Ezekiel 18:21

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
wicked	וְהָרָשָׁ֗ע ve.ha.ra.Sha'	H7563	morally wrong · conjunction + definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
turn	יָשׁוּב֙ ya.Shuv	H7725	to turn back (hence · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sins	חַטֹּאתָיו֙ cha.ta.tov	H2403	an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness) · noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
committed	עָשָׂ֔ה 'a.Sah	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
keep	וְשָׁמַר֙ ve.sha.Mar	H8104	properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
statutes	חֻקּוֹתַ֔י chu.ko.Tai	H2708	an enactment · noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix
do	וְעָשָׂ֥ה ve.'a.Sah	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
lawful	מִשְׁפָּ֖ט mish.Pat	H4941	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
right	וּצְדָקָ֑ה u.tze.da.Kah	H6666	rightness (abstractly) · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
surely	חָיֹ֥ה cha.Yoh	H2421	to live · verb, qal infinitive absolute
live	יִחְיֶ֖ה yich.Yeh	H2421	to live · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
die	יָמֽוּת ya.Mut	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Ezekiel 33:19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Ezekiel 18:27-28 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save…
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the L…
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Ezekiel 18:9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 18:21-29

We have here another rule of judgment which God will go by in dealing with us, by which is further demonstrated the equity of his government. The former showed that God will reward or punish according to the change made in the family or succession, for the better or for the worse; here he shows that he will reward or punish according to the change made in the person himself, whether for the better or the worse. While we are in this world we are in a state of probation; the time of trial lasts as long as the time of life, and according as we are found at last it will be with us to eternity. Now see here, I. The case fairly stated, much as it had been before (Eze 3:18, etc.), and here it is la…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 18:21

Two last cases, showing the equity of God: (1) The penitent sinner is dealt with according to his new obedience, not according to his former sins. (2) The righteous man who turns from righteousness to sin shall be punished for the latter, and his former righteousness will be of no avail to him. he shall surely live--Despair drives men into hardened recklessness; God therefore allures men to repentance by holding out hope [CALVIN]. To threats the stubborn sinner oft is hard, Wrapt in his crimes, against the storm prepared, But when the milder beams of mercy play, He melts, and throws the cumbrous cloak away. Hitherto the cases had been of a change from bad to good, or vice versa, i…

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Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 18:21

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins - And afterwards walk according to the character of the righteous already specified shall he find mercy, and be for ever saved? Yes.

John Gill on Ezekiel 18:21

But if the wicked,.... So far is the Lord from punishing the sins of one man upon another, that he will not punish a man for his own sins: if he will turn from all his sins that he hath committed: if he truly repents of them, and thoroughly forsakes them; for it must not be one sin only, but all; every sin is to be loathed and mourned over, and sorrow expressed for it, and to be forsaken; not one sin is to cherished and retained, but all to be relinquished: or the repentance and conversion may be justly questioned whether they be sincere: and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right; as the repentance and turning from sin must be general, so also obedience to the command…

The Church Fathers

Sin is a terrible thing, and the most grievous disease of the soul is iniquity, which corrodes the fiber of the soul and makes it liable to eternal fire. It is an evil freely chosen, the product of the will.
— Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 2:1

Once the mind is lent brightness at the very beginning of good works and begins to recognize the truth, you are not to imagine that after sinning a delay ensues by reason of which it is enabled to be heard.
— Cassiodorus, EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 5:5

Behold how God advises and arouses you so that you may be converted from your sins and be saved, though late. Behold how he urges one liable to death to live; how gently, how kindly he calls, not refusing his fatherly devotion even to sinners. He continues to call children those who have lost God their Father by their sins.
— Augustine of Hippo, ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 2

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Penitent · PROMISES TO — PROMISES TO
Repentance · 4:29-31;10:16;30:1-3,8-10;32:29; — 4:29-31;10:16;30:1-3,8-10;32:29;
Responsibility · ACCORDING TO PRIVILEGE — ACCORDING TO PRIVILEGE
Seekers · 5:8;8:5,6; — 5:8;8:5,6;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ezekiel 18:21

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 18:21-29

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 18:21

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 18:21

John Gill on Ezekiel 18:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezekiel 18:21

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 18:21-29

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 18:21

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 18:21

John Gill on Ezekiel 18:21

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ezekiel 18:21-22

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 18:21-26

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 18:21-24

Rashi on Ezekiel 18:17