Ezekiel 18:8-18

8 lendeth not to usury, and taketh not more; turneth away his hand from wickedness, and maketh true doom betwixt man and man; (lendeth not for usury, and taketh not more than is just, or is right; turneth away his hand from wickedness, and maketh true justice between one person and another;)

9 and goeth in my commandments, and keepeth my dooms, that he do truth; this is a just man, he shall live in life, saith the Lord God. (and goeth in my commandments, and keepeth, or obeyeth, my laws, so that he do them in truth, or truthfully; this is a just, or a righteous, man, and he shall live, saith the Lord God.)

10 That if he engendereth a son, a thief, shedding out blood, and doeth (not) one of these things, (And if he begetteth a son, yea, a thief who sheddeth out blood, and doeth not any of these good, or righteous, things,)

11 and soothly not doing all these things, but eating in hills, and defouling the wife of his neighbour; (and truly not doing any of these good things, that his father did, but eateth on hills, and defileth his neighbour's wife;)

12 making sorrowful a needy man and poor, ravishing ravens, not yielding a wed, raising his eyes to idols, doing abomination; (maketh sorrowful the needy and the poor, robbeth spoils, giveth not back a pledge, raiseth his eyes to idols, doeth abomination;)

13 giving to usury, and taking more; whether he shall live? he shall not live; when he hath done all these abominable things, he shall die by death, his blood shall be in him. (lendeth for usury, and taketh more than he should; shall he live? nay! he shall not live; for he hath done all these abominable things, he shall die, and his blood shall be upon him.)

14 That if he begetteth a son, which seeth all the sins of his father, which he did, and dreadeth, and doeth none like those; (And if he begetteth a son, who seeth all his father's sins, which he did, and feareth, and doeth none like them;)

15 eateth not on hills, and raiseth not (up) his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; and defouleth not the wife of his neighbour (and defileth not his neighbour's wife),

16 and maketh not sorry a man, withholdeth not a wed, and ravisheth not raven, giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a cloth; (and maketh not any person sorrowful, withholdeth not a pledge, and robbeth not any spoils, but giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a cloak;)

17 turneth away his hand from the wrong of a poor man, taketh not usury and overabundance, that is, nothing more than he lent, and doeth my dooms, and goeth in my commandments; this son shall not die in the wickedness of his father, but he shall live in life. (turneth away his hand from doing wrong to the poor, taketh not usury and overabundance, that is, nothing more than he lent, and keepeth, or obeyeth, my laws, and goeth in my commandments; this son shall not die in the wickedness of his father, but he shall live.)

18 For his father made false challenge, and did violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, lo! he is dead in his wickedness. (Because his father oppressed, and did violence to his kinsman, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, lo! he shall die because of his wickedness.)

Ezekiel 18:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 18

This chapter contains an answer to an objection of the Jews to the dealings of God with them in a providential way. The objection is expressed in a proverb of common use among them, and complained of as being without cause, Eze 18:1,2; however, for the future, no occasion should be given them to use it; for, though God could justify his proceedings upon the foot of his sovereignty, all souls being his; yet he was determined none but the sinner himself should suffer, Eze 18:3,4; and puts various cases for the illustration and vindication of his proceedings; as that a just man, who is described by his proper characters, as abstaining from several sins specified, and doing what is right and good, should surely live, Eze 18:5-9; but that the son of such a just man, being the reverse of his father's character, should surely die, Eze 18:10-13; and again, the son of such a wicked man, observing the heinousness of his father's sins, and abstaining from them, though his father should die in his iniquities, he should not die for them, but live, Eze 18:14-18; by which it appears that the dealings of God with the Jews were not according to the proverb used by them, but quite agreeable to his resolution; that the sinner, be he a father or a son, shall die for his own sins; and that the righteous man's righteousness shall be upon him, and the wicked man's sin upon him, and accordingly both shall be dealt with, Eze 18:19,20; which is further illustrated by a wicked man's turning from his sinful course, and doing righteousness, and living in that righteousness he has done; which is more agreeable to God that he should live, and not die in sin, Eze 18:21-23; and by a righteous man turning from his righteousness, and living a vicious life, and dying in it, Eze 18:24; from both which instances this conclusion follows, that God is to be justified; and that his ways are equal, and the Jews' ways were unequal, and their complaint unjust, Eze 18:25; and the same instances are repeated in a different order, and the same conclusion formed, Eze 18:26-29; upon which the Lord determines to judge them according to their own ways, their personal actions, good or bad; and exhorts them to repentance and reformation; and closes with a pathetic expostulation, with them, Eze 18:30-32.