God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 18:25
25“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way is unfair.’ Listen, nation of Israel, isn’t my way fair? 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
23I don’t want wicked people to die.” declares the Almighty Lord. “I want them to turn from their evil ways and live. 24“But suppose a righteous person turns away from doing right and he does evil things. He does all the disgusting things that the wicked person did. Will he live? All the right things that he has done will not be remembered because of his unfaithfulness and because of his sin. He will die because of them. “But you say, ‘The Lord’s way is unfair.’ Listen, nation of Israel, isn’t my way fair? Isn’t it your ways that are unfair? 26When a righteous person turns away from doing right and does evil things, he will die. He will die because of the evil things he has done. 27When a wicked person turns away from the wicked things that he has done and does what is fair and right, he will live.
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 18:29“But the nation of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way is unfair.’ Isn’t my way fair, nation of Israel? Isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
- Ezekiel 33:17“But your people say, ‘The Lord’s way is unfair.’ Yet, their ways are unfair.
- Job 32:2Then Elihu, son of Barachel, a descendant of Buz from the family of Ram, became very angry with Job because Job thought he was more righteous than God.
- Job 34:5because Job has said, ‘I’m righteous, but God has taken away my rights.
- Job 35:2“Do you think this is right when you say, ‘My case is more just than God’s,’
- Job 40:8“Would you undo my justice? Would you condemn me so that you can be righteous?
- Job 42:4“⌞You said,⌟ ‘Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you, and you will teach me.’
- Malachi 2:17You have tried the patience of the Lord with your words. But you ask, “How have we tried his patience?” When you say, “Everyone who does evil is considered good by the Lord. He is pleased with them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”
- Malachi 3:13“You have used harsh words against me,” says the Lord. “You ask, ‘How have we spoken against you?’
- Matthew 20:11Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner.
- Romans 3:5But if what we do wrong shows that God is fair, what should we say? Is God unfair when he vents his anger on us? (I’m arguing the way humans would.)
- Romans 9:20Who do you think you are to talk back to God like that? Can an object that was made say to its maker, “Why did you make me like this?”
- Romans 10:3They don’t understand ⌞how to receive⌟ God’s approval. So they try to set up their own way to get it, and they have not accepted God’s way for receiving his approval.
- Genesis 18:25It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won’t the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?”
- Deuteronomy 32:4He is a rock. What he does is perfect. All his ways are fair. He is a faithful God, who does no wrong. He is honorable and reliable.
- Psalms 50:6The heavens announce his righteousness because 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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