The
soul who sins, he 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 on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
Ezekiel 18:20
Ezekiel 18 [15.] who has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment; who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity. Yet you say, Why doesn’t the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.
Ezekiel 18 [20.] The soul who sins, he 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 on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him. But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Lord Yahweh; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live? But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 18 [25.] Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?
Meaning:
Ezekiel spoke to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Many of them blamed their suffering on earlier generations, quoting a proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2-4). God answered that each person stands before him for his own life.
- “The soul who sins, he shall die”
Every soul belongs to God, and each one is accountable to him. The law of Moses had already set this rule for human courts: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers” (Deuteronomy 24:16). Children may suffer the consequences of their parents’ sins, as the commandments warn (Exodus 20:5), but they are not guilty of sins they did not commit.
- “the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father”
This truth matters when reading Matthew 27:25, where a crowd shouted, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25). Those words were later used to blame the Jewish people for generations. Ezekiel shows why that is wrong. Jesus also rejected the idea that suffering must come from a parent’s sin: “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents” (John 9:3).
- A call to turn
The chapter does not end in judgment. God says, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” Anyone may turn from sin and live.
The Significance of Ezekiel 18:20
- Personal responsibility and hope
No one can blame his ancestors for his own sin, and no one is condemned for theirs. Everyone is invited to turn to God.
Cross-References:
Ezekiel 18:4: "the soul who sins, he shall die." The same principle earlier in the chapter.
John 9:3: "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents;" Jesus on suffering and blame.
Conclusion: Ezekiel 18:20 teaches that each person answers to God for his own sin. A child does not bear the guilt of a parent, and God takes no pleasure in anyone’s death but calls all to turn and live.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible