Individual Responsibility and the Call to Repentance
Ezekiel 18:1-32
Eze.18.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same prophetic formula ('Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying…')—a direct verbal/structural parallel introducing an oracle to the prophet.
- Micah 1:1 (structural): Superscription formula ('The word of the LORD that came to Micah…')—a closely related structural way of introducing prophetic messages.
- Zechariah 1:7 (verbal): Begins with 'the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah…'—another instance of the identical prophetic introductory formula.
- Amos 3:1 (thematic): 'Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken…'—different wording but the same functional introduction of an oracle addressed to Israel; thematically parallels the opening of a prophetic speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Eze.18.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- משלים: VERB,qal,ptcp,ms
- את: PRT,acc
- המשל: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- על: PREP
- אדמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אבות: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- יאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בסר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושני: CONJ+NUM,card,m,pl
- הבנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- תקהינה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 31:29 (quotation): Directly cites the same proverb: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge,' and announces its end in the future restoration context.
- Exodus 20:5 (verbal): Speaks of God 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,' expressing the idea of intergenerational punishment that Ezekiel 18:2 challenges.
- Numbers 14:18 (verbal): Uses similar language about God 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children'—a canonical expression of collective generational consequence echoed by the proverb.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Legal principle rejecting corporate liability for capital punishment—'parents shall not be put to death for their children'—relates to the theme of individual responsibility countering the proverb's logic.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (structural): Immediate counter-statement within the same chapter: 'The soul who sins shall die,' asserting individual moral responsibility in direct response to the proverb quoted in 18:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- What is this proverb that you employ in the land of Israel—saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?
- What do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel, saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?
Eze.18.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- עוד: ADV
- משל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המשל: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:2 (quotation): The immediate proverb addressed by 18:3 — 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge' — which Ezekiel 18:3 says must no longer be used in Israel.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (thematic): Repeats the same proverb about fathers and children and, like Ezekiel 18, anticipates reversal toward individual responsibility for sin.
- Ezekiel 18:4 (structural): Immediate continuation of 18:3; declares the principle that 'the soul that sins shall die,' explicitly rejecting the proverb and asserting individual accountability.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Affirms a related legal principle that individuals are punished for their own sins rather than for the sins of their parents, paralleling Ezekiel's rejection of collective familial blame.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (verbal): Uses the same divine oath formula 'As I live, saith the Lord GOD' and echoes the theme of God's desire that the wicked turn from his way and live rather than die.
Alternative generated candidates
- As I live, declares the Lord GOD, you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
- As I live, declares the Lord GOD, you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
Eze.18.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- כל: DET
- הנפשות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- הנה: PART
- כנפש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- האב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וכנפש: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הבן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- הנה: PART
- הנפש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- החטאת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- תמות: VERB,qal,yiqtol,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Repeats and develops the same formula: 'the soul who sins shall die' — immediate restatement within the same chapter emphasizing individual responsibility.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Closely related theme of personal responsibility: 'Each person shall be put to death for his own sin' (parents not punished for children and vice versa).
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (verbal): Echoes the protest against the proverb about inherited guilt and affirms that 'every one shall die for his own iniquity,' paralleling Ezekiel's rejection of collective inherited culpability.
- Exodus 20:5 (allusion): Presents the contrasting legal/theological language about God 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,' which Ezekiel 18 implicitly counters by insisting on individual liability.
- Ezekiel 18:2 (structural): Contextual precursor: cites the common proverb ('The fathers have eaten sour grapes…') that Ezekiel 18:4 refutes, framing the chapter's argument against inherited guilt.
Alternative generated candidates
- 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.
- 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.
Eze.18.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצדקה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 16:20 (verbal): Commands pursuit of justice ('Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue'), echoing Ezekiel's emphasis on doing justice as constitutive of righteousness.
- Proverbs 21:3 (verbal): Explicitly values doing righteousness and justice over sacrifice ('To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice'), closely paralleling Ezek. 18:5's pairing of righteousness and just action.
- Micah 6:8 (thematic): Summarizes divine requirement as doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly—resonates with Ezekiel's linking of personal righteousness to just conduct.
- Isaiah 1:17 (thematic): Calls Israel to 'learn to do good; seek justice' and defend the vulnerable, reflecting Ezekiel's insistence that true righteousness is shown in just behavior.
