Ezekiel · Chapter 18

V. 2. The land of Israel-The two tribes, not the ten. The fathers-Our fore-fathers. Have eaten-Have sinned. The childrens-We their children, who were unborn, suffer for their sins.

Verse 2. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?] We have seen this proverb already, Jeremiah 31:29, &c., and have considered its general meaning. But the subject is here proposed in greater detail, with a variety of circumstances, to adapt it to all those cases to which it should apply. It refers simply to these questions: How far can the moral evil of the parent be extended to his offspring? And, Are the faults and evil propensities of the parents, not only transferred to the children, but punished in them? Do parents transfer their evil nature, and are their children punished for their offences?

Verse 2. What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel — With respect to the desolations made in it by the sword, famine, and pestilence. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge — The present generation is punished for the offences committed by their forefathers, particularly for the sins committed in the time of Manasseh, king of Judah: see 2 Kings 23:26; Jeremiah 15:4. The Jewish people were very prone to plead their innocence, however great their crimes were.

Verse 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 unbelievers in the desert, and on Manasseh, who went to great excesses. Horace rebukes the Romans; no marvel then that the prophets should do the same. Delicta majorum immeritus lues, Romane.

2. Concerning — Rather, in. The fathers have eaten [do eat] sour grapes — This was a proverb which contained a half truth, but which the people were twisting to their own destruction. There may be a physical or political inheritance of trouble, but there can be no heredity of guilt. The people said: “Our fathers brought this calamity upon us,” but Ezekiel replied, “It comes because of sin, and because of your own sin. This is the direct punishment of Jehovah, and the just God will neither punish nations nor individuals for the sins of their ancestors.”

Verse 3. As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.] I will now, by this present declaration, settle this question for ever. And hence God has sworn to what follows. After this, who will dare to doubt the judgment pronounced?

Verse 3. As I live; saith the Lord, ye shall not have occasion to use this proverb any more in Israel — I will make such a visible discrimination between the righteous and the wicked, between those that tread in the steps of their forefathers and those who take warning by their examples, that you shall not have any further room to use this proverb among you. God threatens, it must be acknowledged, to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, both in the Old Testament and the New: see Exodus 20:5; Matthew 23:35. But this is to be understood only, 1st, With respect to the temporal punishments of this world, not with respect to the eternal punishments of the next; and, 2d, When the children walk in the wicked steps of their parents, and so by degrees fill up the measure of national iniquity: see notes on Jeremiah 15:4, and 31:29, where this matter is more fully explained. “The Scripture takes notice of a certain measure of iniquity, which is filling up from one generation to another, till at last it makes a nation or family ripe for destruction. And although those persons on whom this vengeance falls suffer no more than their own personal sins deserved, yet, because the sins of former generations, which they equal or outdo, make it time for God utterly to destroy them, the punishments due to the sins of many ages and generations are said to fall upon them.” — Dr. Sherlock.

3. Ye shall not have occasion — Or, ye shall not be permitted. Their own guilt shall now be made so plain to them (and the close connection between guilt and punishment) that they will no longer dare to blame their fathers and excuse themselves.

V. 4. Behold-There can be no colour of partial judgment in the proceedings of God, who is equally God to all. All souls-All persons. The soul-The person, whether father or son, shall die, shall bear his own punishment.

Verse 4. All souls are mine] Equally so; I am the Father of the spirits of all flesh, and shall deal impartially with the whole.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die.] None shall die for another’s crimes, none shall be saved by another’s righteousness. Here is the general judgment relative to the righteousness and unrighteousness of men, and the influence of one man’s state on that of another; particularly in respect to their moral conduct.

Verse 4. Behold, all souls are mine — As they are all equally my creatures, and in my power, so my dealings with them shall be without prejudice or partiality. The soul that sinneth, it shall die — The very same man that committeth sin shall be punished for it. Some commentators explain this of the temporal death which was about to come on the wicked Jews by the sword, famine, and pestilence; and they would confine the whole chapter to these events. “But,” as Mr. Scott justly observes, “it cannot be proved that every righteous man escaped those temporal judgments, or that all who survived them were righteous: without which this whole interpretation must fall for want of a foundation. Many, indeed, of the pious Jews had ‘their lives given them for a prey,’ but even what Jeremiah, Baruch, and others endured in the siege, and after the taking of Jerusalem, nearly equalled the external sufferings of many wicked men among them; and none of those who survived the siege escaped captivity or exile. So that facts, in this particular, did not so fully ascertain the equality of the divine conduct toward these distinct characters, as this hypothesis requires.” Temporal death, therefore, which, as the consequence of the first transgression, passes equally upon all men, cannot be only, or even chiefly, if it be at all, intended here. But, as life signifies in general all that happiness which attends God’s favour, so death denotes all those punishments which are the effects of the divine displeasure, (see 2 Samuel 12:13,) under which are comprehended the miseries of the next world. And these shall be allotted to men according to their deeds, (Romans 2:6,) without any regard to the faults of their ancestors, which shall not then be laid to their charge, or taken into account to aggravate their guilt. This the prophets well knew, and therefore, as they instruct men in the practice of inward and evangelical righteousness, and in order to it speak slightingly of the mere external duties of religion, (see Isaiah 1:11; Jeremiah 7:22, 23,) so they raise men’s minds to look beyond the temporal promises and threatenings of the law, to the eternal rewards and punishments of another life, Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2. In both which respects they prepared men’s minds for the reception of the gospel when it should be revealed. See Lowth.

