A common misinterpretation of Ezekiel 14:9 portrays God as the active author of lies and deception independently of human sin, suggesting He tempts prophets to falsehood arbitrarily, which contradicts His holy nature as one who cannot lie or be the source of evil; instead, the passage describes a judicial hardening or abandonment to error resulting from the inquirers' and prophets' prior idolatry and rejection of truth, akin to divine withdrawal of restraint in Romans 1, not unprovoked deceit.
Ezekiel 14:9
King James Version (1769)
9 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.
In Ezekiel 14:9, God underscores His sovereign authority over prophecy and judgment amid Israel's idolatry; when idolatrous people seek guidance from prophets, and those prophets deliver misleading words, God declares that He Himself has permitted or judicially sent the deception as a form of righteous judgment on persistent rebellion, culminating in the prophet's destruction from among His people, emphasizing divine control and accountability rather than human autonomy in spiritual matters.