- Amos 5:24 (thematic): Demands that justice flow like a river ('But let justice roll down like waters'), underscoring the prophetic theme that genuine piety is realized in just action as in Ezek. 18:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- If a man is righteous, and does justice and righteousness,
- If a man is righteous and does what is just and right,
Eze.18.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ועיניו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- גלולי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- טמא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יקרב: VERB,qal,impr,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 18:19 (verbal): Directly prohibits approaching a menstruant woman ('do not approach a woman in her impurity'), echoing Ezek. 18:6's 'אל־ אשה נדה לא יקרב'.
- Leviticus 18:20 (verbal): Forbids sexual relations with a neighbor's wife—parallels Ezek. 18:6's prohibition against defiling oneself with another man's wife.
- Exodus 20:14 (verbal): The Decalogue's command 'You shall not commit adultery' provides the covenantal legal background for Ezekiel's moral stipulation about fidelity.
- Deuteronomy 12:2-4 (thematic): Commands destruction of high-place worship and forbids imitating pagan practices 'on the high mountains,' resonating with Ezek. 18:6's 'אל־ ההרים לא אכל' (not eating on the high places).
- Ezekiel 20:7-8 (thematic): Intra-Ezekiel parallel: condemns Israel's idolatrous worship on high places and other defilements—echoes the same concerns about idolatry and sexual impurity found in 18:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he does not eat upon the mountains, and does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; if he does not defile his neighbor's wife, and does not approach a woman in her impurity;
- if he does not eat upon the mountains, and does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, and does not come near a menstruous woman,
Eze.18.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חבלתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- חוב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישיב: VERB,hifil,imperfect,3,m,sg
- גזלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יגזל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לחמו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- לרעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ועירם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3mp
- יכסה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בגד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 58:7 (verbal): Directly echoes language and obligations: share your bread with the hungry and cover the naked — same ethical acts of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (verbal): Prescribes returning a debtor’s pledge (do not withhold a cloak overnight) — parallels Ezekiel’s demand to restore a borrower’s security and not oppress.
- Leviticus 25:35-37 (allusion): Commands care for the poor of Israel and forbids charging interest to kin — resonates with Ezekiel’s prohibition of usury and mandate to aid the needy.
- Job 31:16-22 (thematic): Job’s protest that he fed the poor, clothed the naked, and helped strangers parallels Ezekiel’s portrait of the righteous who give bread to the hungry and clothe the naked.
- Matthew 25:35-36 (thematic): Jesus’ list of righteous acts (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked) echoes Ezekiel’s emphasis that such deeds mark the righteous person.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he keeps his hand from wrong, restores the pledge, does not steal, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment;
- if he has not wronged anyone, has returned the pledge, has not robbed, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
Eze.18.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בנשך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ותרבית: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- מעול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישיב: VERB,hifil,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- בין: PREP
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 15:5 (verbal): Describes the righteous as one who 'does not put out his money at interest' and 'accepts no bribe,' closely matching Ezekiel's prohibition of taking interest/usury and insistence on integrity in judgment.
- Exodus 22:25 (thematic): Legal injunction forbidding charging interest to a poor Israelite borrower; parallels Ezekiel's prohibition against taking increase/usury as part of righteous conduct.
- Leviticus 25:35-37 (thematic): Commands support for needy kin and explicitly forbids lending at interest to a brother; echoes Ezekiel's combination of care for the vulnerable and prohibition of usury.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (verbal): Regulation requiring the prompt return of a neighbor's pledge (collateral); parallels Ezekiel's phrase about returning a pledge ('yashiv yado'), a concrete element of just behavior.
- Isaiah 33:15 (thematic): Portrays the upright as those who keep their hands from unjust gain and judge rightly—resonates with Ezekiel's call to 'withhold the hand from iniquity' and to do true judgment between people.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he withholds his hand from extortion, does not give interest and does not take increase, and keeps my statutes so as to walk in my ordinances—
- if he has not lent at interest, nor taken increase, and has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and has executed true judgment between man and man,
Eze.18.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בחקותי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,pss=1s
- יהלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ומשפטי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Leviticus 18:5 (verbal): Both passages link obedience to God's statutes and judgments with life—'keep my statutes...if a person does them he shall live' echoing Ezekiel's 'walks in my statutes...he shall live.'
- Habakkuk 2:4 (thematic): Famous parallel language about the righteous and life ('the righteous shall live by his faith/faithfulness'); both texts connect the character of the righteous with life before God.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Declares individual responsibility for sin—'each shall die for his own sin'—which undergirds Ezekiel 18's emphasis that the righteous who keeps God's ways will live.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (thematic): Rejects the proverb of intergenerational punishment ('the fathers have eaten sour grapes...'), affirming that each person bears responsibility—parallel to Ezekiel 18's argument about personal righteousness and life.
