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Ezekiel 18:9 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

9 Hath walked H1980 in my statutes, H2708 and hath kept H8104 my judgments, H4941 to deal H6213 truly; H571 he is just, H6662 he shall surely H2421 live, H2421 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069

Cross Reference

Amos 5:4 STRONG

For thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 unto the house H1004 of Israel, H3478 Seek H1875 ye me, and ye shall live: H2421

Ezekiel 20:11 STRONG

And I gave H5414 them my statutes, H2708 and shewed H3045 them my judgments, H4941 which if a man H120 do, H6213 he shall even live H2425 in them.

Habakkuk 2:4 STRONG

Behold, his soul H5315 which is lifted up H6075 is not upright H3474 in him: but the just H6662 shall live H2421 by his faith. H530

Ezekiel 18:17 STRONG

That hath taken off H7725 his hand H3027 from the poor, H6041 that hath not received H3947 usury H5392 nor increase, H8636 hath executed H6213 my judgments, H4941 hath walked H1980 in my statutes; H2708 he shall not die H4191 for the iniquity H5771 of his father, H1 he shall surely H2421 live. H2421

Romans 1:17 STRONG

For G1063 therein G1722 G846 is G601 the righteousness G1343 of God G2316 revealed G601 from G1537 faith G4102 to G1519 faith: G4102 as G2531 it is written, G1125 G1161 The just G1342 shall live G2198 by G1537 faith. G4102

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 STRONG

And now, Israel, H3478 what doth the LORD H3068 thy God H430 require H7592 of thee, but to fear H3372 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 to walk H3212 in all his ways, H1870 and to love H157 him, and to serve H5647 the LORD H3068 thy God H430 with all thy heart H3824 and with all thy soul, H5315 To keep H8104 the commandments H4687 of the LORD, H3068 and his statutes, H2708 which I command H6680 thee this day H3117 for thy good? H2896

Amos 5:24 STRONG

But let judgment H4941 run down H1556 as waters, H4325 and righteousness H6666 as a mighty H386 stream. H5158

1 John 3:7 STRONG

Little children, G5040 let G4105 no man G3367 deceive G4105 you: G5209 he that doeth G4160 righteousness G1343 is G2076 righteous, G1342 even as G2531 he G1565 is G2076 righteous. G1342

1 John 2:29 STRONG

If G1437 ye know G1492 that G3754 he is G2076 righteous, G1342 ye know G1097 that G3754 every one G3956 that doeth G4160 righteousness G1343 is born G1080 of G1537 him. G846

James 2:18-26 STRONG

Yea, G235 a man G5100 may say, G2046 Thou G4771 hast G2192 faith, G4102 and I G2504 have G2192 works: G2041 shew G1166 me G3427 thy G4675 faith G4102 without G1537 thy G4675 works, G2041 and I G2504 will shew G1166 thee G4671 my G3450 faith G4102 by G1537 my G3450 works. G2041 Thou G4771 believest G4100 that G3754 there is G2076 one G1520 God; G2316 thou doest G4160 well: G2573 the devils G1140 also G2532 believe, G4100 and G2532 tremble. G5425 But G1161 wilt G2309 thou know, G1097 O G5599 vain G2756 man, G444 that G3754 faith G4102 without G5565 works G2041 is G2076 dead? G3498 Was G1344 not G3756 Abraham G11 our G2257 father G3962 justified G1344 by G1537 works, G2041 when he had offered G399 Isaac G2464 his G846 son G5207 upon G1909 the altar? G2379 Seest thou G991 how G3754 faith G4102 wrought G4903 with his G846 works, G2041 and G2532 by G1537 works G2041 was G5048 faith G4102 made perfect? G5048 And G2532 the scripture G1124 was fulfilled G4137 which saith, G3004 G1161 Abraham G11 believed G4100 God, G2316 and G2532 it was imputed G3049 unto him G846 for G1519 righteousness: G1343 and G2532 he was called G2564 the Friend G5384 of God. G2316 Ye see G3708 then G5106 how that G3754 by G1537 works G2041 a man G444 is justified, G1344 and G2532 not G3756 by G1537 faith G4102 only. G3440 Likewise G3668 G1161 also G2532 was G1344 not G3756 Rahab G4460 the harlot G4204 justified G1344 by G1537 works, G2041 when she had received G5264 the messengers, G32 and G2532 had sent them out G1544 another G2087 way? G3598 For G1063 as G5618 the body G4983 without G5565 the spirit G4151 is G2076 dead, G3498 so G3779 faith G4102 without G5565 works G2041 is G2076 dead G3498 also. G2532

