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 practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his guilt. 19“Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt?’ When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them, he shall certainly live. The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. 21“But if the wicked person turns from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 22All his offenses which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will 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

• The personנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• sinsחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• will dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• will not sufferנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: guiltH5375
• for the father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
• guiltעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• norלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• of the righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• will be upon himself, and the wickednessרִשְׁעָהrish‛âh · wickednessH7564
• of the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563

Cross-references for Ezekiel 18:20

• Ezekiel 18:4Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.
• Deuteronomy 24:16“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.
• 1 Kings 14:13Then all Israel will mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
• 2 Kings 14:6But he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, in obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
• 2 Kings 22:18But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Regarding the words which you have heard,
• 2 Chronicles 25:4However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
• Jeremiah 31:29“In those days they will no longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, But it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt.’
• Ezekiel 4:4“Then you are to lie down on your left side and put the wrongdoing of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their wrongdoing for the number of days that you lie on it.
• Leviticus 5:1‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public order to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his punishment.
• Leviticus 10:17“Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to take away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord.
• Leviticus 16:22Then the goat shall carry on itself all their wrongdoings to an isolated territory; he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
• Leviticus 19:8And everyone who eats it will bear the consequences for his guilt, because he has profaned the holy thing of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.
• Numbers 18:1So the Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood.
• Isaiah 53:11As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, For He will bear their wrongdoings.
• Hebrews 9:28so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
• 1 Peter 2:24and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you 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