- Ezekiel 33:14-16 (verbal): A later Ezekiel passage that repeats and develops the same formula: if the righteous turns from his righteousness and does right, he shall live—close verbal and theological parallel within Ezekiel.
Alternative generated candidates
- he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.
- who keeps my statutes and walks in my ordinances; he does that which is just and right—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.
Eze.18.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוליד: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פריץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאחד: PREP+NUM,card,sg
- מאלה: PREP+DEM
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:4 (structural): States the chapter's principle that the soul who sins shall die — provides the theological framework for the son's culpability in v.10.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Explicitly affirms that a son will not bear his father's guilt and that the righteous and wicked each bear their own way — directly related to the son's murderous act and its consequences.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Law forbidding punishment of children for parents (and vice versa); reflects the same concern for individual responsibility found in Ezekiel 18.
- Genesis 9:6 (verbal): Declares that whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall his blood be shed — echoes the language and consequence of 'shedding blood' (שפך דם) in v.10.
- Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (allusion): Laws concerning intentional murder and the avenger of blood emphasize the community/legal response to bloodshed, paralleling the seriousness of the son's act in v.10.
Alternative generated candidates
- But if he begets a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things,
- But he fathers a son who is a violent man, who sheds blood and does any of these things,
Eze.18.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- גם: ADV
- אל: NEG
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- טמא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 18:20 (verbal): Prohibits sexual relations with a neighbor's wife—direct legal parallel to Ezek. 18:11's accusation of defiling a neighbor's wife.
- Exodus 20:14 (quotation): The Decalogue's command 'You shall not commit adultery' corresponds verbally and ethically to Ezekiel's condemnation of adultery.
- Deuteronomy 12:2-3 (thematic): Commands removal of altars and high-place worship; thematically relates to Ezek. 18:11's reference to feasting/ritual activity 'on the mountains' (high places) and forbids participation in cultic practices there.
- Psalm 15:1-5 (thematic): Portrait of the righteous who 'does not slander,' 'does no wrong to a neighbor,' and 'honors what is worthy'—a thematic parallel to Ezekiel's listing of deeds the righteous avoids (including adultery and oppression).
Alternative generated candidates
- and the son sees all the sins that his father has done and sees and does not do likewise;
- and when he has done all these, he eats upon the mountains and defiles his neighbor's wife;
Eze.18.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- ואביון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הונה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גזלות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- גזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חבל: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישיב: VERB,hifil,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- הגלולים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עיניו: NOUN,f,pl,suff
- תועבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:9 (structural): Within the same chapter a parallel description of the righteous person who 'does not oppress the poor, returns pledges,' etc., providing a direct structural and thematic contrast to v.12's depiction of oppression and idolatry.
- Deuteronomy 24:12-13 (verbal): Law concerning the return of a pledged cloak to a needy neighbor; directly echoes Ezekiel's complaint that the wrongdoer 'does not restore' what was taken as a pledge.
- Leviticus 19:13 (verbal): The command 'You shall not defraud your neighbor or rob him' parallels the condemnation of exploiting the poor and committing robbery in Ezekiel 18:12.
- Hosea 4:1-2 (allusion): Links social injustice (lying, murder, theft) with religious failure; echoes Ezekiel's coupling of oppression of the poor with idolatrous/abominable practices.
- Isaiah 1:15-17 (thematic): God repudiates worship that coexists with injustice and calls for learning to 'do good, seek justice, defend the oppressed,' a moral critique that parallels Ezekiel's rebuke of those who worship yet mistreat the needy.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he does not eat upon the mountains, does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife,
- he wrongs the poor and needy, robs by violence, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abominations;
Eze.18.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בנשך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ותרבית: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וחי: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- התועבות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- יומת: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- דמיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:10-12 (structural): Immediate context — the preceding verses list the same wicked acts (violence, fraud, idolatry, sexual abominations) that lead to the verdict of death in v.13.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Develops the same principle of individual responsibility and the formula 'the soul that sins shall die,' echoing the claim that the sinner 'shall not live.'
- Deuteronomy 23:19-20 (verbal): Law on interest/loan practices — forbids charging interest to a fellow Israelite, directly related to the prohibition against giving/receiving interest in Ezek 18:13.
- Leviticus 18:29 (thematic): States that whoever commits any of the listed 'abominations' shall be cut off — parallels Ezekiel's threat of death for committing 'all these abominations.'
- Genesis 9:6 (thematic): Establishes the principle of bloodshed and penalty ('whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed'), resonating with the formula 'his blood shall be upon him' in Ezek 18:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he has not wronged anyone, has restored the pledge, has not extorted, has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with a garment,
- he lends at interest and takes increase; shall such a man live? He shall not live—he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
Eze.18.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנה: ADV
- הוליד: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- חטאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויראה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כהן: NOUN,m,sg,const
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Directly affirms the chapter's principle that a son does not bear the father's iniquity — individual responsibility rather than inherited guilt, the theological counterpart to the son refraining from his father's sins.
- Ezekiel 18:4 (structural): Frames the chapter's argument: 'all souls are mine' — establishes the theological basis for individual moral accountability reflected in the son's choice not to repeat his father's sins.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Legal statement that parents shall not be put to death for children nor children for parents; emphasizes individual liability for sin, paralleling Ezekiel's insistence that the son is judged by his own actions.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (allusion): Rejects the proverb 'the fathers have eaten sour grapes...' and asserts each person dies for their own sin, echoing Ezekiel's corrective of collective/blamed guilt and the call to personal responsibility.
- Romans 14:12 (thematic): New Testament affirmation that each person will give an account of themselves to God — parallels Ezekiel's focus on individual moral responsibility and the son's choice to avoid his father's sinful ways.
Alternative generated candidates
- if he withdraws his hand from iniquity and keeps my statutes and walks in my ordinances—he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live.
- And behold, he fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done and fears and does not do likewise;
Eze.18.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ועיניו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- גלולי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- טמא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 20:3-5 (thematic): Commands against other gods and idols parallel Ezekiel's assertion that the righteous did not 'lift up his eyes to the idols'—both prohibit idolatrous worship and image-making.
- Deuteronomy 12:2-3 (allusion): Deuteronomy's prohibition of worship on high places and command to destroy local shrines echoes Ezekiel's 'not eaten on the mountains' (i.e., not participating in high-place/idolatrous rites).
- Leviticus 18:20 (verbal): Explicit prohibition against lying with a neighbor's wife corresponds directly to Ezekiel's clause that he 'did not defile himself with his neighbor's wife' (same sexual-prohibition tradition).
- Leviticus 19:11-13 (thematic): Commands against stealing, cheating and oppressing neighbors parallel Ezekiel's mention that the righteous 'has not oppressed anyone'—both stress justice and proper treatment of others.
Alternative generated candidates
- But behold, if the father has acted wickedly, oppressed, shed blood, and done any of these abominations,
- he has not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and has not defiled his neighbor's wife;
Eze.18.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- הונה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חבל: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- לא: PART_NEG
- חבל: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- וגזלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- גזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לחמו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- לרעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וערום: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- כסה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בגד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 22:25 (verbal): Prohibits charging interest to a needy brother—direct verbal parallel to Ezek.18:16's ban on exacting interest/usury.
- Leviticus 19:13 (verbal): Forbids defrauding or robbing a neighbor and commands timely wages—echoes Ezekiel's injunctions against fraud and exploitation.
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (thematic): Commands not to oppress hired workers and to pay their wages promptly—thematic parallel to care for the hungry and fair economic conduct in Ezek.18:16.
- Psalm 15:5 (verbal): Describes the righteous as one who does not put out money at interest nor take a bribe—verbal and ethical overlap with Ezekiel's list of righteous deeds.
- Isaiah 58:7 (thematic): Calls for sharing bread with the hungry and clothing the naked—closely parallels Ezek.18:16's concrete acts of charity and social justice.
Alternative generated candidates
- and yet he did not do so as to deprive anyone, did not restore the pledge, did not live by robbery, gave his bread to the hungry and clothed the naked,
- he has not wronged anyone, has returned the pledge, has not robbed, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment;
Eze.18.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מעני: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השיב: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- נשך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותרבית: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משפטי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בחקותי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,pss=1s
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- בעון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:9 (verbal): Lists the same righteous behaviors (withdrawing hand from the poor, not taking bribes) that qualify a person to live — closely parallels v.17's description of the righteous act.
- Ezekiel 18:19-20 (verbal): Continues and restates the principal theme of individual responsibility found in v.17: the righteous will not die for a father's sin and 'the soul that sins shall die'.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Legal parallel denying collective punishment ('Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers') — echoes the emphasis on individual liability.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (thematic): Prophetic refutation of generational guilt ('no more say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes...”), affirming each person bears their own sin much like Ezekiel 18's argument.
Alternative generated candidates
- and has turned from the poverty of his hand, withheld interest and increase, and has done justice and walked in my statutes—he shall not die for his father's sin; he shall live.
- he has withdrawn his hand from the poor, has not taken usury or increase, keeps my statutes and walks in my ordinances—he shall not die for his father's iniquity; he shall surely live.
Eze.18.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עשק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואשר: CONJ+PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בתוך: PREP
- עמיו: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+pr,3,m,sg
- והנה: ADV
- מת: ADJ,m,sg
- בעונו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Affirms individual responsibility: parents shall not be punished for children, and each person dies for their own sin, echoing Ezekiel’s rejection of collective familial guilt.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (allusion): Directly addresses the same proverb (“the fathers have eaten sour grapes…”), insisting that each person bears their own iniquity—the same point Ezekiel refutes and reformulates.
- Ezekiel 18:2 (structural): The proverb questioned at the outset of the chapter (“What do you mean by repeating this proverb…?”) that Ezekiel answers; verse 18 responds to this accusation about inherited guilt.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): States explicitly that the soul who sins shall die and that the son will not bear the father's iniquity—this is the central formulation of the principle implicit in v.18.
- Exodus 34:7 (thematic): Contains the older theological motif of God ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,’ which provides the background contrast that Ezekiel challenges regarding generational punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the father, if he has wronged, oppressed, stolen, acted abominably among his people—and behold, he dies in his iniquity—
- But his father, because he practiced extortion and committed robbery and did abominable things among his people, behold, he died for his iniquity.
Eze.18.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- מדע: ADV,interr
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הבן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בעון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והבן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצדקה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- חקותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויעשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Directly related statement in the same chapter: 'The soul who sins shall die... the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father'—same principle of individual responsibility.
- Ezekiel 18:21 (structural): Immediate continuation of v.19: explains the positive corollary—if the wicked turns and keeps statutes, he shall surely live—develops the verse's promise.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (verbal): Legal expression of the same idea: 'Parents shall not be put to death for children, nor children for parents; each shall die for his own sin'—foregrounds individual liability.
- Jeremiah 31:29–30 (thematic): Counters the proverb 'the fathers have eaten sour grapes' by asserting that 'everyone shall die for his own iniquity,' echoing Ezekiel's rejection of collective guilt.
- Numbers 14:18 (allusion): Affirms a tradition that God 'visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children' while also showing mercy—serves as the broader background which Ezekiel refines by stressing personal responsibility.
Alternative generated candidates
- you will say, 'Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is just and right, and has kept all my statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
- Yet you say, 'Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is just and right and kept all my statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
Eze.18.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנפש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- החטאת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- תמות: VERB,qal,yiqtol,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בעון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בעון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- צדקת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- הצדיק: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- ורשעת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הרשע: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (verbal): Legal parallel: explicitly states fathers shall not be put to death for children nor children for fathers—each is punished for his own sin, echoing Ezekiel’s individual responsibility language.
- Ezekiel 18:4 (structural): Immediate chapter-parallel and verbal repetition: earlier verse declares 'the soul who sins shall die,' which Ezekiel reiterates and develops in 18:20.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (allusion): The prophecy rejects the old proverb that children bear the fathers’ guilt ('the fathers have eaten sour grapes...'); echoes Ezekiel’s theme that each person bears his own guilt.
- Exodus 34:7 (verbal): Key phrase overlap and theological contrast: speaks of God 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,' language that Ezekiel responds to by stressing individual moral responsibility.
- Numbers 14:18 (thematic): Uses the motif of visiting iniquity across generations (and God’s mercy/justice); provides the background legal-theological claim that Ezekiel contests by affirming personal accountability.
Alternative generated candidates
- The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
- The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor shall 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.
Eze.18.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והרשע: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- ישוב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מכל: PREP
- חטאתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ושמר: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- חקותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצדקה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 33:14-16 (verbal): Nearly identical formulation in the same prophetic context: if the wicked turns from his sins, does what is lawful and right, he shall live and not die.
- Leviticus 18:5 (verbal): Commands to keep God's statutes with the explicit promise 'the person who does them shall live by them,' echoing 'keep my statutes... he shall live.'
- Deuteronomy 30:15, 19-20 (thematic): Presents the choice between life and death tied to obedience to God's commandments—'choose life'—paralleling repentance/obedience resulting in life.
- Hosea 14:1-4 (thematic): Calls Israel to return/repent with the promise of healing and restoration—returning from sin leads to life and blessing, resonant with Ezekiel's admonition.
- Acts 3:19 (thematic): New Testament exhortation to 'repent and be converted' so that sins may be blotted out and renewal (life) follow—parallels the link between repentance and life in Ezekiel.
Alternative generated candidates
- But if the wicked turns from all his transgressions that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
- But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Eze.18.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- פשעיו: NOUN,m,pl,suf
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יזכרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- בצדקתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suf
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21 (structural): Immediate literary context — 18:21 states that a turn from sin results in life; 18:22 continues, adding that his past sins will not be held against him.
- Ezekiel 33:14-16 (thematic): Repeats the theme of individual responsibility and reversal: when the wicked turns from sin he shall live and his former deeds are not counted against him.
- Isaiah 43:25 (verbal): God declares he blots out/transgressions and will not remember sins — a close verbal/thematic parallel to ‘his sins shall not be mentioned.’
- Jeremiah 31:34 (verbal): Promise that God will forgive iniquity and ‘remember their sin no more,’ echoing Ezekiel’s assurance that past sins won’t be reckoned.
- Hebrews 8:12 (quotation): New Testament citation of Jer. 31:34 (‘I will be merciful… their sins I will remember no more’), showing the continuation of the motif that forgiven sins are not remembered and linked to life/new covenant.
Alternative generated candidates
- All his transgressions that he has committed shall not be remembered against him; in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.
- All his transgressions that he has committed shall not be remembered against him; by his righteousness that he has done he shall live.
Eze.18.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- החפץ: PTCP,qal,act,m,sg
- אחפץ: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הלוא: PART
- בשובו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,poss3ms
- מדרכיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,poss3ms
- וחיה: VERB,qal,juss,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21 (verbal): Speaks of the wicked turning from sin and keeping statutes so they shall live—closely parallels the conditional promise of life on repentance in 18:23.
- Ezekiel 18:32 (verbal): Explicit statement of God's desire that the wicked turn and live; echoes the identical concern for repentance and life found in 18:23.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (thematic): God declares he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that they turn and live—direct thematic restatement of 18:23.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (thematic): Affirms God’s patience and desire that none should perish but all should come to repentance, paralleling Ezekiel’s emphasis on divine desire for repentance and life.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 (structural): Presents the principle that God will relent of disaster if a nation turns from evil—similar structure of conditional divine intention based on repentance found in Ezekiel 18:23.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
- Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? declares the Lord GOD. Is it not that he turns from his way and lives?
Eze.18.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובשוב: CONJ+PREP+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצדקתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+SUFF:3,m
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ככל: PREP
- התועבות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הרשע: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- וחי: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- צדקתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+SUFF:3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תזכרנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- במעלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF:3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מעל: PREP
- ובחטאתו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+suf3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חטא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21-23 (structural): Immediate parallel/contrast within the same discourse: these verses state that a wicked person who repents will live, whereas 18:24 asks whether a righteous person who turns to evil will be preserved—structural counterpart emphasizing reversal of outcome based on conduct.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (verbal): Shared legal-theological formulation: 'the soul who sins shall die' and the principle that one bears responsibility for one's own sin; 18:24 applies the principle to a righteous person's lapse.
- Ezekiel 33:12-20 (quotation): Later repetition of the same theme: the prophet reiterates that the righteous turning to sin will die and the wicked turning to righteousness will live, echoing 18:24 almost verbatim.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Related legal principle of individual responsibility for sin—'each person shall be put to death for his own sin'—parallels Ezekiel's focus on personal accountability rather than corporate transmission of guilt.
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (allusion): Contrasts older proverb about ancestral guilt and asserts that people will 'die for their own iniquity,' resonating with Ezekiel's insistence that past righteousness will not excuse current wrongdoing.
Alternative generated candidates
- But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, doing the abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for his treachery and his sin that he has committed, for them he shall die.
- But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, shall he live? Because of the iniquity that he has done, he shall die.
Eze.18.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- נא: PART
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הדרכי: NOUN,f,pl,abs+suff1
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הלא: PART
- דרכיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+suff2mp
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 45:9 (thematic): Both rebuke human presumption in disputing God’s ways—Isaiah’s rhetorical ‘woe to him who contends with his Maker’ echoes Ezekiel’s challenge to those who say God’s way is wrong.
- Job 40:2 (verbal): God’s demand that the one who argues with the Almighty answer echoes Ezekiel’s reversal of the complaint, using a similar confrontational question.
- Romans 9:20 (thematic): Paul’s objection ‘Who are you to answer back to God?’ parallels Ezekiel’s theme that humans lack standing to accuse God and should examine their own ways.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 (structural): Declares God’s work and ways are perfect and just, providing the Old Testament counterpoint to the Israelites’ claim that the LORD’s way is not right.
- Jeremiah 12:1 (thematic): Jeremiah’s complaint about the prosperity of the wicked and his questioning of God’s justice reflects the same kind of accusation against God’s ways that Ezekiel addresses.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair?