James 1:22-25 STRONG

But G1161 be ye G1096 doers G4163 of the word, G3056 and G2532 not G3361 hearers G202 only, G3440 deceiving G3884 your own selves. G1438 For G3754 if any G1536 be G2076 a hearer G202 of the word, G3056 and G2532 not G3756 a doer, G4163 he G3778 is like G1503 unto a man G435 beholding G2657 his G846 natural G1078 face G4383 in G1722 a glass: G2072 For G1063 he beholdeth G2657 himself, G1438 and G2532 goeth his way, G565 and G2532 straightway G2112 forgetteth G1950 what manner of man G3697 he was. G2258 But G1161 whoso looketh G3879 into G1519 the perfect G5046 law G3551 of liberty, G1657 and G2532 continueth G3887 therein, he G3778 being G1096 not G3756 a forgetful G1953 hearer, G202 but G235 a doer G4163 of the work, G2041 this man G3778 shall be G2071 blessed G3107 in G1722 his G846 deed. G4162

Acts 24:16 STRONG

And G1161 herein G1722 G5129 do I exercise G778 myself, G846 to have G2192 always G1275 a conscience G4893 void of offence G677 toward G4314 God, G2316 and G2532 toward men. G444

John 14:21 STRONG

He that hath G2192 my G3450 commandments, G1785 and G2532 keepeth G5083 them, G846 he G1565 it is G2076 that loveth G25 me: G3165 and G1161 he that loveth G25 me G3165 shall be loved G25 of G5259 my G3450 Father, G3962 and G2532 I G1473 will love G25 him, G846 and G2532 will manifest G1718 myself G1683 to him. G846

Luke 10:27-29 STRONG

And G1161 he answering G611 said, G2036 Thou shalt love G25 the Lord G2962 thy G4675 God G2316 with G1537 all G3650 thy G4675 heart, G2588 and G2532 with G1537 all G3650 thy G4675 soul, G5590 and G2532 with G1537 all G3650 thy G4675 strength, G2479 and G2532 with G1537 all G3650 thy G4675 mind; G1271 and G2532 thy G4675 neighbour G4139 as G5613 thyself. G4572 And G1161 he said G2036 unto him, G846 Thou hast answered G611 right: G3723 this G5124 do, G4160 and G2532 thou shalt live. G2198 But G1161 he, willing G2309 to justify G1344 himself, G1438 said G2036 unto G4314 Jesus, G2424 And G2532 who G5101 is G2076 my G3450 neighbour? G4139

Luke 1:6 STRONG

And G1161 they were G2258 both G297 righteous G1342 before G1799 God, G2316 walking G4198 in G1722 all G3956 the commandments G1785 and G2532 ordinances G1345 of the Lord G2962 blameless. G273

Leviticus 18:5 STRONG

Ye shall therefore keep H8104 my statutes, H2708 and my judgments: H4941 which H834 if a man H120 do, H6213 he shall live H2425 in them: I am the LORD. H3068

Amos 5:14 STRONG

Seek H1875 good, H2896 and not evil, H7451 that ye may live: H2421 and so the LORD, H3068 the God H430 of hosts, H6635 shall be with you, as ye have spoken. H559

Ezekiel 37:24 STRONG

And David H1732 my servant H5650 shall be king H4428 over them; and they all shall have one H259 shepherd: H7462 they shall also walk H3212 in my judgments, H4941 and observe H8104 my statutes, H2708 and do H6213 them.

Ezekiel 36:27 STRONG

And I will put H5414 my spirit H7307 within H7130 you, and cause H6213 you to walk H3212 in my statutes, H2706 and ye shall keep H8104 my judgments, H4941 and do H6213 them.

Ezekiel 33:15 STRONG

If the wicked H7563 restore H7725 the pledge, H2258 give again H7999 that he had robbed, H1500 walk H1980 in the statutes H2708 of life, H2416 without committing H6213 iniquity; H5766 he shall surely H2421 live, H2421 he shall not die. H4191

Ezekiel 20:13 STRONG

But the house H1004 of Israel H3478 rebelled H4784 against me in the wilderness: H4057 they walked H1980 not in my statutes, H2708 and they despised H3988 my judgments, H4941 which if a man H120 do, H6213 he shall even live H2425 in them; and my sabbaths H7676 they greatly H3966 polluted: H2490 then I said, H559 I would pour out H8210 my fury H2534 upon them in the wilderness, H4057 to consume H3615 them.

Psalms 119:1-6 STRONG

ALEPH. Blessed H835 are the undefiled H8549 in the way, H1870 who walk H1980 in the law H8451 of the LORD. H3068 Blessed H835 are they that keep H5341 his testimonies, H5713 and that seek H1875 him with the whole heart. H3820 They also do H6466 no iniquity: H5766 they walk H1980 in his ways. H1870 Thou hast commanded H6680 us to keep H8104 thy precepts H6490 diligently. H3966 O that H305 my ways H1870 were directed H3559 to keep H8104 thy statutes! H2706 Then shall I not be ashamed, H954 when I have respect H5027 unto all thy commandments. H4687

Psalms 105:44-45 STRONG

And gave H5414 them the lands H776 of the heathen: H1471 and they inherited H3423 the labour H5999 of the people; H3816 That they might observe H8104 his statutes, H2706 and keep H5341 his laws. H8451 Praise H1984 ye the LORD. H3050

Psalms 24:4-6 STRONG

He that hath clean H5355 hands, H3709 and a pure H1249 heart; H3824 who hath not lifted up H5375 his soul H5315 unto vanity, H7723 nor sworn H7650 deceitfully. H4820 He shall receive H5375 the blessing H1293 from the LORD, H3068 and righteousness H6666 from the God H430 of his salvation. H3468 This is the generation H1755 of them that seek H1875 him, that seek H1245 thy face, H6440 O Jacob. H3290 Selah. H5542

Psalms 19:7-11 STRONG

The law H8451 of the LORD H3068 is perfect, H8549 converting H7725 the soul: H5315 the testimony H5715 of the LORD H3068 is sure, H539 making wise H2449 the simple. H6612 The statutes H6490 of the LORD H3068 are right, H3477 rejoicing H8055 the heart: H3820 the commandment H4687 of the LORD H3068 is pure, H1249 enlightening H215 the eyes. H5869 The fear H3374 of the LORD H3068 is clean, H2889 enduring H5975 for ever: H5703 the judgments H4941 of the LORD H3068 are true H571 and righteous H6663 altogether. H3162 More to be desired H2530 are they than gold, H2091 yea, than much H7227 fine gold: H6337 sweeter H4966 also than honey H1706 and the honeycomb. H5317 H6688 Moreover by them is thy servant H5650 warned: H2094 and in keeping H8104 of them there is great H7227 reward. H6118

Nehemiah 9:13-14 STRONG

Thou camest down H3381 also upon mount H2022 Sinai, H5514 and spakest H1696 with them from heaven, H8064 and gavest H5414 them right H3477 judgments, H4941 and true H571 laws, H8451 good H2896 statutes H2706 and commandments: H4687 And madest known H3045 unto them thy holy H6944 sabbath, H7676 and commandedst H6680 them precepts, H4687 statutes, H2706 and laws, H8451 by the hand H3027 of Moses H4872 thy servant: H5650

Deuteronomy 11:1 STRONG

Therefore thou shalt love H157 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 and keep H8104 his charge, H4931 and his statutes, H2708 and his judgments, H4941 and his commandments, H4687 alway. H3117

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 STRONG

Now these are the commandments, H4687 the statutes, H2706 and the judgments, H4941 which the LORD H3068 your God H430 commanded H6680 to teach H3925 you, that ye might do H6213 them in the land H776 whither ye go H5674 to possess H3423 it: That thou mightest fear H3372 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 to keep H8104 all his statutes H2708 and his commandments, H4687 which I command H6680 thee, thou, and thy son, H1121 and thy son's H1121 son, H1121 all the days H3117 of thy life; H2416 and that thy days H3117 may be prolonged. H748

Deuteronomy 5:1 STRONG

And Moses H4872 called H7121 all Israel, H3478 and said H559 unto them, Hear, H8085 O Israel, H3478 the statutes H2706 and judgments H4941 which I speak H1696 in your ears H241 this day, H3117 that ye may learn H3925 them, and keep, H8104 and do H6213 them.

