Ezekiel 18: A Bible Commentary By Charles R. Sabo

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??????????????????????????????????????????? ??Chapter 18

Chapter 18 presents a theology lesson for the house of Israel during the time before the destruction of Jerusalem. The lesson teaches Old Covenant righteousness and damnation. The Israelites were ignorant for centuries concerning God’s judgment against those who die in their iniquities. Having misinterpreted Exodus 34:7, they assumed that they were all damned for the sins of their wicked ancestors. One specific declaration that was expected, seemed to cause many to make the assumption that they were all going to die in the iniquities of the fathers. When King Manasseh ignored the pleas to repent, the Lord God declared that He would destroy Jerusalem because of this (2 Kings 21:11-13). With the Exodus 34:7 misinterpretation, and the commitment to future judgment over Jerusalem, a proverb became commonly spoken: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge” is located in 18:2, which was also addressed by Jeremiah in Jerusalem (Jer. 31:29) at this same time. God spent the entirety of chapter 18 explaining salvation, damnation, and repentance in detail.

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Ezekiel 18:1-2?The word of the?Lord?came unto me again, saying, 2?“What mean you, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?’” The translators had added to and changed the first clause of this passage, when they repeated an addition verb “hāya,” when it actually only shows up once in the original Hebrew manuscripts. Just like the beginning of chapter 17, they mistranslated the Hebrew verb “hāya” as a Niphal perfect verb, when the original manuscript is actually inflected as a Qal imperfect verb. The action was ongoing and not in the past. Just like chapter 17, this should say “The word of the Lord continued to come unto me, saying…” This indicates that the word of the Lord continued after chapter 16, then continued to come after chapter 17 here in chapter 18. There is no “came again,” but it just continued to come.

The Lord confronted the people of Israel, both in captivity and alive in Jerusalem, concerning a repeated “proverb” among them. The Lord had already known what they had in their hearts, therefore knew already what it had meant, but confronted them in order to address this ridiculous presumption on their part. Jeremiah addressed the same proverb (Jer. 31:29), around the same time as Ezekiel, which seemed to indicate that this was a common belief among the people. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.”

The people of Israel were blaming the judgments against them on their ancestors who had sinned terribly (2 Kings 21-23, 2 Chron. 32:33-33:20). They looked back at King Manasseh and his wicked treachery and thought that it was unfair to be judged for the sins of their fathers. Their hearts were full of self-righteousness, when they put the blame on their fathers. This has been typical of mankind ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, when Adam blamed his guilt on both the woman and God concerning his own sin. “And the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’” (Gen. 3:12) There was no conviction within their hearts that they were doing anything wrong, because they felt that they were being punished for their fathers’ sins.

Ezekiel 18:3 “As I live,” says the Lord?God, “you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.” First of all, God swore on His own life (As I live), which means it is for sure, because He is eternal. God has set a standard, which Israel must conform to, or they are guilty of even more sin. The Israeli captives and those Israelis of Jerusalem would no longer have occasion any further to say this wicked and delusional proverb.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die. This statement is eternal. It has held true from day one of the Creation (Gen. 2:16-17), and continues to hold true today for all of mankind. Israel needed this theology lesson from the Lord, because they were missing perspective of this reality. The death being spoken of did not necessarily pertain to just physical death, but the death of the living soul. The fact that God used the noun “soul” within His declaration, reveals that this is eternal. Sin brings upon the soul eternal death, which would forward to Revelation 20:11-15 and the White Throne Judgment (the soul that sins, it shall die.).

The Creator of all life owns those lives; the living soul (Gen. 2:7) is created within the womb of each person’s mother (Ps. 139:13-14) and can either be eternally God’s forever (Dan. 12:2), or be destroyed by God on Judgment Day (Rev. 20:11-15). God declared here in 18:4 that each soul is responsible for their own sins committed. This verse doesn’t say that the soul whose father sins, it shall die! It is very direct and specific. (the soul that sins, it shall die.) This theology lesson is short and specific; there should have been no confusion.

Ezekiel 18:5 “But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,” The Lord continued to clarify Himself to these highly self-righteous and deceived people. He made this statement, then followed with what He meant by His alternative to sin in verses 18:6-9. They should have already known what it meant to be just, but most likely never read of this in the Laws of Moses, which was due to their own lack of interest and ignorance.

The explanation of what it meant to be just began here as a list. The first thing on the list is “do that which is lawful and right.” Most of them were ignorant of what was lawful and right, because they never studied the words within the Laws of Moses; these were mostly pagan Israel, while believers in God were even ignorant of the total truth. This first requirement led them to ask in their hearts, “what does it mean to ‘“do that which is lawful and right?”’ (see verses 18:6-9)

Ezekiel 18:6 And has not eaten upon the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his neighbor's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, This verse begins to explain what God meant by doing what was lawful and right within 18:5. The Hebrew noun “har” is defined as: “hill, mountain, hill country, mount.” It was not sinful to eat on a mountain or hill, but the connection being indicated here pertains to the sacrifices of animals and children in the high places at their ungodly altars. Israel was only allowed to eat the sacrifices that were performed at the altar within God’s Temple and only according to His requirements (Lev. 7:28-38) (has not eaten upon the mountains).

To lift up one’s eyes, one first has to bow down with their eyes to the ground in worship. Idolatry had been the topic of what had upset the Lord through the first 16 chapters of Ezekiel. It was an abomination unto Him, as well as adultery against Him, since Israel had been betrothed to God in Exodus 19. The first Two Commandments, within the Laws of Moses, provided clear instruction that Israel was to be faithful to the Lord and no other god, and shall not make idols of anything to worship.

3?You shall have no other gods before me.

4?You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is in the water under the Earth.

5?You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the?Lord?your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (Ex. 20:3-5)?

To defile the wife of a neighbor is interpreted as sexual immorality within this verse. The defiling of someone’s wife is known as adultery. In the case before Christ, it was a physical participation in an act of adultery, then the Lord announced (while He was here): to lust for someone’s wife in your own heart is the same as committing the act physically. “But I say unto you, ‘That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”’ (Matt. 5:28) For now, we must recognize that the Israelites, during the time of Ezekiel, were only being held accountable for the physical adultery. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Ex. 20:14)

These people of Israel were ignorant to God’s word, but also knew in their own hearts that this was a deception and lies towards the spouse of the woman being defiled; they knew it was wrong, but did not feel accountability towards a Holy God, but acted according to the demands from the demonic realm and pagan customs.

Leviticus 15:19-33 informed Israel of the uncleanness of touching a woman during her menstrual period. This apparently had been disobeyed by these people of Israel during this time. Their ignorance of the Laws of Moses caused them to sin this sin, as most of the world has done since the beginning of time. Because it was mentioned within this criterion needed to be considered lawful and right, we must accept that the people were defiling themselves by touching a woman while on her menstrual period (neither has come near to a menstruous woman).

Ezekiel 18:7 And has not oppressed any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has spoiled none by violence, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

The qualifications to be considered by God to be lawful and right, which began in Ezekiel 18:6, continues here. The oppression being referred to was pertaining to a borrower (debtor); oppression of a borrower is ungodly, while restoring (releasing) the borrower (debtor) of his original pledge was very godly; this usually meant freedom from this form of slavery, which was expected within the Laws of Moses; this was labor being accomplished in order to repay the debt; this was originated by a pledge from the borrower (debtor). Every Sabbatical year (seventh year) a creditor had to release the brother (children of Israel) of his debt owed. Once again, these people were ungodly pagans, who were ignorant of what the Laws of Moses indicated, therefore this was like a schooling for these people.

1At the end of every seven years, you shall make a release.

2?And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lends out unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the?Lord's release.

3?Of a foreigner, you may exact it again, but that which is your with your brother your hand shall release; (Deut. 15:1-3)?

The definition of the Hebrew verb “gāzal” means: to seize, to plunder, meanwhile the translators inserted the English verb “spoiled.” This most likely was a recovery method used by the creditor, when a borrower failed to keep his end of the pledge. Because it is listed separately, it does pertain to oppression for any reason. The Lord Jesus hit on this requirement during His ministry, within a parable in Matthew 18:23-35. ?

29?And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.”

30?And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

31?So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32?Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, “Oh you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you desired of me:

33?Should not you also have had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you?” (Matt. 18:29-33)?

The oppression described by Jesus was most likely accompanied by violence while the debtor was cast into prison. The parable never implied violence, but the wicked do what they do with little regard to what the Lord requires. The violence described usually was inflicted by creditors demanding repayment. In the world, wicked loan sharks believe that it is their right to inflict pain (violence) upon a debtor, if payments are not made. Because the violence is listed as a separate item on the list, it must pertain to all violence, no matter what the reason.

38?You have heard that it hath been said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:”

39?But I say unto you, “That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matt. 5:38-39)

The list of righteousness continued with more mercy to be given to the poor and needy. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7) Selflessness is godly, while selfishness is ungodly. Giving your own bread, to someone hungry and less fortunate, seemed to be lacking among the pagan children of Israel during this time. The naked are those who seem to have little clothing, yet need more because it gets cold in Israel in the winter. A teeth-chattering person homeless and in the cold of winter needs mercy, and the Lord requires of all who have abundance to share with those less fortunate. Handing the needy a blanket or garment is righteous, while ignoring it is unrighteous. ?“He that despises his neighbor sins: but he that has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Prov. 14:21) Jesus Christ said that those who show mercy, shall have mercy from Him (God). (has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment)

Ezekiel 18:8 He that has not given forth upon usury, neither has taken any increase, that has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true judgment between man and man, The translators used the verb expression “given forth” for the Hebrew verb “nā?an,” which in the Qal Imperfect means: “give, put, set.” The Hebrew noun translated as “usury” is “ne?e?,” which means “interest.” The first clause here declared that setting interest upon a borrower (debtor) was ungodly and not lawful and right. Though this was a teaching to the ungodly Israelites, Jerusalem did home some non-Israelites at this time. The Lord did not specifically say this standard was only towards a brother Israelite, but left it open to all usury (interest) charges on others. ?

You shall not lend upon usury to your brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury: 20?Unto a stranger you may lend upon usury; but unto your brother you shall not lend upon usury: that the?Lord?your God may bless you in all that you set your hand to in the land wherever you go to possess it. (Deut. 23:19-20)?

Deuteronomy 23:19 presents a creditor charging interest as an increase of their debt charged, through anything that is lent upon, usury (interest). Its intent is towards any increase in wealth charged over the original debt. The world has changed the definition of the crime of usury as “excessive interest,” yet is never enforced against the ungodly bankers of the modern age. The Lord God addressed this again in Ezekiel 22, when addressing the wicked who had been guilty of not doing that which is lawful and right. “In you have taken gifts to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten me, says the Lord?God.” (Ezek. 22:12)

4?Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5?A good man shows favor and lends: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

6?Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

7?He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the?Lord. (Ps. 112:4-7)

Continuing on through this list of requirements to be considered lawful and right, we find a person “that has withdrawn his hand from iniquity.” To withdraw your hand from iniquity is to either repent of a sin, or to refrain yourself from committing the sin in the first place. It is a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit and can say no to sin, but the person without the Spirit is potentially going to fail. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:4) Unfortunately, Israel did not have the conviction of the Holy Spirit within them, therefore they had to demonstrate a difficult obedience to the Laws of Moses. It originally demanded of the priests to memorize the laws, so that they could lead by example over others. The difficulty of walking lawful and right was frustrating even for the priests, and God knew it. Their failure was disheartening to the faithful, who desired to be right with the Lord always.

All works-based religions fail to satisfy the Holiness of God, this was the main reason God foretold of His Messiah (Gen. 3:15). The Messiah came in the name Jesus (Yeshuah in Hebrew [Jesus in Latin]), which means: “to deliver, to rescue.” The Hebrew noun “mashiach” (Messiah or [Christ in Latin]) means: “the anointed One.” The deliverer is the anointed One, who died a substitutional atonement for the faithful of the world. “Yet it pleased the?LORD?to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief, when you shall make his soul an offering for sin,” (Is. 53:10a) He delivered His people from the burdens of the Laws of Moses, and the continual need for repeated atonement for sin. ?

28?Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29?Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.

30?For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)?

The list of requirements to be considered lawful and right continued with “has executed true judgment between man and man.” Gender was not important here, but the act of executing true judgment according to the Laws of Moses. Moses use to be burdened each day by the million plus Israelites that lined up to ask of him what was true judgment in many matters (Ex. 18:13-16), until the Lord declared to Moses His laws to be written so all could know what true judgment was (Ex. 20-23). If a person could live by the Laws of Moses within Exodus 20-23, they would be executing true judgment between all people.

Ezekiel 18:9 Has walked in my statutes, and has kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord?God. To close out the list of requirements to be considered lawful and right (Ezek. 18:5), the Lord made a promise here to those who maintained His standards (Ezek. 18:6-9). Those who walked in God’s statutes (laws within Exodus 20-23), which included judgments performed against violators (to deal truly), would be considered just in the eyes of the Lord. Ezekiel used the Hebrew adjective “?ad?q” while the translators used the English adjective “just.” The definition of this Hebrew adjective is “just, lawful, righteous.” Because the person is considered “righteous” by the Judge, he (or she) shall surely live. Though life and death are common occurrences to all of the living, the expression “he shall surely live” actually pertains to eternity. The death of the human soul occurs only to the unrighteous or unjust (Dan. 12:2, Rev. 20:11-15). This brings us to look back at Ezekiel 18:4, when God said the soul that sins shall die. There are no exceptions to the rule. Sin atonement was needed in order for the Lord to know that you had repented of that sin, thus all of the substitutional atonement was performed daily by the priests in the Temple services.

Ezekiel 18:10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that does the like to any one of these things, This verse begins an if/then statement concerning the violation of any of the above requirements within 18:6-9. The Lord listed the items of 18:6-9 within 18:10-13 as the “if” part of the if/then statement. If the righteous person were to beget a son, who violates these requirements of being considered lawful and right, then...(see 18:13). ?The intent was to reiterate what was being disclosed within 18:4. The wicked son would be the one endangering his fate in eternity, which has nothing to do with the righteousness of the father. Notice that Eighth Commandment and Sixth Commandment are addressed specifically here. A son that is a robber will have broken the Eighth Commandment (you shall not steal [Ex. 20:15]), and then he would shed blood (kill) of men (or women), he would be guilty of the Sixth Commandment (you shall not kill [Ex. 20:13]). Though this is not specific to mankind only, it should be known by all of mankind that it violates the Everlasting Covenant of Genesis 9:6 “Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”

The last clause of this verse is very specific when it specifies that if this son does the like of “any one” of these things within the list of Ezekiel 18:6-9. No exceptions to the rule, just one offense and he (or she) is guilty of sin. We must follow 18:11-13 in order to find out the consequences of this if/then statement.