Ver. 4. All souls are mine. As the Judge, my hands are clean, my laws are holy, my decisions just. Therefore, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The man who robs and murders, who eats at Baal’s feasts on the mountains, who seduces and violates his neighbour’s wife, and oppresses the poor; his blood shall be upon him, as in ver. 19. And if the judges fail in doing their duty, I will send my anointed servants, the Assyrians, to do it for them with sevenfold vengeance. The LXX read, “either the soul, or the sin shall die.” Aye, God who searches the heart, may extend mercy, as he promises in ver. 21, 23; but the magistrate cannot; he must have some mercy on the public, and one sacrifice of justice may prevent a thousand crimes.

4. All souls are mine — Jehovah has absolute ownership of all, therefore no unfairness is possible from him and no criticism is justifiable from others. The soul that sinneth, it shall die — This is the key to this chapter (verse 20) and to Ezekiel’s ethical teaching. No ancestral trait can buy salvation. Birth, race, and national religion — all is vanity without individual repentance and “justice.” (See verse 9.) No ancestral crimes can bring guilt and divine punishment. This only comes from personal transgression. The common oriental law gave the father full control over the life and property of his son; but his soul is here declared to be free and independent. While the terms “live” and “die” no doubt referred to the physical nature yet there can be no doubt that Ezekiel interjects into them a moral and spiritual significance. (See verse 31 and chap. 37.) Sinneth — The prophet is not speaking of one isolated act of transgression, but of a persistent habit of life.

Verse 5. If a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right] If he be just or holy within, and do what is according to law and equity. What is meant by this, is immediately specified.

Verses 5-9. If a man be just — Or righteous, rather, as the word qydx properly signifies; for it is not mere honesty, but true religion that is intended. And hath not eaten upon the mountains — Feasted on the sacrifices they offered to false gods. Idolatrous worship was commonly performed upon mountains or high places; and eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to which it was offered. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols — In prayer and adoration. And hath restored to the debtor his pledge — That is, what he could not be in want of without great inconvenience; such as clothes, bedding, and the like. God forbade the Jews to detain all night any pledge of this kind which they took from a poor man, (see the margin,) which was, in effect, to enjoin them to lend to the poor, without either pawn or usury. Hath given his bread to the hungry — After the offices of justice, come those of charity or beneficence: see margin. That hath not given forth upon usury — Usury, when exacted of the poor, has been generally condemned as no better than oppression, and is particularly forbidden by the law: see the margin. It is probable this sort of usury is chiefly here meant, because it is joined with oppression, violence, and want of charity. Every kind and degree of usury, however, was forbidden to the Israelites among one another, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness. But this law was peculiar to them: like their not reaping the corners of their fields, and their not gleaning their vines and olive-trees. Neither hath taken any increase — This seems to be meant of taking any advantage of the poor upon any occasion: see note on Leviticus 25:36. Hath executed true judgment between man and man — Whenever he has been appointed a judge or an arbiter of differences between men; or, according as he has opportunity of doing it. Hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments — My ordinances and commandments, attending diligently to the various institutions of my worship, and living in continual obedience to my will as revealed in my word, and that from a principle of faith in, and love to me, Deuteronomy 6:5; and 30:20; to deal truly — Uprightly and sincerely, according to the best of his knowledge; he is just — Righteous in a gospel sense. Righteousness has been imputed to him, Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1, 2; and implanted in him, Deuteronomy 5:29, and 30:6; Psalm 51:10; otherwise it would not be thus practised by him. His person has been justified, and his nature renewed, otherwise he would neither have inclination nor power to walk thus before God in all well-pleasing. He shall surely live, saith the Lord God — Shall enjoy the comfort and reward of his obedience, and shall not need to fear any of those punishments that befall the wicked. He lives to God here, and shall live with him hereafter: see notes on Psalm 15.

5. If a man be just — The just man, according to Ezekiel’s definition, is one who is faithful to God and is obedient to his written law (verse 6); he does that which is “lawful and right;” he is a pure man and a religious man. He is not only honest but merciful (verse 7), generous and true-hearted (verses 8, 9), one who is true to God and kind to his brother. This is very similar to Micah’s “good man,” who must “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with his God” (Micah 6:8) — see also Job’s righteous man (31), Isaiah’s (Isaiah 58:5-7), and the Psalmist’s (15). With Ezekiel’s description of the just man it is also interesting to compare the “superior man” of Confucius and the “righteous man” of the Egyptians of Moses’s day. Chinese “justice” had to do wholly with this world, but the Egyptians, like the Hebrews, believed God was man’s neighbor, to whom he owed duties of honor and gratitude and worship. In the confession of every orthodox Egyptian occurs the expression, “I permitted no one to suffer hunger, I pressed forth no tear, I did harm to no man, I did not commit adultery, I was not unchaste, I was not a quarreler, I have told no lie,” etc. There occur also declarations of positive virtue: “I gave bread to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothing to the naked.” (See the author’s Ancient Egypt, p. 11, etc.) It has often been insinuated that Ezekiel considered obedience to the “law” as the whole duty of man. But while the injunctions here are almost certainly taken from the written law, for he uses the very word for law which is used in Deuteronomy 12:1 (see, for full discussion, Konig vs. Smend, Revue de l’Hist, des Rels., 1894); yet he does not identify justice with the mere formal and technical observance of those statutes and ordinances. (Compare verse 31.) The statement which he here very properly emphasizes — a statement which marks a new era in religious thought — is, that it is only through obedience that a man can become just. Ezekiel saw that what his auditors most needed was a humble obedience to God’s will and a reverence for the written Scriptures. It was no doubt to a people already scrupulous about obeying the letter of the law that Isaiah spoke, urging the more spiritual idea of justice (Isaiah 5:1; 6:11; 51:7; 56:6-8; 62:1-3). Ezekiel’s audience was not prepared for this highest teaching, but there is no good reason for believing that Ezekiel was not in full sympathy with Isaiah’s best thought.

