When Prophets Roam Like Jackals

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS
Exploring Ezekiel 13:4, I examine why false prophets are compared to jackals, studying their scavenging, predatory, and nocturnal behaviors. By probing metaphors and using historical resources, the piece encourages deeper biblical questioning and highlights the spiritual danger posed by deceptive teachers.

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I’m reading Ezekiel 13:4. I wrote yesterday about what a fierce chapter it is. It took my breath away and sent me to my knees.

In chapter 13, Jackals are mentioned, “Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.”

I ask questions of the text. Wonder about things. It helps me go deeper. So my question was, how do jackals act? Why did the Lord make the comparison using jackals to the false prophets?

These questions brought me to a study of this particular animal’s behavior. I mean, I can glean what the verse means, that jackals are roaming predators. and so are false prophets roaming predators, but I wanted to know more. I’m unfamiliar with jackals and their behavior. It’s always beneficial to delve a little deeper into metaphors with which I am unfamiliar, and even do this with metaphors and comparisons I know more about, like leaven or the temporariness of grass.

In researching jackals, I learned that jackals and foxes are often interchanged in scripture in different translations. There is some legitimate confusion in some verses on which animal is spoken of when. Other times it’s clear when the author meant ‘jackal’ or ‘fox’. But both animals exhibit the same behaviors, except that jackals are slightly more social than foxes. Nevertheless, that is why the text below from Cook’s mentions foxes.

In Cook’s (1842) Scripture alphabet of animals from the American Tract Society, we read;

THE JACKAL: These animals are often found in great numbers around the walls and ruins of old cities; they live in holes or burrows which they dig in the ground. Our Savior says, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” We have read this verse so many times that we scarcely think how much it means; but was it not a wonderful thing that when Christ came from his bright throne in heaven to this poor earth, he should not find even a home here? Every animal on all the hills has its shelter and hiding-place; every little bird in all the forest has its comfortable nest; but our Savior “had not where to lay his head.”

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Focusing on Jesus is a good way to start my mini-study on jackals!

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains about jackals that: They hunt either alone, in pairs, or in packs.

Interesting. Remember, the original comparison was false prophets to jackals. Jackals have flexibility in how they hunt- alone, in pairs, or in groups. It is the same with false prophets/false teachers. Any configuration will do in order to capture prey- and a false teacher’s prey is you and me. Continuing,

By hunting in packs, jackals have taken down large antelopes. This reputation accounts for the horror of one abandoned to jackals (Ps. 44:19). Jackals eat small mammals, birds, fruits, vegetables, and carrion (Ps. 63:10). They are scavengers, infamous for their distinctive nighttime wailing (Job 30:28–31; Mic. 1:8). In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

We learn that jackals/false prophets will eat anything, it doesn’t matter to them. They scavenge and take advantage of opportunities. They hunt at night- and you know what the Bible says about activity at night- “night” often symbolizes spiritual darkness, sin, and temptation while light symbolizes holiness, glory, and Jesus.

Psalm 63:10 is frequently mentioned as an important verse when speaking of jackals. David says that those who seek his life will become a portion for foxes/jackals. Jackals prefer to feed on carrion and often resort to graves and cemeteries for that purpose. They will dig up recently interred people…

In The land and the Book; or, Biblical illustrations drawn from the manners and customs, the scenes and scenery of the Holy Land
by Thomson, William McClure, 1806-1894, we read,

“These sinister, guilty, wo-begone brutes, when pressed with hunger, gather in gangs among the graves, and yell in rage, and fight like fiends over their midnight orgies; but on the battlefield is their great carnival. Oh! let me never even dream that anyone dear to me has fallen by the sword, and lies there to be torn, and gnawed at, and dragged about by these hideous howlers.”

If you read that paragraph above again thinking of false prophets instead of jackals, we can see the comparison quite clearly of how awful false prophets are!

Further Resources

I used some of the resources in my Logos software, but you don’t need to buy software to delve into topics more deeply. I rely just as much on biblehub.com. Where Albert Barnes’ Commentary at biblehub mentions Thomson’s book and comments about jackals, I looked that book up and found the full text on Web Archive, which has books, videos, texts, and more for free.

The Scripture Alphabet of Animals by Harriet Cook was published in 1842 and is available online, at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, which by the way has a lot of material there for free.

The illustrated Bible treasury is also a free resource online.

As the text questions as you read, either to follow up on right then, or make a note for following up later so you can keep reading. How, why, when, where… Why is this here? What does that word really mean? How do these animals act? How does leaven work? When did this happen? Where is that river?

I hope this short piece alerted you to the predatory nature of false prophets in a deeper way, and also that the process of asking questions of the text (by way of the Holy Spirit) will lead you to a deeper understanding of it. The Spirit will be delighted to lead you in this way. Illuminating the scripture to your mind is a ministry in which He delights.