- And you say, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not right? Are not your ways unjust?
Eze.18.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בשוב: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצדקתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- בעולו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezek.33:12-13 (verbal): Almost verbatim repetition in the later oracle: the righteous who turns from righteousness to do injustice ‘shall die for his iniquity.’
- Ezek.3:20 (verbal): Earlier warning in Ezekiel using the same pattern: if a righteous person turns to sin, he will die for it — used as a prophetic admonition to individual responsibility.
- Ezek.18:20 (verbal): Key doctrinal statement in the same chapter—‘the soul that sins shall die’—which frames 18:26’s claim that a righteous person who commits iniquity dies for that iniquity.
- Jer.31:29-30 (thematic): Declares the end of the proverb ‘the parents have eaten sour grapes…’ and affirms individual responsibility—themeually parallel to Ezekiel’s rebuttal of collective punishment.
- Deut.24:16 (structural): Legal background concerning punishment of parents/children; Ezekiel 18 engages and modifies the debate about collective guilt vs. individual accountability found in Israelite law and proverb.
Alternative generated candidates
- When a righteous turns away from his righteousness and does wrong, he shall die for it. When the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by it.
- When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, he shall die for it.
Eze.18.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובשוב: CONJ+PREP+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרשעתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצדקה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21 (verbal): Almost identical formulation earlier in the same chapter: when the wicked turns from sin and does what is right, he shall live.
- Ezekiel 33:14-16 (verbal): A parallel statement in Ezekiel repeating the promise that if the wicked repents, acts justly and keeps God’s statutes, he shall live and not die.
- Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (thematic): The covenantal choice between life and death—returning to the Lord, obeying his commands, and so choosing life—parallels the idea that turning from sin preserves life.
- Isaiah 55:7 (thematic): Call for the wicked to forsake his way and return to the Lord with the promise of mercy—repentance leading to pardon and life echoes Ezekiel’s theme.
- Proverbs 28:13 (thematic): Whoever conceals transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy—parallels the connection between turning from sin and receiving life/mercy.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the wicked turns away from his wickedness that he has committed and does justice and righteousness, he shall save his life.
- But when the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by that.
Eze.18.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויראה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מכל: PREP
- פשעיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21 (verbal): Nearly identical language: a wicked person who turns from sin and does right ‘shall live; he shall not die,’ repeating the same promise of life upon repentance.
- Ezekiel 33:12-16 (verbal): Restates the theme of individual responsibility and the formula ‘if the wicked turns from his ways...he shall live’—a reprise of Ezekiel 18’s core claim.
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (thematic): Presents the choice between life and death and urges choosing life—parallels the moral consequence framework underlying Ezek. 18:28.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 (thematic): Declares that God will relent or bring disaster depending on a nation’s turn from evil, linking repentance with reversal of judgment as in Ezekiel 18:28.
- Jonah 3:10 (thematic): After Nineveh’s repentance God ‘relented’ and did not bring the threatened destruction—an example of repentance averting death/judgment similar to Ezekiel’s promise of life.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he sees and turns from all his transgressions that he has committed; he shall surely live—he shall not die.
- For he sees and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed; he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Eze.18.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- הדרכי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלא: PART
- דרכיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:2,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתכן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:25 (structural): Earliest line of the same exchange: the complaint 'The way of the Lord is not equal' is repeated and sets up the judicial response in 18:29–30.
- Jeremiah 17:10 (verbal): God declares he 'searches the heart' and 'gives to each man according to his ways,' closely echoing Ezekiel's formula of individual judgment according to one's ways.
- Psalm 62:12 (verbal): 'For you will render to a man according to his work' parallels the principle that God recompenses people according to their conduct, resonant with Ezekiel's judgment language.
- Romans 2:6 (thematic): 'God will render to each one according to his deeds' expresses the same theological principle of divine justice and individual accountability found in Ezekiel 18:29.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' O house of Israel, are my ways not right? Are your ways not wrong?
- Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Are my ways not right, O house of Israel? Are not your ways wrong?
Eze.18.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כדרכיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+poss3ms
- אשפט: VERB,qal,impf,1,na,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שובו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- והשיבו: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,pl
- מכל: PREP
- פשעיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+poss2mp
- ולא: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- למכשול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:21-23 (structural): Immediate context: reiterates the call to repent—if the wicked turn from sins and do what is right, they shall live; explains the promise behind 'return... and iniquity shall not be your ruin.'
