Woe to the Women that Sew Pillows

 

Mi. 20.07.2022/14:37

Eastern Customs and idioms of the bible,

the teaching of orientalismen from By

Bishop K. C. Pillai

Ezekiel 13:17-23

17 Now you, son of mn, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own heart, and prophesy against them and say:

18 This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Woe to the women who sew magic bands for every wrist and make veils for the head of persons of every stature in order to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people and yet save your own souls alive?

19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.

20 Therefore this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls there like birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls whom you hunt like birds.

21 I will also tear off your veils and deliver my people out of your hand, and they will no longer be in your hand to be hunted, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

22 Because you disheartened the righteous person with lies when I did not cause him grief, and strengthened the hands of the wicked person so that he does not turn from his wicked way and preserve his life.

23 Therefore you will no more see false visions, nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

Woe to the Women

that Sew Pillows

The Orientalisms in these verses are most interesting and enlightening. Women possessed of familiar spirits, practicing the pretended art of divination, use as a fetish or amulets many different articles, to try to deceive and win the people from the true God. Here they “sewed pillows to armholes” and placed anointed “kerchiefs” on the heads of people for the price of a handful of barley or a piece of bread.

The Orientalism is this: Among the wild tribes, there are women who are specialists in pillow making. The pillows are about two inches square and one-half inch thick, covered with linen. (We might call them pads.) Inside of these pillows are some kind of sacred roots which are from Tibet or the Himalayas, which are considered as having magical healing powers. These pillows have little straps on each end so that they can be tied under the arm pits or in front of the elbow.

The woman with the familiar spirit or spirits comes and tells you your physical malady and informs you as to what is going to happen to you. She requests you buy

this pillow from her in order to be delivered and saved. Frequently they put their pillows on their arms and all over the person whom they believe is going to die. They

sleep this way for a week or more. They go about giving out special types of food, saying if the dying one will eat it they will live. They do the same thing in regard to hand kerchiefs which they tie over their heads.

For instance, if a house is possessed with a devil, maybe it happened fifty years ago, they say, “tie this handkerchief around your head and the devils won’t hurt you.” Also, for prosperity there is a certain pillow which they try to “palm off ” on people. These poor tribes charge a small fee for these pillows, because they are usually for the very poor people; a handful of barley or a piece of bread perhaps. Verse 20 in the King James Version stands, “fly” and means to go from place to place.