Ezekiel 18:11 And that does not any of those duties, but even has eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife, The translators added the English noun “duties” when there is not a word indicating “duties” within the Hebrew manuscript; it just says “those or these.” Though the noun “duties” does fit the context, the noun “requirements” is more contextually correct, because the list within 18:5-9 were requirements to be followed in order to be considered just within 18:5.

The son, described within 18:10, was guilty of violating any one of the requirements (duties) of 18:5-9. The Lord then had Ezekiel list them again as a violation. Since I made commentary on each one of these violations, I will refer to the verse where I have already explained it.

1)???has eaten upon the mountains (see verse 18:6)

2)??defiled his neighbor's wife (see verse 18:6)

Ezekiel 18:12 Has oppressed the poor and needy, has spoiled by violence, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination, The son, described within 18:10, was guilty of violating any one of the requirements (duties) of 18:6-9. The Lord then had Ezekiel list them again as a violation. Since I made commentary on each one of these violations, I will refer to the verse where I have already explained it.

3)??Has oppressed the poor and needy (see verse 18:7)

4)??has spoiled by violence (see verse 18:7)

5)??has not restored the pledge (see verse 18:7)

6)??has lifted up his eyes to the idols (see verse 18:6)

7)??has committed abomination (new)

The abominations against God begin being listed in the Laws of Moses.?The Hebrew noun used here in Ezekiel 18:12 is “t??ē?a,” which is defined as: “a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.” There have been a few Hebrew nouns used by Moses to describe the abominable things being done. ?

a)??Leviticus 7:18 uses “pig?l,” which means: “unclean sacrificial flesh.”

b)??Leviticus 11:10-13, 20, 23, 41-42 use “?eqe?,” which means: “detestable thing or idol, an unclean thing.”

c)???Leviticus 18:22, 26, 29; 20:13 all use “t??ē?a,” to describe how disgusting gay sex is.

d)??Deuteronomy 7:25-26 use “t??ē?a,” to describe desiring the silver and gold, when burning idols after being confiscated.

e)???Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:9, 12; 20:18 use “t??ē?a,” to describe the desire of knowing about the idol worship of another culture.

f)????Deuteronomy 13:14 uses “t??ē?a,” describes the idolatry done by those who leave the Lord and influence followers to worship in private.

g)??Deuteronomy 17:1, 4 use “t??ē?a,” to describe the blemished sacrifice animals.

h)??Deuteronomy 22:5 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the gay men wearing women’s clothing.

i)????Deuteronomy 23:18 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the act of bringing a hired hooker into the house of the Lord.

j)????Deuteronomy 24:4 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the remarrying of an ex-wife, because she has been defiled by other men.

k)??Deuteronomy 25:16 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the use of inaccurate weights and measures.

l)????Deuteronomy 27:15 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the making of idols.

m) Deuteronomy 29:17 uses “?iqq??” to describe the many acts of an abominable race of people in their idolatry.

n)??Deuteronomy 32:16 uses “t??ē?a,” to describe the act of provoking the Lord to anger by intentionally worshipping idols.

In general the use of the Hebrew noun “t??ē?a,” has been used to describe the worship and desire of idols, partaking in sexual sin, using flawed sacrificial animals in the worship of the Lord, and fraudulent activities. Since the Laws of Moses are precise, the abominations in Ezekiel 18:12-13 pertain to the laws that use the Hebrew noun “t??ē?a.”

Ezekiel 18:13 Has given forth upon usury, and has taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. The translators used the verb expression “given forth” for the Hebrew verb “nā?an,” which in the Qal perfect means: “given, put, set.” The Hebrew noun translated as “usury” is “ne?e?,” which means “interest.” Because the Hebrew verb is in perfect tense, it means that the action is finished, therefore the verb “has” is inaccurate, but should be “had given forth.”?The son had charged interest in the past, and therefore has taken an increase, or profit.

With God, everything listed within verses 8:10-13 is sin; God asked a rhetorical question, because the answer is obvious (shall he then live?). The Lord God answered it immediately after, in case there was any uncertainty of this son’s destiny. Please understand that God arranges physical death of each person (righteous or wicked) in the timeline leading to eternity. The death being disclosed here is not physical death. This disclosure by the Lord implies that this is absolutely pertaining to the son’s soul (18:4). Upon his trial on Judgment Day (Rev. 20:11-15), the son’s soul will die when He is cast into the Lake of Fire.