- Jeremiah 31:29-30 (verbal): Echoes the proverb of individual responsibility ('every one according to his ways' / 'every man shall die for his own iniquity'), directly parallel to Ezekiel's emphasis on personal accountability.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 (thematic): Affirms the principle that individuals are judged for their own sins rather than being punished for ancestors' deeds—groundwork for Ezekiel's appeal to personal judgment and repentance.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (thematic): Same prophetic motif: God declares no pleasure in the death of the wicked and calls for repentance so that they may live—reinforces Ezekiel 18:30's summons to turn from sin.
- Isaiah 55:7 (allusion): Similar summons to the wicked to forsake their way and return to the LORD with the promise of mercy, paralleling Ezekiel's imperative 'shuvu' and assurance that iniquity will not be their downfall if they repent.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
- Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not be your ruin.
Eze.18.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- השליכו: VERB,hif,impv,2,m,pl
- מעליכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- פשעיכם: NOUN,m,pl,suf
- אשר: PRON,rel
- פשעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ועשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חדש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ורוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חדשה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ולמה: CONJ
- תמתו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 36:26 (verbal): Uses the same language of giving a 'new heart' and a 'new spirit' as God’s promise to transform Israel (direct verbal parallel).
- Ezekiel 11:19-20 (verbal): Earlier Ezekiel passage promising God will give a new heart and put a new spirit within them so they will follow statutes and live—same program of inward renewal.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (verbal): Contains the same rhetorical question 'Why will you die?' and the call to repentance, emphasizing God’s desire that the wicked turn and live.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (thematic): Speaks of God writing his law on hearts and establishing a renewed relationship—theme of internalizing obedience and covenant renewal akin to 'new heart' language.
- Psalm 51:10 (thematic): Prayer for a clean or renewed heart and a right/renewed spirit—personal petition language that resonates with Ezekiel’s call to obtain a new heart and spirit.
Alternative generated candidates
- Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
- Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
Eze.18.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אחפץ: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- במות: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המת: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והשיבו: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,pl
- וחיו: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 18:23 (verbal): Nearly identical wording earlier in the chapter: God asks if He takes pleasure in the death of the wicked and says He would rather they turn and live.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (verbal): Repeats the same declaration—God has no pleasure in the death of anyone but desires repentance and life.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (thematic): States God is patient, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance—New Testament echo of the divine will for turning and life.
- Jonah 3:10 (thematic): When Nineveh repents God relents from bringing disaster, illustrating God's preference for repentance over punishment.
- Deuteronomy 30:2-3 (thematic): Calls Israel to return to the LORD so He will restore them—an OT call to repentance and restoration (turning and living).
Alternative generated candidates
- For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.
- For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD. Turn, and live.
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Why do you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
As I live, declares the LORD GOD, you shall no more use this proverb in Israel.
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.
If a man is righteous and does what is just and right,
if he does not eat upon the mountains, nor lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defile his neighbor’s wife, nor draw near to a woman in her uncleanness,
if he has not wronged anyone, but restores the pledge, does not rob, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
if he withholds his hand from extortion, gives no interest and takes no increase, but keeps my statutes and executes true justice between man and man,
he walks in my ordinances and keeps my statutes to deal faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the LORD GOD. And if he fathers a son who is a reckless man, who sheds blood and does any of these things,
who eats on the high places, lifts up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defiles his neighbor’s wife,
who oppresses the poor and needy, wrongfully seizes the pledge, refuses to restore what he took by robbery,
who gives usury or takes increase, who leads others into these abominations—shall such a one live? He shall not; he has committed all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood is upon him. But behold, he fathers a son, and that son sees all the sins his father has done, and sees and fears and turns away from them;
he does not eat upon the mountains, he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, he does not defile his neighbor’s wife;
he gives back the pledge, restores what he took by robbery, withholds his hand from extortion, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment;
he keeps my statutes and walks in my ordinances—he will not die for the iniquity of his father; he will surely live. But if the father has oppressed, done wrong, committed robbery, dealt unjustly among his people, and behold, he has died for his iniquity,
you will say, ‘Why should the son not bear the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right and kept all my statutes and done them, he shall surely live.
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if the wicked turns from all his transgressions that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him; by his righteousness that he has done he shall live.
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the LORD GOD, and not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice in accordance with all the abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? All the righteousness that he has done shall not be remembered; in his sin that he has sinned and in his iniquity that he has committed, in them he shall die. And you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not right? Are not your ways wrong?
When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when a wicked person turns away from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life.
Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the LORD is not right.’ Are my ways not right, house of Israel? Are your ways not wrong?
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the LORD GOD: Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the LORD GOD. Turn, therefore, and live.