God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 18:4
4The life of every person belongs to me. Fathers and their children belong to me. The person who sins will die.
Ezekiel 18:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, 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.
- New International Version (NIV)For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.
Context of Ezekiel 18:4
2“What do you mean when you use this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and their children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. The life of every person belongs to me. Fathers and their children belong to me. The person who sins will die. 5“Suppose a righteous person does what is fair and right. 6He doesn’t eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He doesn’t dishonor his neighbor’s wife or have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is having her period.
Read all of Ezekiel 18Ezekiel 18:4 word by word
הֵ֤ן כָּל־הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ לִ֣י הֵ֔נָּה כְּנֶ֧פֶשׁ הָאָ֛ב וּכְנֶ֥פֶשׁ הַבֵּ֖ן לִי־הֵ֑נָּה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַחֹטֵ֖את הִ֥יא תָמֽוּת׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 18:4
- Numbers 16:22Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said, “O God, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?”
- Numbers 27:16“Lord, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone. Please appoint someone over the community
- Zechariah 12:1This is the prophetic revelation, the Lord’s word about Israel. The Lord—who spread out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit in a person—says,
- Hebrews 12:9On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn’t we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live?
- Ezekiel 18:20The person who sins will die. A son will not be punished for his father’s sins, and a father will not be punished for his son’s sins. The righteousness of the righteous person will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be his own.
- Romans 6:23The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Galatians 3:10Certainly, there is a curse on all who rely on their own efforts because Scripture says, “Whoever doesn’t obey everything that is written in Moses’ Teachings is cursed.”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 18:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4All souls are mine - Equally so; I am the Father of the spirits of all flesh, and shall deal impartially with the whole. The soul that sinneth, it shall die - None shall die for another's crimes, none shall be saved by another's righteousness. Here is the general judgment relative to the righteousness and unrighteousness of men, and the influence of one man's state on that of another; particularly in respect to their moral conduct.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4All souls are mine - Man is not simply to ascribe his existence to earthly parents, but to acknowledge as his Father Him who created man in His own image, and who gave and gives him the spirit of life. The relation of father to son is merged in the common relation of all (father and son alike) as sons to their heavenly Father.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The Lord's response to the proverb of Ezekiel 18:1–2 was to clearly state that it did not apply to this situation. Instead, the Lord always punishes only the guilty (Deuteronomy 24:16). God is always fair and just.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. all souls are mine--Therefore I can deal with all, being My own creation, as I please (Jr 18:6). As the Creator of all alike I can have no reason, but the principle of equity, according to men's works, to make any difference, so as to punish some, and to save others (Ge 18:25). "The soul that sinneth it shall die." The curse descending from father to son assumes guilt shared in by the son; there is a natural tendency in the child to follow the sin of…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 18:4
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
Commentaries