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Ezekiel 18

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Refuting the Proverb of Inherited Guilt 1–4

1
The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
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What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? ​
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As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
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Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. ​

The Righteous Man Shall Live 5–9

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But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
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And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, ​
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And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; ​
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He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, ​
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Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

The Wicked Son of a Just Father 10–13

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If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
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And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
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Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
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Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. ​

The Just Son of a Wicked Father 14–18

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Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
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That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,
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Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
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That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
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As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

God's Principle of Individual Accountability 19–20

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Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. ​
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The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. ​

The Dynamic Nature of Judgment 21–29

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But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. ​
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All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
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Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? ​
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But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. ​
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Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? ​
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When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
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Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
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Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
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Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

A Call to Repentance and Life 30–32

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Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. ​
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Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? ​
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For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezekiel 18

Verse 2

sour grapes — Boser is an unripe grape; 'set on edge' is qahah, to be dulled or blunted. The saying put the blame on earlier generations, as in Lam 5:7, 'Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.' Jer 31:29–30 quotes it and says it will be heard no more.

Verse 4

all souls are mine — Nephesh, the living person, is claimed by the LORD for father and son alike. Num 16:22 calls him 'the God of the spirits of all flesh'. 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die' is the verdict repeated in v.20; 'the wages of sin is death' (Rom 6:23).

Verse 6

eaten upon the mountains — Sacrificial meals at idol shrines on the high places; the charge is made again in Ezek 22:9, 'in thee they eat upon the mountains'. 'Idols' is gillul, a word tied to 'log'. 'Menstruous' is niddah, impurity. The list opens with worship, then turns to the neighbour.

Verse 7

restored to the debtor his pledge — Chabol, a pledge held as security for a loan. The law required a poor man's garment to be returned by sunset: 'thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down' (Ex 22:26; Deut 24:13). Bread for the hungry and clothing for the naked recur in Isa 58:7.

Verse 8

usury… increase — Neshek is interest on a loan and tarbith is the increase added to the principal. Both were forbidden toward a poor brother: 'Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase' (Lev 25:37; Ex 22:25). Deut 23:20 allowed lending to a stranger at interest.

Verse 13

his blood shall be upon him — The same words close the law on cursing parents: 'his blood shall be upon him' (Lev 20:9). The guilt of the death rests on the one who earned it. 'Abominations' is to'ebah, the word for idolatry and other detestable acts; the sentence reverses the 'surely live' of v.9.

Verse 19

doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? — The exiles press the question again. 'Bear' is nasa, the verb that v.20 denies of father and son. Ex 20:5 speaks of 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children', and Jer 15:4 names Manasseh. The answer here is the son who keeps 'all my statutes': 'he shall surely live'.

Verse 20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die — Repeats v.4 and adds the principle: the son shall not 'bear' (nasa, as in v.19) the father's iniquity, nor the father the son's. The law already said so in Deut 24:16, and Amaziah applied it to the sons of murderers (2 Kings 14:6).

Verse 21

if the wicked will turn — Shub, to turn back, the chapter's verb of repentance (vv.23, 24, 30, 32). The turn is from 'all his sins' and joined to keeping 'all my statutes'; the result is 'he shall surely live, he shall not die'. Ezek 33:19 repeats the promise: 'he shall live thereby'.

Verse 23

Have I any pleasure at all — Chaphets, to take delight in; the question expects the answer no. The LORD's desire is that the wicked 'return from his ways, and live'. The oath form follows in Ezek 33:11, v.32 repeats it, and 2 Pet 3:9 says he is 'not willing that any should perish'.

Verse 24

when the righteous turneth away — The same verb shub as in v.21, now turning from righteousness. His righteousness 'shall not be mentioned', the verb zakar used in v.22 of the sins of the repentant. 'Trespass' is ma'al, treachery. Ezek 33:18 states it again: 'he shall even die thereby'.

Verse 25

not equal — Takan, to weigh or balance on a scale. The exiles say the LORD's way does not weigh evenly; the same verb is turned back on them, 'are not your ways unequal?' (repeated in v.29). Ezek 33:17 records the same complaint. The vv.19–24 case is the answer.

Verse 30

every one according to his ways — The verdict is individual, as in v.20; Ezek 33:20 repeats it, and Christ says he will 'reward every man according to his works' (Matt 16:27). 'Repent' and 'turn yourselves' are both shub. 'Ruin' is mikshol, a stumbling-block that trips and brings down.

Verse 31

make you a new heart and a new spirit — Here the people are told to do it, using asah, 'make'. Elsewhere the LORD promises it: 'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you' (Ezek 36:26; also 11:19). 'Cast away' is shalak, to throw out, as of something discarded.

Verse 32

no pleasure in the death of him that dieth — Chaphets again, as in v.23, with maveth, death. The chapter closes on the call 'turn yourselves, and live ye', the same shub of v.30. Ezek 33:11 says it with an oath, and Lam 3:33 says he 'doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men'.