Ezekiel 18:20

Ezekiel 18:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The soul that sinneth, 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.
• New International Version (NIV)The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Context of Ezekiel 18:20

18As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity. 19Yet say ye, Wherefore doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, 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. 21But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Ezekiel 18:20 word by word

הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַחֹטֵ֖את הִ֣יא תָמ֑וּת בֵּ֞ן לֹא־יִשָּׂ֣א׀ בַּעֲוֹ֣ן הָאָ֗ב וְאָב֙ לֹ֤א יִשָּׂא֙ בַּעֲוֹ֣ן הַבֵּ֔ן צִדְקַ֤ת הַצַּדִּיק֙ עָלָ֣יו תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְרִשְׁעַ֥ת הָרָשָׁ֖ע עָלָ֥יו תִּֽהְיֶֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

• soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• bearנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: guiltH5375
• iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• beהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• wickednessרִשְׁעָהrish‛âh · wickednessH7564
• wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563

Cross-references for Ezekiel 18:20

• Ezekiel 18:4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
• Deuteronomy 24:16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
• 1 Kings 14:13And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.
• 2 Kings 14:6but the children of the murderers he put not to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.
• 2 Kings 22:18But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard,
• 2 Chronicles 25:4But he put not their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.
• Jeremiah 31:29In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
• Ezekiel 4:4Moreover lie thou upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity.
• Leviticus 5:1And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
• Leviticus 10:17Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah?
• Leviticus 16:22and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
• Leviticus 19:8but every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of Jehovah: and that soul shall be cut off from his people.
• Numbers 18:1And Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers’ house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
• Isaiah 53:11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.
• Hebrews 9:28so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.
• 1 Peter 2:24who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 18:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The soul that sinneth, it shall die - Hitherto we have had to do with the simple cases or the righteous and the wicked; of him who lived and died a holy man, and of him who lived and died a wicked man. But there are two cases behind: That of the wicked man, who repents and turns to God. 2. That of the righteous man, who backslides, and does not return to God by repentance. On both these cases God decides thus: -Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-32This section includes eight metaphors, each showing from a different angle the certainty of Jerusalem's upcoming judgment. The images are of: a worthless vine (Ezekiel 15); a faithless wife (Ezekiel 16); a vine and two eagles (Ezekiel 17); Sour grapes (Ezekiel 18); a lion and her cubs (Ezekiel 19); a sword (Ezekiel 21); two corrupt sisters (Ezekiel 23); and a cooking pot (Ezekiel 24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. son shall not bear ... iniquity of ... father--(De 24:16; 2Ki 14:6). righteousness ... wickedness--that is, the reward for righteousness ... the punishment of wickedness. "Righteousness" is not used as if any were absolutely righteous; but, of such as have it imputed to them for Christ's sake, though not under the Old Testament themselves understanding the ground on which they were regarded as righteous, but sincerely seeking after it in the way of…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 18:20

• Children
• Heredity
• Judgment
• Responsibility
• Righteous
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Cruelly
• Live
• Accountability
• Atonement, Day of
• Ezekiel
• God
• Heredity
• Prophecy; Prophets
• Resurrection
• Salvation

Commentaries on Ezekiel 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings