New English Translation
Ezekiel 18:4
4Indeed! All lives are mine – the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one 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 by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “‘The fathers eat sour grapes And the children’s teeth become numb?’ 3“As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! Indeed! All lives are mine – the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one who sins will die. 5“Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, 6does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not have sexual relations with a woman during 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 16:22Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?”
- Numbers 27:16“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all humankind, appoint a man over the community,
- Zechariah 12:1The revelation of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: The Lord – he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person – says,
- Hebrews 12:9Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?
- Ezekiel 18:20The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness.
- Romans 6:23For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Galatians 3:10For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.”
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
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