New English Translation
Ezekiel 18:25
25“Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
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 actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live? 24“But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? 26When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die. 27When 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 18:29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Is my conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
- Ezekiel 33:17“Yet your people say, ‘The behavior of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their behavior that is not right.
- Job 32:2Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry. He was angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.
- Job 34:5For Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God turns away my right.
- Job 35:2“Do you think this to be just: when you say, ‘My right before God.’
- Job 40:8Would you indeed annul my justice? Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?
- Job 42:4You said, ‘Pay attention, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’
- Malachi 2:17You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”
- Malachi 3:13“You have criticized me sharply,” says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’
- Matthew 20:11When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner,
- Romans 3:5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.)
- Romans 9:20But who indeed are you – a mere human being – to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”
- Romans 10:3For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
- Genesis 18:25Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?”
- Deuteronomy 32:4As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright.
- Psalms 50:6The heavens declare his fairness, for God is 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries