections of Ezekiel preserve anxieties and differences of opinion about prophecy, prediction, fulfillment, and interpretation. Comparison of the versions shows that the unit served as a site of inner-biblical interpretation and debate about the nature of prophecy in general and Ezekiel’s prophecies in particular. Through textual comparison between the Hebrew and Greek witnesses, this paper demonstrates that concerns about fulfillment and false speech characterize the diachronic editorial process evidenced in 12:21-13:7. Such editorial concerns may also be found outside of the pericope, revealing a dynamic inner-biblical discourse about Ezekiel’s prophecies.