V. 6. Hath not eaten-Hath not committed idolatry, offering sacrifice, and eating of the things sacrificed to idols; whose temples and altars were on mountains, chap. 20. & 28. Hosea 4:13.

Verse 6. 1. Hath not eaten upon the mountains] Idolatrous worship was generally performed on mountains and hills; and those who offered sacrifices feasted on the sacrifice, and thus held communion with the idol.

2. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols] Has paid them no religious adoration; has trusted in them for nothing, and has not made prayer nor supplication before them.

3. Neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife] Has had no adulterous connexion with any woman; to which idolatrous feasts and worship particularly led.

4. Neither hath come nigh to a menstruous woman] Has abstained from the use of the marriage-bed during the periodical indisposition of his wife. This was absolutely forbidden by the law; and both the man and the woman who disobeyed the command were to be put to death, Leviticus 20:18. For which Calmet gives this reason: “It has been believed, and experience confirms it, that the children conceived at such times are either leprous, or monsters, or deformed by their diminutiveness, or by the disproportion of their members.” There are other reasons for this law, should those of the learned commentator be found invalid.

Verses 5-9. If a man be just — Or righteous, rather, as the word qydx properly signifies; for it is not mere honesty, but true religion that is intended. And hath not eaten upon the mountains — Feasted on the sacrifices they offered to false gods. Idolatrous worship was commonly performed upon mountains or high places; and eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to which it was offered. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols — In prayer and adoration. And hath restored to the debtor his pledge — That is, what he could not be in want of without great inconvenience; such as clothes, bedding, and the like. God forbade the Jews to detain all night any pledge of this kind which they took from a poor man, (see the margin,) which was, in effect, to enjoin them to lend to the poor, without either pawn or usury. Hath given his bread to the hungry — After the offices of justice, come those of charity or beneficence: see margin. That hath not given forth upon usury — Usury, when exacted of the poor, has been generally condemned as no better than oppression, and is particularly forbidden by the law: see the margin. It is probable this sort of usury is chiefly here meant, because it is joined with oppression, violence, and want of charity. Every kind and degree of usury, however, was forbidden to the Israelites among one another, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness. But this law was peculiar to them: like their not reaping the corners of their fields, and their not gleaning their vines and olive-trees. Neither hath taken any increase — This seems to be meant of taking any advantage of the poor upon any occasion: see note on Leviticus 25:36. Hath executed true judgment between man and man — Whenever he has been appointed a judge or an arbiter of differences between men; or, according as he has opportunity of doing it. Hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments — My ordinances and commandments, attending diligently to the various institutions of my worship, and living in continual obedience to my will as revealed in my word, and that from a principle of faith in, and love to me, Deuteronomy 6:5; and 30:20; to deal truly — Uprightly and sincerely, according to the best of his knowledge; he is just — Righteous in a gospel sense. Righteousness has been imputed to him, Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1, 2; and implanted in him, Deuteronomy 5:29, and 30:6; Psalm 51:10; otherwise it would not be thus practised by him. His person has been justified, and his nature renewed, otherwise he would neither have inclination nor power to walk thus before God in all well-pleasing. He shall surely live, saith the Lord God — Shall enjoy the comfort and reward of his obedience, and shall not need to fear any of those punishments that befall the wicked. He lives to God here, and shall live with him hereafter: see notes on Psalm 15.

6. Eaten, etc. — He has partaken of the sacrificial feast offered on the high places. The other acts of disobedience mentioned here are forbidden in Leviticus 15:24; 17:7; 18:19; 19:26; 5:10; Deuteronomy 22:22.

Verse 7. 5. Hath not oppressed any] Has not used his power or influence to oppress, pain, or injure another.

6. Hath restored to the debtor his pledge] Has carefully surrendered the pawn or pledge when its owner came to redeem it. As the pledge is generally of more worth than that for which it is pledged, an unprincipled man will make some pretence to keep it; which is highly abominable in the sight of God.

7. Hath spoiled none by violence] Either by robbery or personal insult. For a man may be spoiled both ways.

8. Hath given his bread to the hungry] Has been kind-hearted and charitable; especially to them that are in the deepest want.

9. Hath covered the naked with a garment] Has divided both his bread and his clothing with the necessitous. These are two branches of the same root.

Verses 5-9. If a man be just — Or righteous, rather, as the word qydx properly signifies; for it is not mere honesty, but true religion that is intended. And hath not eaten upon the mountains — Feasted on the sacrifices they offered to false gods. Idolatrous worship was commonly performed upon mountains or high places; and eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to which it was offered. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols — In prayer and adoration. And hath restored to the debtor his pledge — That is, what he could not be in want of without great inconvenience; such as clothes, bedding, and the like. God forbade the Jews to detain all night any pledge of this kind which they took from a poor man, (see the margin,) which was, in effect, to enjoin them to lend to the poor, without either pawn or usury. Hath given his bread to the hungry — After the offices of justice, come those of charity or beneficence: see margin. That hath not given forth upon usury — Usury, when exacted of the poor, has been generally condemned as no better than oppression, and is particularly forbidden by the law: see the margin. It is probable this sort of usury is chiefly here meant, because it is joined with oppression, violence, and want of charity. Every kind and degree of usury, however, was forbidden to the Israelites among one another, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness. But this law was peculiar to them: like their not reaping the corners of their fields, and their not gleaning their vines and olive-trees. Neither hath taken any increase — This seems to be meant of taking any advantage of the poor upon any occasion: see note on Leviticus 25:36. Hath executed true judgment between man and man — Whenever he has been appointed a judge or an arbiter of differences between men; or, according as he has opportunity of doing it. Hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments — My ordinances and commandments, attending diligently to the various institutions of my worship, and living in continual obedience to my will as revealed in my word, and that from a principle of faith in, and love to me, Deuteronomy 6:5; and 30:20; to deal truly — Uprightly and sincerely, according to the best of his knowledge; he is just — Righteous in a gospel sense. Righteousness has been imputed to him, Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1, 2; and implanted in him, Deuteronomy 5:29, and 30:6; Psalm 51:10; otherwise it would not be thus practised by him. His person has been justified, and his nature renewed, otherwise he would neither have inclination nor power to walk thus before God in all well-pleasing. He shall surely live, saith the Lord God — Shall enjoy the comfort and reward of his obedience, and shall not need to fear any of those punishments that befall the wicked. He lives to God here, and shall live with him hereafter: see notes on Psalm 15.

7. Violence — Rather, robbery. (Also verses 12, 16, 18.) It vividly shows the poverty of the “common people,” that they had to get back their cloak in order to have something with which to cover themselves at night. Of course they were expected to return the pledge the next morning; but no doubt often this was not done. The temptation, therefore, on the part of the creditor to break the law was very strong. The references here are to Exodus 22:21, 26; Leviticus 6:1-5; 19:15; 25:14; Deuteronomy 24:12, 13; see also Amos 2:6, 7; Job 30:13.

V. 8. Increase-Illegal interest. Iniquity-Injustice of every kind.

Verse 8. 10. Hath not given forth upon usury] יתנ al Ëvnb beneshech lo yitten. Ëvn nasach signifies to bite; usury is properly so termed, because it bites into and devours the principal. Usury signifies, with us, exacting unlawful interest for money; and taking the advantage of a man’s necessities to advance him cash on exorbitant profit. This bites the receiver in his property, and the lender in his salvation.

11. Neither hath taken any increase] In lending has not required more than was lent; and has not taken that product of the cash lent, which was more than the value for its use. This may be a part of the tenth article.

12. That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity] Never associates with those who act contrary to justice and equity; his hand or influence being never found among evil workers.

13. Hath executed true judgment between man and man] Being neither swayed by prejudice, fear, nor favour.

These thirteen points concern his social and civil relations.

Verses 5-9. If a man be just — Or righteous, rather, as the word qydx properly signifies; for it is not mere honesty, but true religion that is intended. And hath not eaten upon the mountains — Feasted on the sacrifices they offered to false gods. Idolatrous worship was commonly performed upon mountains or high places; and eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to which it was offered. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols — In prayer and adoration. And hath restored to the debtor his pledge — That is, what he could not be in want of without great inconvenience; such as clothes, bedding, and the like. God forbade the Jews to detain all night any pledge of this kind which they took from a poor man, (see the margin,) which was, in effect, to enjoin them to lend to the poor, without either pawn or usury. Hath given his bread to the hungry — After the offices of justice, come those of charity or beneficence: see margin. That hath not given forth upon usury — Usury, when exacted of the poor, has been generally condemned as no better than oppression, and is particularly forbidden by the law: see the margin. It is probable this sort of usury is chiefly here meant, because it is joined with oppression, violence, and want of charity. Every kind and degree of usury, however, was forbidden to the Israelites among one another, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness. But this law was peculiar to them: like their not reaping the corners of their fields, and their not gleaning their vines and olive-trees. Neither hath taken any increase — This seems to be meant of taking any advantage of the poor upon any occasion: see note on Leviticus 25:36. Hath executed true judgment between man and man — Whenever he has been appointed a judge or an arbiter of differences between men; or, according as he has opportunity of doing it. Hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments — My ordinances and commandments, attending diligently to the various institutions of my worship, and living in continual obedience to my will as revealed in my word, and that from a principle of faith in, and love to me, Deuteronomy 6:5; and 30:20; to deal truly — Uprightly and sincerely, according to the best of his knowledge; he is just — Righteous in a gospel sense. Righteousness has been imputed to him, Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1, 2; and implanted in him, Deuteronomy 5:29, and 30:6; Psalm 51:10; otherwise it would not be thus practised by him. His person has been justified, and his nature renewed, otherwise he would neither have inclination nor power to walk thus before God in all well-pleasing. He shall surely live, saith the Lord God — Shall enjoy the comfort and reward of his obedience, and shall not need to fear any of those punishments that befall the wicked. He lives to God here, and shall live with him hereafter: see notes on Psalm 15.

Ver. 8. He that hath not given forth upon usury, upon interest for the use of money. When a man lends money to another to buy food and raiment, neither jew nor christian ought to take interest; but when he lends to the bank, or to any trade, our Saviour, in the case of him who hid his talent, has decided that interest may be taken.

8. References, Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36, 37; Deuteronomy 1:16; 23:19. Usury — Any interest charged to Hebrews was prohibited by the law, and therefore was usury in the modern sense of illegal interest. “A brother who would not help a brother to a loan without interest was not thought worthy of the name.” The “increase” forbidden seems to have been any profit on the sale of goods beyond the cost of production as measured by the maintenance of the worker and his family (Plumptre). The money-making spirit was not encouraged by the Mosaic legislation.

V. 9. Shall live-Shall be delivered from famine, pestilence, and sword, and shall see good days.

Verse 9. Hath walked in my statutes] Not only acknowledging them to be right, but acting according to them. Especially in every thing that relates to my worship, changing nothing, neglecting nothing.

And hath kept my judgments, to deal truly] Has attended to my Divine direction, both with respect to things forbidden, and things commanded. These concern men in their religious conduct.

