John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 13:4

"O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places." — Ezekiel 13:4 (ASV)

Therefore, Ezekiel exposes the snares of the false prophets. The ten tribes had been dispersed, much like a field or a vineyard removed from a populated area into desolate regions, where foxes then held sway. For they have many hiding places; they slip through hedges and all openings, and so break into the vineyard or field, and destroy its fruits.

Such, as I have said, was the condition of the people from the time of their dispersion. While the Israelites lived at home, they were, in a way, kept to their duty, as if fortified by certain ramparts. In Jerusalem, too, the High Priest presided over spiritual affairs, ensuring that no ungodly doctrine could creep in: but now, since the people were so dispersed, greater opportunity was given to the false prophets to corrupt them, as the miserable exiles were exposed to these foxes; for they were vulnerable to harm, just as if desolate regions surrounded them.

Being thus without protection, it was easy for these foxes to enter by deceptive methods and destroy whatever good fruits existed. Meanwhile, Ezekiel indirectly rebukes the people’s carelessness. Although they were dispersed and so open to the snares of the false prophets, yet they thought they were being attentive and cautious; God would undoubtedly have provided them with aid, as he promises his people the spirit of discretion and judgment whenever they need it (1 Corinthians 12:10). But when the Israelites were wandering exiles, and attention to the law no longer flourished among them, it happened that foxes—meaning their false prophets—easily entered. From this it follows that the people were not without fault, since they exposed themselves to the snares of these false prophets.