An interesting comment by the Lord provides a position that must be taken or communicated to each person who is unrighteous. The Lord had listed nine different sins between 18:10-13; this isn’t a package deal, where the son has to be guilty of each one listed, if he were to be judged and sentenced to death on Judgment Day. The Lord implied: “he has done all these abominations,” as if it was predetermined; the simple truth is, if you are guilty of even just one sin, you are guilty of all of them. Verse 18:12 separately addressed committing “t??ē?a” abominations. Here, God calls all of these listed within 18:10-13 “t??ē?a” abominations and he (the wicked son) shall die if he commits even one of them; he is guilty of all of these abominations listed. This death sentence is not breaking the news that he will die a physical death, because we all are sentenced to die a physical death for the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:19).

Because the death sentence is not the death of his mortal life, but the death of his soul, we should associate the last sentence with his eternal death. The statement “his blood shall be upon him” is a metaphor that the Lord has used to point blame. The noun “blood” in this metaphor represents his eternal life. ?

When I say unto the wicked, “You shall surely die,” and you give him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked?man?shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. (Ezek. 3:18)

Anytime someone dies in their iniquity, they die in their sins and will be judged along with all others, who die in their iniquity, on Judgment Day (Rev. 20:11-15). The metaphor used in Ezekiel 3:18 addresses who is to be blamed for the person dying in their iniquity. The blood of the physical mortal body shall not follow into the resurrection, whether they be wicked or righteous. Immortals do not bleed, because they do not need blood when they become immortal in order to live. ?“But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall you not eat.” (Gen. 9:4) The Resurrection of the Damned (Jn. 5:29, Rev. 20:11-15) shall happen, which will give the damned a few moments of glory in an immortal body (without blood), then be judged by the Lord and cast into the Lake of Fire, where their soul will die.

When Ezekiel was told of his responsibility to warn the wicked in Ezekiel 3:18, God was not going to literally require the blood of the dead upon Ezekiel, but would hold him accountable for that person’s eternal death. The metaphor “his blood shall be upon him” reveals that God will place the blame, for the death of the son’s soul, upon that son.

Ezekiel 18:14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that sees all his father's sins which he hath done, and considers, and does not such like, Verses 18:14-17 entail another if/then statement, while the “then” side of the statement is disclosed in verse 18:17. Verses 18:15-17 list the sins first disclosed within verses 18:6-9; the clause, ending verse 18:14, sets up the list being expressed again (and does not such like:). Since it leads to a list, the last clause should end with a colon (:).

The pronoun “he” reflects back to the wicked son being spoken of within verses 18:10-13. The righteous man of verses 18:5-9 would actually make an impact on his grandson being spoken of here. This grandson sees all of his father’s sins that had been done (18:10-13), considers it as being wrong, and does not do those sins (18:15-17). As Ezekiel lists these again, God made sure that there was no question (or doubt) of the fate of the people, who had blamed God for punishing them for their father’s iniquities.

Ezekiel 18:15 That has not eaten upon the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor's wife, The translators should not have added the conjunction “that” to the beginning of this list. If a colon (:) had been used after the last clause of 18:14, then the conjunction does not need to be used (was not there in the original Hebrew). Once again, please refer back to my commentary in verses 18:6-9 for an explanation for each on this list. ?

1)???has not eaten upon the mountains (see 18:6)

2)??neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel (see 18:6)

3)??has not defiled his neighbor's wife (see 18:6)

Ezekiel 18:16 Neither has oppressed any, has not withheld the pledge, neither has spoiled by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment, This list continues here from the previous verse: ?

4)??Neither has oppressed any (see 18:7)

5)??has not withheld the pledge (see 18:7)

6)??neither has spoiled by violence (see 18:7)

7)??has given his bread to the hungry (see 18:7)

8)??has covered the naked with a garment (see 18:7)

Ezekiel 18:17 That has taken off his hand from the poor, that has not received usury nor increase, has executed my judgments, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. Once again the translators added the conjunction “that,” which does not exist in the original Hebrew. The list continues from verses 18:15-16.

9)??has taken off his hand from the poor (see 18:7)

10) has not received usury nor increase (see 18:8)

11) has executed my judgments (see 18:9)

12) has walked in my statutes (see 18:9)

The Old Covenant was works-based salvation, while the good works confirmed their faith in God and His promises. The grandson most likely was influenced by his grandfather (18:5-9) and chose not to sin as his father had (18:10-13). The grandfather may have had this impact on him. Because the grandson walked in faith and did not sin, he “shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.” Because the grandson walked in faith and did not sin, he would not die in his iniquities. All mortals die a physical death, but this comment is pointing to his eternity; he shall surely live in eternity with the Lord.

Ezekiel 18:18 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. The father of the son (his) is the son of the righteous man of 18:5-9. Ezekiel revealed the potential sins of this wretched man within verses 18:10-13. He is the father of the righteous son of Ezekiel 18:14-17. Here, Ezekiel listed two of the eight sins (usury with increase is counted as one), along with a general sin, which includes the other six sins listed within 18:10-13 (and did that which is not good among his people); the point of the issue is more important than listing them all again. The wicked man (father) of 18:10-13 “lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.” Verse 18:13 indicates that he shall not live and that he shall surely die. The weight of that death should be evaluated based on the statement here in verse 18:18. All of mankind is scheduled to die a mortal death, so to sentence this man to death, seems to be of a more significant nature. The expression “he shall die in his iniquity” pertains to a mortal death, while being guilty of sins before that death. The expression is believed by most theologians to be interpreted as the person is destined to everlasting punishment and death of his soul (Matt. 10:28, Rev. 20:11-15).