He is just] awh qydx tsaddik hu. He is a righteous man; he has given to all their due; he has abstained from every appearance of evil, and done that which was lawful and right in the sight of God.

He shall surely live] He has lived to me, and he shall live with me.

Verses 5-9. If a man be just — Or righteous, rather, as the word qydx properly signifies; for it is not mere honesty, but true religion that is intended. And hath not eaten upon the mountains — Feasted on the sacrifices they offered to false gods. Idolatrous worship was commonly performed upon mountains or high places; and eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to which it was offered. Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols — In prayer and adoration. And hath restored to the debtor his pledge — That is, what he could not be in want of without great inconvenience; such as clothes, bedding, and the like. God forbade the Jews to detain all night any pledge of this kind which they took from a poor man, (see the margin,) which was, in effect, to enjoin them to lend to the poor, without either pawn or usury. Hath given his bread to the hungry — After the offices of justice, come those of charity or beneficence: see margin. That hath not given forth upon usury — Usury, when exacted of the poor, has been generally condemned as no better than oppression, and is particularly forbidden by the law: see the margin. It is probable this sort of usury is chiefly here meant, because it is joined with oppression, violence, and want of charity. Every kind and degree of usury, however, was forbidden to the Israelites among one another, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness. But this law was peculiar to them: like their not reaping the corners of their fields, and their not gleaning their vines and olive-trees. Neither hath taken any increase — This seems to be meant of taking any advantage of the poor upon any occasion: see note on Leviticus 25:36. Hath executed true judgment between man and man — Whenever he has been appointed a judge or an arbiter of differences between men; or, according as he has opportunity of doing it. Hath walked in my statutes, and kept my judgments — My ordinances and commandments, attending diligently to the various institutions of my worship, and living in continual obedience to my will as revealed in my word, and that from a principle of faith in, and love to me, Deuteronomy 6:5; and 30:20; to deal truly — Uprightly and sincerely, according to the best of his knowledge; he is just — Righteous in a gospel sense. Righteousness has been imputed to him, Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1, 2; and implanted in him, Deuteronomy 5:29, and 30:6; Psalm 51:10; otherwise it would not be thus practised by him. His person has been justified, and his nature renewed, otherwise he would neither have inclination nor power to walk thus before God in all well-pleasing. He shall surely live, saith the Lord God — Shall enjoy the comfort and reward of his obedience, and shall not need to fear any of those punishments that befall the wicked. He lives to God here, and shall live with him hereafter: see notes on Psalm 15.

9. He is just — No man can truly obey God’s commandments without having an inner spirit of righteousness. This is expressed by the great Teacher and his apostles as emphatically as by Ezekiel (Matthew 25:35, 42; James 2:14-24; 1 John 2:3, 5, 10). THE UNJUST SON OF A JUST FATHER SHALL NOT ESCAPE CONDEMNATION

Verse 10. If he beget a son] Who is the reverse of the above righteous character, according to the thirteen articles already specified and explained.

Verses 10-13. If he — The righteous man before described, who transmits his human nature, but cannot transmit his graces and virtues to his son; beget a son who is a robber, &c. — Who is guilty of any of the evil practices above mentioned; and that doeth not any of those duties — That lives in the neglect of the just and humane offices which have been mentioned, and which are commanded by the law; he hath committed abomination — This may chiefly refer to the last two clauses of verse 6. He shall not live — Namely, because of his father’s righteousness. He shall not enjoy the divine favour and blessing here or hereafter: he shall not escape punishment; namely, unless he turn to God in true repentance and reformation, verse 21. He hath done, or, because he hath done, all these abominations — Which have rendered him an object of the divine wrath; his blood shall be upon him — He is the cause of his own destruction; the whole blame of it must lie at his own door.

AND PENALTY, 10-13.

10. A robber — Rather, a man of violence. The like to any one — Rather, anyone.

Verses 10-13. If he — The righteous man before described, who transmits his human nature, but cannot transmit his graces and virtues to his son; beget a son who is a robber, &c. — Who is guilty of any of the evil practices above mentioned; and that doeth not any of those duties — That lives in the neglect of the just and humane offices which have been mentioned, and which are commanded by the law; he hath committed abomination — This may chiefly refer to the last two clauses of verse 6. He shall not live — Namely, because of his father’s righteousness. He shall not enjoy the divine favour and blessing here or hereafter: he shall not escape punishment; namely, unless he turn to God in true repentance and reformation, verse 21. He hath done, or, because he hath done, all these abominations — Which have rendered him an object of the divine wrath; his blood shall be upon him — He is the cause of his own destruction; the whole blame of it must lie at his own door.

11. That doeth not any of those duties — “These things” and “those duties” are exactly the same word. This man has done the things the just man would not do (verses 6-8), and has not done the things the just man would do (verses 8, 9). After this general statement the enumeration of his crimes of commission begins. There is a division of thought in the middle of verse 11 which is not indicated by the English punctuation.

Verses 10-13. If he — The righteous man before described, who transmits his human nature, but cannot transmit his graces and virtues to his son; beget a son who is a robber, &c. — Who is guilty of any of the evil practices above mentioned; and that doeth not any of those duties — That lives in the neglect of the just and humane offices which have been mentioned, and which are commanded by the law; he hath committed abomination — This may chiefly refer to the last two clauses of verse 6. He shall not live — Namely, because of his father’s righteousness. He shall not enjoy the divine favour and blessing here or hereafter: he shall not escape punishment; namely, unless he turn to God in true repentance and reformation, verse 21. He hath done, or, because he hath done, all these abominations — Which have rendered him an object of the divine wrath; his blood shall be upon him — He is the cause of his own destruction; the whole blame of it must lie at his own door.

AND PENALTY, 10-13.