Deuteronomy 4:1 STRONG

Now therefore hearken, H8085 O Israel, H3478 unto the statutes H2706 and unto the judgments, H4941 which I teach H3925 you, for to do H6213 them, that ye may live, H2421 and go in H935 and possess H3423 the land H776 which the LORD H3068 God H430 of your fathers H1 giveth H5414 you.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 18

Commentary on Ezekiel 18 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary


Verses 1-4

In the word of God contained in this chapter, the delusion that God visits the sins of fathers upon innocent children is overthrown, and the truth is clearly set forth that every man bears the guilt and punishment of his own sins (Ezekiel 18:1-4). The righteous lives through his righteousness (Ezekiel 18:5-9), but cannot save his wicked son thereby (Ezekiel 18:10-13); whilst the son who avoids the sins and wickedness of his father, will live through his own righteousness (Ezekiel 18:14-20). The man who repents and avoids sin is not even charged with his own sin; and, on the other hand, the man who forsakes the way of righteousness, and gives himself up to unrighteousness, will not be protected from death even by his own former righteousness (Ezekiel 18:21-29). Thus will God judge every man according to his way; and it is only by repentance that Israel itself can live (Ezekiel 18:30-32). The exposition of these truths is closely connected with the substance and design of the preceding and following prophecies. In the earlier words of God, Ezekiel had taken from rebellious Israel every support of false confidence in the preservation of the kingdom from destruction. But as an impenitent sinner, even when he can no longer evade the punishment of his sins, endeavours as much as possible to transfer the guilt from himself to others, and comforts himself with the thought that he has to suffer for sins that other shave committed, and hardens himself against the chastisement of God through such false consolation as this; so even among the people of Israel, when the divine judgments burst upon them, the delusion arose that the existing generation had to suffer for the fathers' sins. If, then, the judgment were ever to bear the fruit of Israel's conversion and renovation, which God designed, the impenitent generation must be deprived even of this pretext for covering over its sins and quieting its conscience, by the demonstration of the justice which characterized the government of God in His kingdom.

The proverb and the word of God. - Ezekiel 18:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Ezekiel 18:2. Why do you use this proverb in the land of Israel, saying, Fathers eat sour grapes, and the sons' teeth are set on edge. Ezekiel 18:3. As I live, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah, this proverb shall not be used any more in Israel. Ezekiel 18:4. Behold, all souls are mine; as the father's soul, so also the soul of the son, - they are mine; the soul which sinneth, it shall die. - On Ezekiel 18:2 compare Ezekiel 12:22. מה־לּכם , what is to you, what are you thinking of, that...? is a question of amazement. על־אדמת , in the land of Israel (Ezekiel 12:22), not “concerning the land of Israel,” as Hävernick assumes. The proverb was not, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes,” for we have not אכלוּ , as in Jeremiah 31:29, but יאכלוּ , they eat, are accustomed to eat, and אבות has no article, because it applies to all who eat sour grapes. Bōsĕr , unripe, sour grapes, like bēsĕr in Job 16:33 (see the comm. in loc .). The meaning of the proverb is self-evident. The sour grapes which the fathers eat are the sins which they commit; the setting of the children's teeth on edge is the consequence thereof, i.e., the suffering which the children have to endure. The same proverb is quoted in Jeremiah 31:29-30, and there also it is condemned as an error. The origin of such a proverb is easily to be accounted for from the inclination of the natural man to transfer to others the guilt which has brought suffering upon himself, more especially as the law teaches that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children (Exodus 20:5), and the prophets announce that the Lord would put away Judah from before His face on account of the sins of Manasseh (2 Kings 24:3; Jeremiah 15:4), while Jeremiah complains in Lamentations 5:7 that the people are bearing the fathers' sins. Nevertheless the proverb contained a most dangerous and fatal error, for which the teaching of the law concerning the visitation of the sins of the fathers, etc., was not accountable, and which Jeremiah, who expressly mentions the doctrine of the law (Jeremiah 32:18), condemns as strongly as Ezekiel. God will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children who hate Him, and who also walk in the footsteps of their fathers' sins; but to those who love Him, and keep His commandments, He will show mercy to the thousandth generation. The proverb, on the other hand, teaches that the children would have to atone for their fathers' sins without any culpability of their own. How remote such a perversion of the truth as to the transmission of sins and their consequences, viz., their punishment, was from the law of Moses, is evident from the express command in Deuteronomy 24:16, that the children were not to be put to death with the fathers for the sins which the latter had committed, but that every one was to die for his own sin. What God here enjoins upon the judicial authorities must apply to the infliction of his own judgments. Consequently what Ezekiel says in the following verses in opposition to the delusion, which this proverb helped to spread abroad, is simply a commentary upon the words, “every one shall die for his own sin,” and not a correction of the law, which is the interpretation that many have put upon these prophetic utterances of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 18:3, the Lord declares with an oath that this proverb shall not be used any more. The apodosis to ' אם יהיה וגו , which is not expressed, would be an imprecation, so that the oath contains a solemn prohibition. God will take care that this proverb shall not be used any more in Israel, not so much by the fact that He will not give them any further occasion to make use of it, as by the way in which He will convince them, through the judgments which He sends, of the justice of His ways. The following is Calvin's admirable paraphrase: “I will soon deprive you of this boasting of yours; for your iniquity shall be made manifest, so that all the world may see that you are but enduring just punishment, which you yourselves have deserved, and that you cannot cast it upon your fathers, as you have hitherto attempted to do.” At the same time, this only gives one side; we must also add the other, which is brought out so prominently in Jeremiah 31:29., namely, that after the judgment God will manifest His grace so gloriously in the forgiveness of sins, that those who are forgiven will fully recognise the justice of the judgments inflicted. Experience of the love and compassion of the Lord, manifesting itself in the forgiveness of sin, bows down the heart so deeply that the pardoned sinner has no longer any doubt of the justice of the judgments of God. “ In Israel ” is added, to show that such a proverb is opposed to the dignity of Israel. In Ezekiel 18:4, the reason assigned fore the declaration thus solemnly confirmed by an oath commences with a general thought which contains the thesis for further discussion. All souls are mine, the soul of the father as well as that of the son, saith the Lord. In these words, as Calvin has well said, “God does not merely vindicate His government or His authority, but shows that He is moved with paternal affection towards the whole of the human race which He created and formed.” There is no necessity for God to punish the one for the other, the son for the father, say because of the possibility that the guilty person might evade Him; and as the Father of all, He cannot treat the one in a different manner from the other, but can only punish the one by whom punishment has been deserved. The soul that sinneth shall die. הנּפשׁ is used here, as in many other passages, for “man,” and מוּת is equivalent to suffering death as a punishment. “Death” is used to denote the complete destruction with which transgressors are threatened by the law, as in Deuteronomy 30:15 (compare Jeremiah 21:8; Proverbs 11:10). This sentence is explained in the verses which follow (vv. 5-20).


Verses 5-9

The Righteous Man Shall Not Die

Ezekiel 18:5. If a man is righteous, and doeth right and righteousness, Ezekiel 18:6. And doth not eat upon the mountains, and doth not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and doth not defile his neighbour's wife, and doth not approach his wife in her uncleanness, Ezekiel 18:7. Oppresseth no one, restoreth his security (lit., debt-pledge), committeth no robbery, giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with clothes, Ezekiel 18:8. Doth not give upon usury, and taketh not interest, withholdeth his hand from wrong, executeth judgment of truth between one and another, Ezekiel 18:9. Walketh in my statutes, and keepeth my rights to execute truth; he is righteous, he shall live, is the saying of the Lord “Jehovah.” - The exposition of the assertion, that God only punishes the sinner, not the innocent, commences with a picture of the righteousness which has the promise of life. The righteousness consists in the fulfilment of the commandments of the law: viz., (1) those relating to religious duties, such as the avoidance of idolatry, whether of the grosser kind, such as eating upon the mountains, i.e., observing sacrificial festivals, and therefore sacrificing to idols (cf. Deuteronomy 12:2.), or of a more refined description, e.g., lifting up the eyes to idols, to look to them, or make them the object of trust, and offer supplication to them (cf. Psalms 121:1; Deuteronomy 4:19), as Israel had done, and was doing still (cf. Ezekiel 6:13); and (2) those relating to moral obligations, such as the avoidance of adultery (compare Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22; and for טמּא , Genesis 34:5), and of conjugal intercourse with a wife during menstruation, which was a defilement of the marriage relation (cf. Leviticus 18:19; Leviticus 20:18). All these sins were forbidden in the law on pain of death. To these there are appended duties to a neighbour (Ezekiel 18:7.), viz., to abstain from oppressing any one (Exodus 22:28; Leviticus 15:14, Leviticus 15:17), to restore the pledge to a debtor (Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 24:6, Deuteronomy 24:10.). חוב is hardly to be taken in any other sense than as in apposition to חבלתו , “his pledge, which is debt,” equivalent to his debt-pledge or security, like דּרכּך זמּה in Ezekiel 16:27. The supposition of Hitzig, that חוב is a participle, like קום in 2 Kings 16:7, in the sense of debtor, is a far less natural one, and has no valid support in the free rendering of the lxx, ἐνεχυρασμὸν ὀφείλοντος . The further duties are to avoid taking unlawful possession of the property of another (cf. Lev. 5:23); to feed the hungry, clothe the naked (cf. Isaiah 58:5; Matthew 25:26; James 2:15-16); to abstain from practising usury (Deuteronomy 23:20; cf. Exodus 22:24) and taking interest (Leviticus 25:36-37); in judicial sentences, to draw back the hand from wrong, and promote judgment of truth, - a sentence in accordance with the true nature of the case (see the comm. on Zechariah 7:9); and, lastly, to walk in the statutes and rights of the Lord, - an expression which embraces, in conclusion, all that is essential to the righteousness required by the law. - This definition of the idea of true righteousness, which preserves from death and destruction, and ensures life to the possessor, is followed in Ezekiel 18:10. by a discussion of the attitude which God sustains towards the sons.


