Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 18:10-20
God, by the prophet, having laid down the general rule of judgment, that he will render eternal life to those that patiently continue in well-doing, but indignation and wrath to those that do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness (Rom 2:7, Rom 2:8), comes, in these verses, to show that men's parentage and relation shall not alter the case either one way or other.
I. He applied it largely and particularly both ways. As it was in the royal line of the kings of Judah, so it often happens in private families, that godly parents have wicked children and wicked parents have godly children. Now here he shows,
1. That a wicked man shall certainly perish in his iniquity, though he be the son o…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 18:20
son shall not bear . . . iniquity of . . . father-- (Deu 24:16; Kg2 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 God's appointment, so far as they then understood this way.
Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 18:20
The 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:
1. 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: -
John Gill on Ezekiel 18:20
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 iniquity of the son; that is, as the Targum paraphrases it,
"the son shall not be punished for the sins of the father, nor shall the father be punished for the sins of the son.''
This is to be understood of adult persons, and of actual sins; for of such only the prophet speaks throughout the whole chapter, or of temporal, and not of eternal punishment:
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him; he shall be rewarded with temporal good things in this life, according to his righteousne…
