Christian Standard Bible
Ezekiel 18:25
25“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
Ezekiel 18:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yet ye 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?
- New International Version (NIV)“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
Context of Ezekiel 18:25
23Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives? 24But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, committing the same detestable acts that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed. “But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair? 26When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, he will die for this. He will die because of the injustice he has committed. 27But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life.
Read all of Ezekiel 18Ezekiel 18:25 word by word
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם לֹ֥א יִתָּכֵ֖ן דֶּ֣רֶךְ אֲדֹנָ֑י שִׁמְעוּ־נָא֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הֲדַרְכִּי֙ לֹ֣א יִתָּכֵ֔ן הֲלֹ֥א דַרְכֵיכֶ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתָּכֵֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 18:25
- Ezekiel 18:29But the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Is it my ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
- Ezekiel 33:17“‘But your people say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair,” even though it is their own way that isn’t fair.
- Job 32:2Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified himself rather than God.
- Job 34:5For Job has declared, “I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice.
- Job 35:2Do you think it is just when you say, “I am righteous before God”?
- Job 40:8Would you really challenge my justice? Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?
- Job 42:4You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform me.”
- Malachi 2:17You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you ask, “How have we wearied him?” When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and he is delighted with them, or else where is the God of justice?”
- Malachi 3:13“Your words against me are harsh,” says the Lord. Yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
- Matthew 20:11When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner:
- Romans 3:5But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I am using a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?
- Romans 9:20On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”
- Romans 10:3Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.
- Genesis 18:25You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?”
- Deuteronomy 32:4The Rock — his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.
- Psalms 50:6The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God is the Judge.Selah
Commentaries on Ezekiel 18:25
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Equal - literally, “weighed out, balanced.” Man‘s ways are arbitrary, God‘s ways are governed by a self-imposed law, which makes all consistent and harmonious.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-29Verses 21-29 The wicked man would be saved, if he turned from his evil ways. The true penitent is a true believer. None of his former transgressions shall be mentioned unto him, but in the righteousness which he has done, as the fruit of faith and the effect of conversion, he shall surely live. The question is not whether the truly righteous ever become apostates. It is certain that many who for a time were thought to be righteous, do so, while Ezek…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-29Israel's issue was not that the Lord was unjust, but that they kept doing wrong. They fully deserved God's judgment.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. Their plea for saying, "The way of the Lord is not equal," was that God treated different classes in a different way. But it was really their way that was unequal, since living in sin they expected to be dealt with as if they were righteous. God's way was invariably to deal with different men according to their deserts.Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 18:25
In the dictionaries
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
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