Verses 10-13

The righteousness of the father does not protect the wicked, unrighteous son from death. - Ezekiel 18:10. If, however, he begetteth a violent son, who sheddeth blood, and doeth only one of these things, Ezekiel 18:11. But he himself hath not done all this, - if he even eateth upon the mountains, and defileth his neighbour's wife, Ezekiel 18:12. Oppresseth the suffering and poor, committeth robbery, doth not restore a pledge, lifteth up his eyes to idols, committeth abomination, Ezekiel 18:13. Giveth upon usury, and taketh interest: should he live? He shall not live! He hath done all these abominations; he shall be put to death; his blood shall be upon him. - The subject to והוליד , in Ezekiel 18:10, is the righteous man described in the preceding verses. פּריץ , violent, literally, breaking in or through, is rendered more emphatic by the words “shedding blood” (cf. Hosea 4:2). We regard אח in the next clause as simply a dialectically different form of writing and pronouncing, for אך , “only,” and he doeth only one of these, the sins previously mentioned (Ezekiel 18:6.). מאחד , with a partitive מן , as in Leviticus 4:2, where it is used in a similar connection; the form מאחד is also met with in Deuteronomy 15:7. The explanation given by the Targum, “and doeth one of these to his brother,” is neither warranted by the language nor commended by the sense. עשׂה is never construed with the accusative of the person to whom anything is done; and the limitation of the words to sins against a brother is unsuitable in this connection. The next clause, לא עשׂה ... והוּא , which has also been variously rendered, we regard as an adversative circumstantial clause, and agree with Kliefoth in referring it to the begetter (father): “and he (the father) has not committed any of these sins.” For it yields no intelligible sense to refer this clause also to the son, since כּל־אלּה cannot possibly refer to different things from the preceding מאלּה , and a man cannot at the same time both do and not do the same thing. The כּי which follows signifies “if,” as is frequently the case in the enumeration of particular precepts or cases; compare, for example, Exodus 21:1, Exodus 21:7,Exodus 21:17, etc., where it is construed with the imperfect, because the allusion is to things that may occur. Here, on the contrary, it is followed by the perfect, because the sins enumerated are regarded as committed. The emphatic גּם (even) forms an antithesis to אח מאחד ( אך ), or rather an epanorthosis of it, inasmuch as כּי גּם resumes and carries out still further the description of the conduct of the wicked son, which was interrupted by the circumstantial clause; and that not only in a different form, but with a gradation in the thought. The thought, for instance, is as follows: the violent son of a righteous father, even if he has committed only one of the sins which the father has not committed, shall die. And if he has committed even the gross sins named, viz., idolatry, adultery, violent oppression of the poor, robbery, etc., should he then continue to live? The ו in וחי introduces the apodosis, which contains a question, that is simply indicated by the tone, and is immediately denied. The antique form חי for חיּה , 3rd pers. perf., is taken from the Pentateuch (cf. Genesis 3:22 and Numbers 21:8). The formulae מות יוּמת and דּמיו בּו dna are also derived from the language of the law (cf. Leviticus 20:9, Leviticus 20:11, Leviticus 20:13, etc.).