10. A robber — Rather, a man of violence. The like to any one — Rather, anyone.

V. 13. His blood-Heb. ‘Tis plural, bloods; both the blood of the innocent which he murdered, and his own blood which thereby he forfeited; the blood of his own soul and life: that is the whole blame of his misery in time and eternity, shall lie upon himself.

Verse 13. Shall he then live?] Because his father was a righteous man, shall the father’s holiness be imputed to him? No!

He shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.] He shall suffer for his own crimes.

Verses 10-13. If he — The righteous man before described, who transmits his human nature, but cannot transmit his graces and virtues to his son; beget a son who is a robber, &c. — Who is guilty of any of the evil practices above mentioned; and that doeth not any of those duties — That lives in the neglect of the just and humane offices which have been mentioned, and which are commanded by the law; he hath committed abomination — This may chiefly refer to the last two clauses of verse 6. He shall not live — Namely, because of his father’s righteousness. He shall not enjoy the divine favour and blessing here or hereafter: he shall not escape punishment; namely, unless he turn to God in true repentance and reformation, verse 21. He hath done, or, because he hath done, all these abominations — Which have rendered him an object of the divine wrath; his blood shall be upon him — He is the cause of his own destruction; the whole blame of it must lie at his own door.

13. He shall surely die, etc. — The legal sentence (Exodus 21:15; 22:18; Leviticus 20:11). His blood shall be upon him — He is responsible for his own death (Ezekiel 33:4; Leviticus 20:9; 2 Samuel 1:16; Matthew 27:24, 25).

THE WICKED SON JUST DESCRIBED BECOMES THE FATHER OF A BOY WHO LIVES JUSTLY; SHALL HE BE PUNISHED FOR HIS FATHER’S SINS? NO; HE

Verse 14. Now, lo, if he beget a son that seeth all his father’s sins-and considereth] Lays to heart the evil of his father’s life, and the dreadful consequences of a life of rebellion against God.

And doeth not such like] Is quite a different man in moral feeling and character; and acts up to the thirteen points already laid down.

SHALL LIVE, BUT THE FATHER SHALL DIE, 14-18.

14. And considereth — Literally, yea, seeth (see also verse 28); or, with a very slight change, as R.V., “and feareth.”

SHALL LIVE, BUT THE FATHER SHALL DIE, 14-18.

14. And considereth — Literally, yea, seeth (see also verse 28); or, with a very slight change, as R.V., “and feareth.”

16. Withholden the pledge — Rather, taken in pledge. (Compare verse 7.)

V. 17. Hath taken off-Withdrawn his hand from hurting or wronging the poor, tho’ he had power to do it securely.

Verse 17. He shall not die for the iniquity of his father] He shall no more be affected by his father’s crimes, than his father was benefited by his grandfather’s righteousness.

17. Taken off his hand from the poor — Many scholars believe that the LXX. text is preferable, “withdrawn his hand from iniquity,” following verse 8. (See also Ezekiel 20:22.)

18. Spoiled his brother — All Hebrews were brothers. (Compare Leviticus 25.) The word is used here interchangeably with “neighbor” (verses 6, 11). In his iniquity — Rather, for his iniquity (also verses 22, 24).

OBJECTIONS TO THE PRECEDING STATEMENT OF GOD’S PRINCIPLES OF

Verses 19, 20. 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, namely, that they would deny what the prophet had said on this head, and would appeal to facts and experience that the son did bear the iniquity of the father; so that the sense of the first clause of the verse is, Why do you affirm this? does not experience show that the son bears the iniquity of the father? Is it not plain and undeniable, notwithstanding your fine discourse to the contrary? To be sure, we feel the truth of it in our own cases. To this cavil God makes answer in the following words, affirming that this was no otherwise so than when the son followed the example of his father’s iniquity; for that, when the son did that which was lawful and right, and kept God’s statutes, or lived a life of true piety and virtue, he should surely live, that is, should not be punished, or cut off, on account of the iniquity of his father. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him — That is, the righteous shall receive the reward of his righteousness. And the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him — That is, the reward of his wickedness. As certainly as it shall be well with the righteous, because he shall eat the fruit of his doings, so certainly shall woful punishment be executed upon the wicked who persist in their wickedness: see Isaiah 3:10, 11.

Ver. 19. Yet say ye, Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? Do we not in our captivity suffer for our fathers’ sin? A guilty conscience is willing enough to lay its burden at any man’s door. God repeats the law that no man shall die, except for his own sin. This is heaven’s defence against the second charge.

GOVERNMENT ARE NOW MET, 19-30.

19. Yet say ye, Why? etc. — Rather, And say ye, Why doth not the son bear a part of the iniquity of the father? (also verse 20.) The people were so imbued with the common notion that the father must control the son’s destiny that they again asked in great surprise how it could really be that the son did not share at all in the father’s guilt and penalty. To this the prophet merely reaffirms Jehovah’s way of dealing with the just and the unjust, as previously laid down and illustrated (verses 5-18, 19-24).

V. 20. 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 connexion of sins and sins, and how easily, secretly, and undiscerned men become guilty of the same sins, we should see father and son, though perhaps one of them might not do the evil, both guilty, and neither punished for the sin farther than if it was his own: nor do the scriptures, Exodus 20:5 Deut 28:18, doom persons to punishment for sins from which they are wholly free; but if children shall follow their fathers in sin, then if they die for those sins, ‘tis because these are their own, not as they are their fathers. The righteousness-It shall be well with the righteous, for he shall eat the fruit of his doing, he shall be rewarded as a righteous one. The wickedness-The reward of wickedness. “The son shall not die, not die eternally, for the iniquity of the father, if he do not tread in the steps of it: nor the father for the iniquity of the son, if he do all he can to prevent it.

Verse 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 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:—

Verses 19, 20. 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, namely, that they would deny what the prophet had said on this head, and would appeal to facts and experience that the son did bear the iniquity of the father; so that the sense of the first clause of the verse is, Why do you affirm this? does not experience show that the son bears the iniquity of the father? Is it not plain and undeniable, notwithstanding your fine discourse to the contrary? To be sure, we feel the truth of it in our own cases. To this cavil God makes answer in the following words, affirming that this was no otherwise so than when the son followed the example of his father’s iniquity; for that, when the son did that which was lawful and right, and kept God’s statutes, or lived a life of true piety and virtue, he should surely live, that is, should not be punished, or cut off, on account of the iniquity of his father. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him — That is, the righteous shall receive the reward of his righteousness. And the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him — That is, the reward of his wickedness. As certainly as it shall be well with the righteous, because he shall eat the fruit of his doings, so certainly shall woful punishment be executed upon the wicked who persist in their wickedness: see Isaiah 3:10, 11.

20. Righteousness… shall be upon him — A man’s personal

righteousness or wickedness is the measure of his reward or punishment. Both shall “eat the fruit of their doings” (Isaiah 3:10, 11; Ezekiel 11:21).

Verse 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.

Verses 21-23. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins — That is, repent and bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. He shall surely live — He shall escape punishment: he shall be pardoned, and it shall be well with him in time and in eternity; as if he had said, So far is God from punishing the sins of guilty parents on their innocent children, as is objected above, that it is certain he does not punish even the guilty for their own sins, when they repent of and forsake them. Our God, who mercifully pardons the penitent for their own sins, will not, cannot for a moment, be supposed to charge innocent children, or any others, with the sins that are not their own. All his transgressions — That is, not one of all his transgressions; shall be mentioned unto him — Or remembered against him; that is, imputed to or punished on him; they shall be as if they were forgotten. God is said in Scripture to remember men’s sins when he punishes them, and not to remember them when he pardons them: see Jeremiah 14:10, and 31:34. Have I any pleasure, &c., that the wicked should die? — “Is it any pleasure to me that men should be wicked; or that those who are now wicked men, should die everlastingly? Is it not rather my desire that men should repent, and that the repentant should live? Is not this the very sum of my gospel, which I send into the world? Do I not call, and cry, and sue to men, that they would return from their sins, and be saved?” — Bishop Hall. It is not in the nature of God, which is infinitely holy and gracious, to have any pleasure in the unholiness and misery of any of his creatures. It does not comport with the wisdom and rectitude of the eternal lawgiver and sovereign ruler of the world, to take delight in seeing his laws violated, the rights of his government infringed, and his subjects punished. And it cannot consist with the boundless love of the almighty Father of the universe to take pleasure in witnessing the wretchedness of his offspring; or with the infinite mercy of the Redeemer and Saviour of the fallen race of Adam, to delight in seeing those perish for whose salvation he gave his Son to die. On the contrary, he willeth all men to be saved, and, in order thereto, to come to the knowledge of the truth, and is not willing that any should perish, 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9. It is true that God has determined to punish sinners continuing in sin; his justice calls for it; and, pursuant to that, impenitent sinners will lie for ever under his wrath and curse. This is the will of his decree, his consequent will, but it is not his antecedent will, the will of his delight and good pleasure. For though the righteousness of his government requires that sinners should die, yet the goodness of his nature causes him to choose far rather that they should turn from their ways and live; and he is unspeakably better pleased when his mercy is glorified in their salvation than when his justice is glorified in their damnation. Hence that affectionate wish, Deuteronomy 5:29, O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, &c., always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

GOVERNMENT ARE NOW MET, 19-30.

19. Yet say ye, Why? etc. — Rather, And say ye, Why doth not the son bear a part of the iniquity of the father? (also verse 20.) The people were so imbued with the common notion that the father must control the son’s destiny that they again asked in great surprise how it could really be that the son did not share at all in the father’s guilt and penalty. To this the prophet merely reaffirms Jehovah’s way of dealing with the just and the unjust, as previously laid down and illustrated (verses 5-18, 19-24).

V. 22. Not mentioned-Not to him.

Verse 22. All his transgressions] Shall be so completely forgiven by God’s mercy, that they shall not be even mentioned to him; and if he live and die in this recovered state, he shall live with God to all eternity. And why? Hear the reason:—

Verses 21-23. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins — That is, repent and bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. He shall surely live — He shall escape punishment: he shall be pardoned, and it shall be well with him in time and in eternity; as if he had said, So far is God from punishing the sins of guilty parents on their innocent children, as is objected above, that it is certain he does not punish even the guilty for their own sins, when they repent of and forsake them. Our God, who mercifully pardons the penitent for their own sins, will not, cannot for a moment, be supposed to charge innocent children, or any others, with the sins that are not their own. All his transgressions — That is, not one of all his transgressions; shall be mentioned unto him — Or remembered against him; that is, imputed to or punished on him; they shall be as if they were forgotten. God is said in Scripture to remember men’s sins when he punishes them, and not to remember them when he pardons them: see Jeremiah 14:10, and 31:34. Have I any pleasure, &c., that the wicked should die? — “Is it any pleasure to me that men should be wicked; or that those who are now wicked men, should die everlastingly? Is it not rather my desire that men should repent, and that the repentant should live? Is not this the very sum of my gospel, which I send into the world? Do I not call, and cry, and sue to men, that they would return from their sins, and be saved?” — Bishop Hall. It is not in the nature of God, which is infinitely holy and gracious, to have any pleasure in the unholiness and misery of any of his creatures. It does not comport with the wisdom and rectitude of the eternal lawgiver and sovereign ruler of the world, to take delight in seeing his laws violated, the rights of his government infringed, and his subjects punished. And it cannot consist with the boundless love of the almighty Father of the universe to take pleasure in witnessing the wretchedness of his offspring; or with the infinite mercy of the Redeemer and Saviour of the fallen race of Adam, to delight in seeing those perish for whose salvation he gave his Son to die. On the contrary, he willeth all men to be saved, and, in order thereto, to come to the knowledge of the truth, and is not willing that any should perish, 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9. It is true that God has determined to punish sinners continuing in sin; his justice calls for it; and, pursuant to that, impenitent sinners will lie for ever under his wrath and curse. This is the will of his decree, his consequent will, but it is not his antecedent will, the will of his delight and good pleasure. For though the righteousness of his government requires that sinners should die, yet the goodness of his nature causes him to choose far rather that they should turn from their ways and live; and he is unspeakably better pleased when his mercy is glorified in their salvation than when his justice is glorified in their damnation. Hence that affectionate wish, Deuteronomy 5:29, O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, &c., always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

