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Ezekiel 18:20

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.

The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father - (, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers." So Amaziah dealt with the murderers of his father, Joash king of Judah; ).

The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him - i:e., the reward for righteousness and the punishment of wickedness shall be upon the righteous and the wicked respectively. "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 God's appointment, so far as they then understood this way.

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See also Ezekiel 18:20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Ezekiel 18:20. _THE SOUL THAT SINNETH, IT SHALL DIE._] Hitherto we have had to do with the _simple cases_ of the _righteous_ and the _wicked_; of him who _lived and died a holy man_, and of him...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Ezekiel 18:1. In Ezekiel 18:1, we find the false accusation against God and the divine answer, and this is followed in Ezekiel 18:5 by the conditions of life, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” ...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    THE SON, he. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 24:26). App-92. THE RIGHTEOUS. a righteous one. WICKEDNESS... THE WICKED. Hebrew. _rasha'._ App-44. THE WICKED. a lawless one. Hebrew text margin, with som...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    CHAPTER NINE DOCTRINES AND DIRGES 18:1-19:14 In Chapter s 18 and 19 Ezekiel brings to a close the long section of his book which began in chapter 12. The prophet's purpose in these eight Chapter s ha...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    GOD'S EQUITY VINDICATED The popular view of Israel's calamities, as expressed in a current proverb, was that they were the punishment of the sins of former generations. Though there was a measure of t...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    EZEKIEL: ‘THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM GOD’ THE *SIN OF JUDAH AND THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD EZEKIEL CHAPTER S 1 TO 24 _IAN MACKERVOY_ CHAPTER 18 * In this chapter, the *Lord explains that each person...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    הַ נֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַ חֹטֵ֖את הִ֣יא תָמ֑וּת בֵּ֞ן

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE RELIGION OF THE INDIVIDUAL Ezekiel 18:1 IN the sixteenth chapter, as we have seen, Ezekiel has asserted in the most unqualified terms the validity of the principle of national retribution. The na...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE REVERSAL OF THE DIVINE JUDGMENT Ezekiel 18:14-32 The Jews of Ezekiel's day asserted that God's dealings with their nation were not just, because they were suffering, not for their own sins, but f...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The next prophecy was directed against the false attitude of mind obtaining among the exiled people, which had expressed itself in a proverb, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's te...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Sinneth. God never acted otherwise, though the Jews seem to have thought so. Temporal afflictions are the source of merit, and generally fall to the share of the saints, particularly under the new la...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    I include all these verses under one view in reading, the better to gather also into one view the just and unalterable reasoning of the Lord upon them. Here are three cases stated, in a father, and a...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY_ ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’ Ezekiel 18:20 I. DOES HOLY WRIT REALLY AFFIRM, DESPITE THE SOUND OF CERTAIN FAMILIAR BUT ISOLATED TEXTS AND THE USE THAT HAS BEEN MA...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    Ezekiel still pursues the sentiment which we have explained, namely, that God is a just judge and treats every one according to his conduct; as Paul says, As each has lived in the flesh, so God lays u...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 18 AND 19. Chapter 18 contains an important principle of the dealings of God, unfolded at that period. God would judge the individual according to his own con...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THE SOUL THAT SINNETH, IT SHALL DIE,.... This is repeated from Ezekiel 18:4, for the further confirmation of it: THE SON SHALL NOT BEAR THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHER, NEITHER SHALL THE FATHER BEAR THE I...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?_ God here puts into the prophet's mouth what he knew the Jews would object (at least in their minds) to the foregoing declarations,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Principle of God's Avenging Justice...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The soul that sinneth, It shall die, every person in the world being held responsible for his own acts. THE SON SHALL NOT BEAR THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHER, so that his father's guilt would be imputed t...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-20 The soul that sinneth it shall die. As to eternity, every man was, is, and will be dealt with, as his conduct shows him to have been under the old covenant of works, or the new covenant of grace...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    See EZEKIEL 18:4. THE SON SHALL NOT BEAR THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHER, NEITHER SHALL THE FATHER BEAR THE INIQUITY OF THE SON: this is a most unquestionable truth, and though perhaps it may seem otherwis...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Ezekiel 18:20 soul H5315 sins H2398 (H8802) die H4191 (H8799) son H1121 bear H5375 (H8799) guilt...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    “When the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he will surely live. The person who sins, he will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the fathe...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Ezekiel 18:20 _(Exodus 20:5)_ These passages severally profess to give a rule of Divine dealing, if not with the world generally at least with the people of Israel. And at first sight certainly they...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Ethical instructions for Israel in captivity. CHARACTERS: God, Ezekiel. CONCLUSION: He who makes conscience of conforming in everything to the will of God, who makes it his business to serv...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Ezekiel 18:2. _The fathers have eaten sour_ (unripe) _grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge._ Chaldaic, the children follow them. This proverb threw the blame on their fathers, on Adam, on...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 18:20 THE SOUL WHO SINS SHALL DIE. Verses Ezekiel 18:21 explain this teaching in what might seem a surprising way. Verses...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 18:1 God holds each generation accountable for its own sins. ⇐ ⇔...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 18:19 WHY SHOULD NOT THE SON SUFFER FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHER? Ezekiel anticipates his audience clinging to their traditional understanding, which is summarized in the now...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    (Ezekiel 18:10) EXEGETICAL NOTES—Two cases are here supposed: (1). That of a righteous father who begets an unrighteous son. (2). That of a righteous son who refuses to copy the evil example of his f...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 18:1, EZEKIEL 18:2 WHAT MEAN YE, THAT YE USE THIS PROVERB, etc.? Another and entirely different section opens, and we see at once from what it started. Ezekiel had heard from the l...

  • The Typology of Scripture by Patrick Fairbairn

    CHAPTER 18. THE RETRIBUTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. Ezekiel 18:1. _And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,_ Ezekiel 18:2. _Why do ye use this proverb upon the land of Israel, saying, The fathers...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now there are instructions for those who have been taken to Babylon, and Ezekiel now turns and speaks to them. The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, What mean ye, that you use this proverb conce...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 14:13; 1 Kings 8:32; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Chronicles 25:4;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Shall not bear — This is a most unquestionable truth; and tho' perhaps it may seem otherwise in some cases, yet could we see perfectly the connexion between persons and persons; could we see the conne...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Does God ever punish one person for another’s sin? PROBLEM: Ezekiel says clearly God does not punish the sons for their fathers’ sins, but that “the soul who sins shall die [for its own sins].” Howev...

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