Verses 14-20

The son who avoids his father's sin will live; but the father will die for his own sins. - Ezekiel 18:14. And behold, he begetteth a son, who seeth all his father's sins which he doeth; he seeth them, and doeth not such things. Ezekiel 18:15. He eateth not upon the mountains, and lifteth not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; he defileth not his neighbour's wife, Ezekiel 18:16. And oppresseth no one; he doth not withhold a pledge, and committeth not robbery; giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with clothes. Ezekiel 18:17. He holdeth back his hand from the distressed one, taketh not usury and interest, doeth my rights, walketh in my statutes; he will not die for the sin of his father; he shall live. Ezekiel 18:18. His father, because he hath practised oppression, committed robbery upon his brother, and hath done that which is not good in the midst of his people; behold, he shall die for his sin. Ezekiel 18:19. And do ye say, Why doth the son not help to bear the father's sin? But the son hath done right and righteousness, hath kept all my statutes, and done them; he shall live. Ezekiel 18:20. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. A son shall not help to bear the father's sin, and a father shall not help to bear the sin of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. - The case supposed in these verses forms the antithesis to the preceding one; the father is the transgressor in this instance, and the son a keeper of the law. The subject to הוליד in Ezekiel 18:14 is not the righteous man described in Ezekiel 18:15, but a man who is described immediately afterwards as a transgressor of the commandments of God. The Chetib וירא bite in the last clause of Ezekiel 18:14 is not to be read ויּרא , καὶ φοβηθῇ , et timuerit , as it has been by the translators of the Septuagint and Vulgate; nor is it to be altered into ויּראה , as it has been by the Masoretes, to make it accord with Ezekiel 18:28; but it is the apocopated form ויּרא , as in the preceding clause, and the object is to be repeated from what precedes, as in the similar case which we find in Exodus 20:15, (18). Ewald and Hitzig propose to alter מעני in Ezekiel 18:17 into מעול after Ezekiel 18:8, but without the slightest necessity. The lxx are not to be taken as an authority for this, since the Chaldee and Syriac have both read and rendered עני ; and Ezekiel, when repeating the same sentences, is accustomed to make variations in particular words. Holding back the hand from the distressed, is equivalent to abstaining from seizing upon him for the purpose of crushing him (compare Ezekiel 18:12); בּתוך , in the midst of his countrymen = בּתוך עמּו , is adopted from the language of the Pentateuch. מת after הנּה is a participle. The question, “Why does the son not help to bear?” is not a direct objection on the part of the people, but is to be taken as a pretext, which the people might offer on the ground of the law, that God would visit the sin of the fathers upon the sons in justification of their proverb. Ezekiel cites this pretext for the purpose of meeting it by stating the reason why this does not occur. נשׂא ב , to carry, near or with, to join in carrying, or help to carry (cf. Numbers 11:17). This proved the proverb to be false, and confirmed the assertion made in Ezekiel 18:4 , to which the address therefore returns (Ezekiel 18:20). The righteousness of the righteous man will come upon him, i.e., upon the righteous man, namely, in its consequences. The righteous man will receive the blessing of righteousness, but the unrighteous man the curse of his wickedness. There is no necessity for the article, which the Keri proposes to insert before רשׁע .


