Ezekiel 18:4

4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son-both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine
By creation; they being the immediate produce of his power; hence he is called "the Father of spirits", ( Hebrews 12:9 ) , or the souls of men; these he has an apparent right unto; a property in; a dominion over; they are accountable to him, and will be judged impartially by him: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine;
and therefore must be thought to have as great a respect and affection for the one as for the other; for the soul of a son as for the soul of a father; and not deal partially in favour of the one, and cruelly and unrighteously with the other: the soul that sinneth, it shall die;
the soul that continues in sin, without repentance towards God, and faith in Christ, shall die the second death; shall be separated from the presence of God, and endure his wrath to all eternity: or the meaning is, that a person that is guilty of gross sins, and continues in them, shall personally suffer; he shall endure one calamity or another, as the famine, sword, pestilence, or be carried into captivity, which is the death all along spoken of in this chapter; the Lord will exercise no patience towards him, or defer punishment to a future generation, his offspring; but shall immediately execute it upon himself.

Ezekiel 18:4 In-Context

2 "What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live"-[this is] the declaration of the Lord God -"you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.
4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son-both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.
5 "Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:
6 He does not eat at the mountain [shrines] or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity.
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