Sinners in Zion are terrified;

Trembling has seized the godless.

“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?

Who among us can live with continual burning?” (Is. 33:14)

Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say you, Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live. The theological perspective (perspective of God) is explained as an absolute truth. After a long series of examples within 18:5-18, the final conclusion is expressed here. Some translations will punctuate the interjection “Why” with a question mark, while others leave the interjection “Why” as the beginning of the question that follows it. Both questions were answered within the previous verses.?

1)???Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father?

2)??Why? Does not the son bear the iniquity of the father?

One would ask: “Where did the Israelites get such a frightening idea as this?” The verse that they were holding onto was from Exodus 34:7. The statement was interpreted, while not understanding what the Lord God meant by the Hebrew verb “pāqa?.” This verb was inflected into Qal form, which means: “to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for;” the translators have chosen “visit” when “attend to” may be more contextually correct. ?

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Ex. 34:7)

The Lord was not saying that he was going to inflict punishment on the children of the sinful fathers, but that He would attend to those next generations, in order to make sure that they did not follow the sins of their fathers (attend to the iniquity of the fathers). The translators used the preposition “upon” inappropriately, because the choices of potential words is substantial. The Hebrew proposition “?al” is defined as: “upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.” A more appropriate English proposition that fits this context is “on behalf of.” The context fits the theology and context of this verse. “attend to the iniquity of the fathers on behalf of the children.” “To attend to” and “visit” can mean the same, but the misuse of the preposition changes the theology from putting the sins of fathers on their children, to attending to the sins of the fathers on behalf of the children. The fatherly attention of God was determined to make sure that the children did not follow in the iniquities of their fathers.

The final sentence of this verse confirms my analysis of Exodus 34:7. The Lord God has never implied that He imputes judgments upon generations to follow, unless they follow in the same iniquities as their fathers. When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live. Please see my commentary from verses 18:9, 13, 17 for an explanation on what is meant by “live.”

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sins, 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 simple truth is stated here in the first sentence of this verse. The person (living soul) who sins, it shall die. Since God had Ezekiel explain in detail the fate of the individual soul if it sins, we should understand this to not be a mortal death; the death being spoken of is eternal. The soul will die, once judged and sentenced on Judgment Day (Matt. 10:28, Rev. 20:11-15).

It seems that Ezekiel was beating a dead horse by repeating what was being said over and over again, but the people of Israel misunderstood Exodus 34:7, and taught it to many generations. The proverb had to be stopped, and the truth was being repeated and clarified, so there was no way of misinterpreting what God had said anymore. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:

The last sentence in this disclosure sets up an explanation of repentance disclosed in the following two verses (18:21-22). The truth is first emphasized here: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. The fate of the wicked is dismal, which brings God’s explanation concerning the repentance of a wicked person to be a very welcome lesson.

Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Ahh, repentance…God loves a sinner who repents. God is known for His mercy, and so repentance motivates God to show mercy. ?

2?And he prayed unto the?Lord, and said, I pray You, O?Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: because I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent you of the evil. (Jonah 4:2)

The Prophet Jonah fled into the opposite direction, away from the Assyrians, because he hated them so much. God commanded him to preach of the coming destruction of Nineveh, yet Jonah knew that there was a chance for repentance; because of the Assyrian’s brutality, he hated them so terribly that he did not desire for God to show them any mercy.

The wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him, but if the wicked will turn (repent) from all his sins that he has committed… The if/then statement begins with repentance. God presented three requirements for salvation of a wicked person in the Old Covenant. If the wicked person did all three requirements listed in this verse, then he shall surely live, he shall not die. Once again, this living and not dying pertains to their soul and eternity, since this has been the focus through this entire lesson.

1)???Repentance (turn from all his sins that he has committed)

2)??Keep God’s laws (keep all my statutes [Laws of Moses])

3)??Do that which is lawful and right. (18:5-9)

Ezekiel 18:22 All his transgressions that he has committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live. Upon this repentance, God’s position on the sins previously committed is to not mention them unto the former sinner. ?“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12) ?

18?Who is a God like unto You, that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.

19?He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Mic. 7:18-19)

????????The righteousness of the Old Covenant lasted as long as the repented sinner had continued to do that which is lawful and right. (18:5-9, 21) This seems like works-based salvation, but in reality, it still was works done by faith in the Lord’s promises. Christianity works the same way, but the atonement is forever, and sealed by the Holy Spirit once He has entered into the believer (Eph. 1:13); the Holy Spirit guides a Christian in making godly decisions, rather than selfish ones. ?“But the?Helper, the Holy Spirit?whom the Father will send in My name,?He will teach you all things, and?remind you of all that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26) Israel’s Old Covenant faith was not supported by the Holy Spirit being inside of them, but alongside of them, and convicting them when necessary (God is omnipresent [Ps. 139:7-10]).?

In the case with repentant Israel, their faith should have been driven by God’s promises; they should have looked at the good works, performed by abiding in the Laws of Moses, as their own sanctification towards righteousness. Their faith was supported by their good works, which gave them their hope for their eternity. It was impossible for any of the Israelites to walk perfectly in the law, but when they sinned, they had specific instructions (in the law) on how to atone themselves for that sin. “Or if his sin, which he had sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he had sinned.” (Lev. 4:28)

The repentant sinner must repent of all sins, otherwise the Lord would let them know where they lacked. Because the repentant sinner walks righteously, then in his righteousness that he has done he shall live. This life being granted has nothing to do with living as mortal, but that life being given pertains to their soul in eternity.

Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord?God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? This should by now be known to be a rhetorical question asked in order to make a point; if you are unsure of the answer, it is absolutely not. As expressed within 18:21-22, God is merciful and slow to anger (Jon. 4:2), repentance is extremely important to Him, and would much rather gain a son or daughter for eternity, instead of condemning someone to eternal suffering.

Ezekiel 18:24 ?But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die. These rhetorical questions are the result of this extensive explanation of righteousness and damnation; God gave the Israelites an easy pop quiz, which should have been easy to answer, since He so thoroughly explained it. God answered this question immediately afterwards, as if it was going to be hard to answer on their own. The answer to “shall he live?” is “no,” because in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

A trespass is still committing iniquity, but is a less severe incident. The trespass was something that may have happened a little more often, since they had to do with afflictions against others. ??

If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or has deceived his neighbor; (Lev. 6:2)

?????????Ezekiel 18:25 Yet you 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? The pagan Israelites sought out other gods, while accusing the God of their fathers of being inconsistent in the way He judged them. They presumed that the iniquity of their fathers was the reason why they kept hearing from Jeremiah and Ezekiel that they were going to die for their sins. They may have had memory of what had been declared unto Jerusalem by the Lord, after King Manasseh had refused to repent of his ungodly influence on the people.

11?Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols:

12?Therefore thus says the?Lord?God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13?And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. (2 Kings 21:11-13)

The topic of this lesson comes from their ridiculously false belief that each were being judged by the sins of their fathers. They arrogantly thought of themselves not deserving judgment, when they were actually as bad as King Manasseh was at one time. They used their bad theology of Exodus 34:7, and heaped 1 Kings 21:11-13, 2 Kings 23:26, and 2 Kings 24:3 on top of that. They were convinced that the Lord God was an unjust judge, because they felt that the destruction coming was God judging them for what their fathers had done. Yet you say, “The way of the?Lord?is not equal.”

The Lord had just spent twenty-four verses explaining who shall live and who shall die, which was all based upon a consistent obedience to being lawful and right. 2 Kings 21:12-13 is a prophetic declaration, which did come true. The people of this time were as evil as the people from the time of King Manasseh, yet they did not think that they were, and that God was keeping His promised judgment mentioned in 2 Kings 21:12-13; hind sight tells us that He was keeping His promise, but the people of this time were being judged individually for their sins, just as what had been disclosed in this lesson (Is not my way equal?).

?It was really the pagan Israelite’s way that was unequal, since living in their iniquities, they expected to be dealt with as if they were righteous. They had a taste of the dark side, which treated them favorably, while performing abominations unto the Lord God. The demonic realm’s main goal is always to deceive and influence a rebellion against God. The demonic realm rewarded these people for their loyalties, by feeding them the supernatural (13:17-23; 16:33). The pagan Israelites felt that this was more euphoric to worship, than attempting to uphold God’s laws in the Old Covenant. Their brainwashing promoted self-righteousness and rebellion against the Lord (are not your ways unequal?).

Ezekiel 18:26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he has done shall he die. The translators add words; sometimes they are correct, while other times they are not. The original Hebrew transcripts do not reflect the adverb “when” in the interpretation of this. This is not a contingent statement on the last sentence. This is not even a question, but a fact. The statement should be understood to declare: “a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them;” verse 18:24 explains this declaration, while this statement reiterates it immediately after the Lord made His point that He judges equally. Then the Lord clarified even further with the last sentence; adding commas (,) in a grammatically correct manner, present this statement more accurately. “For his iniquities, which he has done, shall he die.” Because this person dies in his iniquities, he dies as an unrighteous person; it is because of those iniquities before death, that he shall die an eternal death of his soul. This is why sin atonement is so important.

?Ezekiel 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Through redundancy, God had Ezekiel continue to repeat to these people, as if they were hard-headed. “And you shall speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.” (Ezek. 2:7) This topic, being explained so intricately, reveals how important it was for them to understand.