Verses 21-26

Turning to good leads to life; turning to evil is followed by death. - Ezekiel 18:21. But if the wicked man turneth from all his sins which he hath committed, and keepeth all my statutes, and doeth right and righteousness, he shall live, and not die. Ezekiel 18:22. All his transgressions which he hath committed, shall not be remembered to him: for the sake of the righteousness which he hath done he will live. Ezekiel 18:23. Have I then pleasure in the death of the wicked? is the saying of Jehovah: and not rather that he turn from his ways, and live? Ezekiel 18:24. But if the righteous man turn from his righteousness, and doeth wickedness, and acteth according to all the abominations which the ungodly man hath done, should he live? All the righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered: for his unfaithfulness that he hath committed, and for his sin that he hath sinned, for these he shall die. Ezekiel 18:25. And ye say, “The way of the Lord is not right.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? Ezekiel 18:26. If a righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and doeth wickedness, and dieth in consequence, he dieth for his wickedness that he hath done. - The proof that every one must bear his sin did not contain an exhaustive reply to the question, in what relation the righteousness of God stood to the sin of men? For the cases supposed in vv. 5-20 took for granted that there was a constant persistence in the course once taken, and overlooked the instances, which are by no means rare, when a man's course of life is entirely changed. It still remained, therefore, to take notice of such cases as these, and they are handled in Ezekiel 18:21-26. The ungodly man, who repents and turns, shall live; and the righteous man, who turns to the way of sin, shall die. “As the righteous man, who was formerly a sinner, is not crushed down by his past sins; so the sinner, who was once a righteous man, is not supported by his early righteousness. Every one will be judged in that state in which he is found” (Jerome). The motive for the pardon of the repenting sinner is given in Ezekiel 18:23, in the declaration that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but desires his conversion, that he may live. God is therefore not only just, but merciful and gracious, and punishes none with death but those who either will not desist from evil, or will not persevere in the way of His commandments. Consequently the complaint, that the way of the Lord, i.e., His conduct toward men, is not weighed ( יתּכן , see comm. on 1 Samuel 2:3), i.e., not just and right, is altogether unfounded, and recoils upon those who make it. It it not God's ways, but the sinner's, that are wrong (Ezekiel 18:25). The proof of this, which Hitzig overlooks, is contained in the declarations made in Ezekiel 18:23 and Ezekiel 18:26, - viz. in the fact that God does not desire the death of the sinner, and in His mercy forgives the penitent all his former sins, and does not lay them to his charge; and also in the fact that He punishes the man who turns from the way of righteousness and gives himself up to wickedness, on account of the sin which he commits; so that He simply judges him according to his deeds. - In Ezekiel 18:24, ועשׂה is the continuation of the infinitive שׁוּב , and וחי is interrogatory, as in Ezekiel 18:13.


Verses 27-32

The vindication of the ways of God might have formed a fitting close to this divine oracle. But as the prophet was not merely concerned with the correction of the error contained in the proverb which was current among the people, but still more with the rescue of the people themselves from destruction, he follows up the refutation with another earnest call to repentance. - Ezekiel 18:27. If a wicked man turneth from his wickedness which he hath done, and doeth right and righteousness, he will keep his soul alive. Ezekiel 18:28. If he seeth and turneth from all his transgressions which he hath committed, he shall live and not die. Ezekiel 18:29. And the house of Israel saith, The way of the Lord is not right. Are may ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not rather your ways that are not right? Ezekiel 18:30. Therefore, every one according to his ways, will I judge you, O house of Israel, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Turn and repent of all your transgressions, that it may not become to you a stumbling-block to guilt. Ezekiel 18:31. Cast from you all your transgressions which ye have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! And why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:32. For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Therefore repent, that ye may live. - For the purpose of securing an entrance into their hearts for the call to repentance, the prophet not only repeats, in Ezekiel 18:27 and Ezekiel 18:28, the truth declared in Ezekiel 18:21 and Ezekiel 18:22, that he who turns from his sin finds life, but refutes once more in Ezekiel 18:29, as he has already done in Ezekiel 18:25, the charge that God's ways are not right. The fact that the singular יתּכן is connected with the plural דּרכיכם , does not warrant our altering the plural into דּרכּכם , but may be explained in a very simple manner, by assuming that the ways of the people are all summed up in one, and that the meaning is this: what you say of my way applies to your own ways, - namely, “it is not right; there is just measure therein.” לכן , “therefore, etc.;” because my way, and not yours, is right, I will judge you, every one according to his way. Repent, therefore, if ye would escape from death and destruction. שׁוּבוּ is rendered more emphatic by השׁיבוּ , sc. פניכם , as in Ezekiel 14:6. In the last clause of Ezekiel 18:30, עון is not to be taken as the subject of the sentence according to the accents, but is a genitive dependent upon מכשׁול , as in Ezekiel 7:19 and Ezekiel 14:3; and the subject is to be found in the preceding clause: that it (the sinning) may not become to you a stumbling-block of iniquity, i.e., a stumbling-block through which ye fall into guilt and punishment. - The appeal in Ezekiel 18:31 points back to the promise in Ezekiel 11:18-19. השׁליך , to cast away. The application of this word to transgressions may be explained from the fact that they consisted for the most part of idols and idolatrous images, which they had made. - ” Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit:” a man cannot, indeed, create either of these by his own power; God alone can give them (Ezekiel 11:19). But a man both can and should come to God to receive them: in other words, he can turn to God, and let both heart and spirit be renewed by the Spirit of God. And this God is willing to do; for He has no pleasure בּמות המת , in the death of the dying one. In the repetition of the assurance given in Ezekiel 18:23, המּת is very appropriately substituted for רשׁע , to indicate to the people that while in sin they are lying in death, and that it is only by conversion and renewal that they can recover life again.