Ezekiel 33:10-20

Why Will You Die, Israel?

10 "And you, 1son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: 'Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and 2we rot away because of them. 3How then can we live?'
11 Say to them, 4As I live, declares the Lord GOD, 5I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; 6turn back, turn back from your evil ways, 7for why will you die, O house of Israel?
12 8"And you, son of man, say to 9your people, 10The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, 11and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, 12and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness[a] when he sins.
13 Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet 13if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
14 Again, 14though I say to the wicked, 15'You shall surely die,' yet 16if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right,
15 if the wicked 17restores the pledge, 18gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks 19in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
16 20None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
17 "Yet 21your people say, 22'The way of the Lord is not just,' when it is their own way that is not just.
18 23When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it.
19 And 24when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this.
20 Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' O house of Israel, 25I will judge each of you according to his ways."

Ezekiel 33:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 33

This chapter treats of the prophet's duty, and the people's sins; contains a vindication of the justice of God; a threatening of destruction to those who remained in the land after the taking of the city; and a detection of the hypocrisy of the prophet's hearers. The duty of a watchman in general is declared, Eze 33:1-6, an application of this to the prophet, Eze 33:7: the sum of whose business is to warn the wicked man of his wickedness; and the consequence of doing, or not doing it, is expressed, Eze 33:8,9, an objection of the people, and the prophet's answer to it, Eze 33:10,11, who is bid to acquaint them, that a righteous man trusting to his righteousness, and sinning, should not live; and that a sinner repenting of his sins should not die, Eze 33:12-16, the people's charge of inequality in the ways of God is retorted upon them, and removed from the Lord, and proved against them, Eze 33:17-20, then follows a prophecy, delivered out after the news was brought of the taking of the city, threatening with ruin those that remained in the land, confident of safety, and that for their sins, which are particularly enumerated, Eze 33:21-29, and the chapter is closed with a discovery of the hypocrisy of those that attended the prophet's ministry, Eze 33:30-33.

Cross References 25

  • 1. See Ezekiel 2:1
  • 2. See Ezekiel 4:17
  • 3. [Ezekiel 37:11; Isaiah 49:14]
  • 4. See Ezekiel 16:48
  • 5. See Ezekiel 18:23
  • 6. Ezekiel 18:31
  • 7. Ezekiel 18:31
  • 8. [See ver. 2 above]
  • 9. See ver. 2
  • 10. [ver. 18]; See Ezekiel 18:24
  • 11. [2 Chronicles 7:14]
  • 12. [ver. 18]; See Ezekiel 18:24
  • 13. [See ver. 12 above]
  • 14. Ezekiel 3:18
  • 15. [Genesis 2:17]
  • 16. See Ezekiel 18:27
  • 17. Ezekiel 18:7
  • 18. Lev. 6:2, 4, 5; [Luke 19:8]
  • 19. See Ezekiel 20:11
  • 20. Ezekiel 18:22
  • 21. [See ver. 12 above]
  • 22. Ezekiel 18:25, 29
  • 23. [ver. 12, 13; See Ezekiel 18:26]
  • 24. Ezekiel 18:27; [ver. 11, 12]
  • 25. See Ezekiel 18:30

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.