This is a reiteration of verse 18:21, which proclaims that someone can appeal to God’s mercy, by turning away from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, as described in 18:5-9. The Lord God has control over the souls of each person who ever lived; if the person’s repentance is sufficient to the Lord, the Lord had said that the repentant sinner shall save his soul alive. The soul becomes eternal, only if the Judge sees that they have done that which is lawful and right. Sin atonement was a part of the Laws of Moses and the Old Covenant. Doing that which is lawful and right, included atoning for those past sins. The eternal life of a soul was only for those who die in righteousness.

Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. The statement here does not contradict, but reveals the importance of repentance. In the Old Covenant, Salvation was given upon the first efforts towards repentance (turns away from all transgressions), then remained contingent on maintaining that righteousness by doing that which is lawful and right. The important words in this verse are “considers” and “turns away.” The reason someone turns away from sins and transgressions was because they had considered their eternity, and felt contrite about their guilt. The person still must do that which is lawful and right, but the salvation is contingent on repentance first (turns away from all his transgressions). Once repentance comes to be, the desire to maintain that righteousness should be that person’s priority from that point; this then becomes doing that which is lawful and right. Doing that which is lawful and right is the act of maintaining their repentance, in order to continue to be righteous. The Old Covenant worked in this way, which helped in the Israelites realization that they needed a Savior, instead of the difficulty of performing the good works and following the Laws of Moses. ?

28?Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29?Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.

30?For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)

Ezekiel 18:29 Yet says 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? This is a reiteration of verse 18:25. The repeat is put in to remind the house of Israel that they were wrong about their beliefs about God. He provided this in-depth lesson on righteousness and wickedness. The point had been made that Israel was unequal in their beliefs and how they judged others.

Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord?God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. This announcement should not have been anything new, because God was always going to judge the house of Israel, but the lesson was still being taught; repentance was still being addressed, but the Lord made a point to command them to repent of all of their transgressions, or else! It was a common cry from God and His prophets. Repent, so iniquity will not be your ruin (death of the soul for eternity).

Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, O house of Israel? The people of the house of Israel were being told to do something, which was impossible for them to do, without God. Most likely the Lord gave them this impossible feat, so they would stop blaming Him for their condemnation, and possibly think that they had a say in their own salvation; so they would try so terribly to change their own hearts in hopes they would change their own spirit. ?

19?And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

20?That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezek. 11:19-20)

The New Covenant was to be addressed by both Ezekiel in captivity (Ezek. 11:19-21; 36:26-27) and Jeremiah in Jerusalem (Jer. 31:31-34). The difference between the two Ezekiel prophesies are to be realized, in that the 11:19 prophecy points to the returning remnant after the Babylonian Captivity, while Ezekiel 36:26-27 is pointing towards the returning remnant after the Roman Captivity and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D 70. As history has shown, both returning remnants had and have returned to the land of Israel. There has always been a remnant of Israel that has accepted Messiah Jesus as their Lord and Savior through the last 2,000 years, while the majority of Israel had and have rejected their Messiah. There will be a remnant, upon the Second Coming of Christ, who will be saved by this New Covenant. (Zech. 12:9-10; 13:8-9)

·????1.??I will give them one heart (unity under God’s one Holy Spirit). (Jer. 32:39)

·?????2. I will put a new spirit within you (them) (God united His people with His Holy Spirit) (Ps. 51:10; Jer. 31:33; Eph. 1:13)

·?????3. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh (the naturally selfish, corrupt, and ungodly heart of every human) (Zech. 7:12; 2 Chron. 36:13)

·??????4. will give them a heart of flesh (the selfless, considerate, compassionate, godly heart)

This humanly impossible task was to be the burden that Israel would face, until Messiah comes. A new heart and spirit is performed supernaturally by the Holy Spirit of God, when someone believes in God’s Messiah and accepts Him as their substitutional atonement for all sins and transgressions. Some will construe this to be a figurative change of heart and spirit once repentance has occurred, but in reality, mankind is fallen and cannot do this on their own. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Is. 64:6)

1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2?The?Lord?looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3?They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3)

With eternity on the line, the Lord God educated the house of Israel on true salvation within this Old Covenant; making this feat of changing their corrupted, fallen heart to be righteous, and changing their spirit within them, can only be done by God, Himself. This chapter pointed all of the house of Israel’s focus on repentance of their transgression, while they attempt to change their stony heart to flesh and change their corrupted spirit. After teaching this long lesson on salvation and condemnation, the Lord asked the house of Israel: “why will you die?” He made salvation sound easy, yet He knew they could not do it, without blood atonement when they sinned.

Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says the Lord?God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. The Lord God rephrased what He declared on 18:23, as if to put emphasis on His heart towards the death of His image bearers (Gen. 1:26-27). He has never taken pleasure in punishing the wicked. Ezekiel will write this again in 33:11 as well. Usually when God repeats Himself, He really feels strongly about what is said, therefore God does not enjoy sending the wicked to hell/sheol. The final plea for repentance in this lesson is stated in this same last verse. Turn yourselves (Repent) and live. His plea is for the wicked to repent of their sins and live in eternity with Him.?