22. Shall not be mentioned unto him — Rather, remembered of him.

Verse 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?] No! That is foreign to him whose name is love, and whose nature is mercy. On the contrary he “wills that he should return from his evil ways and live.” And if God can have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, he cannot have made a decree to abandon him to the evil of his nature, and then damn him for what he could not avoid: for as God can do nothing with which he is not pleased, so he can decree nothing with which he is not pleased. But he is “not pleased with the death of a sinner,” therefore he cannot have made a decree to bring him to this death.

Verses 21-23. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins — That is, repent and bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. He shall surely live — He shall escape punishment: he shall be pardoned, and it shall be well with him in time and in eternity; as if he had said, So far is God from punishing the sins of guilty parents on their innocent children, as is objected above, that it is certain he does not punish even the guilty for their own sins, when they repent of and forsake them. Our God, who mercifully pardons the penitent for their own sins, will not, cannot for a moment, be supposed to charge innocent children, or any others, with the sins that are not their own. All his transgressions — That is, not one of all his transgressions; shall be mentioned unto him — Or remembered against him; that is, imputed to or punished on him; they shall be as if they were forgotten. God is said in Scripture to remember men’s sins when he punishes them, and not to remember them when he pardons them: see Jeremiah 14:10, and 31:34. Have I any pleasure, &c., that the wicked should die? — “Is it any pleasure to me that men should be wicked; or that those who are now wicked men, should die everlastingly? Is it not rather my desire that men should repent, and that the repentant should live? Is not this the very sum of my gospel, which I send into the world? Do I not call, and cry, and sue to men, that they would return from their sins, and be saved?” — Bishop Hall. It is not in the nature of God, which is infinitely holy and gracious, to have any pleasure in the unholiness and misery of any of his creatures. It does not comport with the wisdom and rectitude of the eternal lawgiver and sovereign ruler of the world, to take delight in seeing his laws violated, the rights of his government infringed, and his subjects punished. And it cannot consist with the boundless love of the almighty Father of the universe to take pleasure in witnessing the wretchedness of his offspring; or with the infinite mercy of the Redeemer and Saviour of the fallen race of Adam, to delight in seeing those perish for whose salvation he gave his Son to die. On the contrary, he willeth all men to be saved, and, in order thereto, to come to the knowledge of the truth, and is not willing that any should perish, 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9. It is true that God has determined to punish sinners continuing in sin; his justice calls for it; and, pursuant to that, impenitent sinners will lie for ever under his wrath and curse. This is the will of his decree, his consequent will, but it is not his antecedent will, the will of his delight and good pleasure. For though the righteousness of his government requires that sinners should die, yet the goodness of his nature causes him to choose far rather that they should turn from their ways and live; and he is unspeakably better pleased when his mercy is glorified in their salvation than when his justice is glorified in their damnation. Hence that affectionate wish, Deuteronomy 5:29, O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, &c., always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

23. Have I any pleasure… that the wicked should die — The prophecies of coming calamity were regarded by many as not being from Jehovah at all. The dangers which were before the nation were merely due to political complications and could be escaped by making a favorable alliance with Egypt (Ezekiel 17:7). Many of those who believed the prophecies accepted them as final and irrevocable decrees of Jehovah (Lamentations 2:8, 9, 17; 3:42-44). Many of these also believed that the predestination of evil was in consequence of the unfaithfulness of former generations (Ezekiel 18:2, etc.). The prophet brings to these different classes of people three propositions which he forcibly states and illustrates: (1) These afflictions are divine punishments for sin; (2) They are punishments for the sins of the people who are bearing or shall bear them;

(3) They can be escaped by repentance and reformation.

Verse 24. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness] Here is the second case. Can a man who was once holy and pure, fall away so as to perish everlastingly? YES. For God says, “If he turn away from his righteousness;” not his self-righteousness, the gloss of theologians: for God never speaks of turning away from that, for, in his eyes, that is a nonentity. There is no righteousness or holiness but what himself infuses into the soul of man, and as to self-righteousness, i.e., a man’s supposing himself to be righteous when he has not the life of God in his soul, it is the delusion of a dark and hardened heart; therefore it is the real righteous principle and righteous practice that God speaks of here. And he tells us, that a man may so “turn away from this,” and so “commit iniquity,” and “act as the wicked man,” that his righteousness shall be no more mentioned to his account, than the sins of the penitent backslider should be mentioned to his condemnation; and “in the sin that he,” this once righteous man, “hath sinned, and in the trespass that he hath trespassed, in them shall he die.” O, how awful a termination of a life once distinguished for righteousness and true holiness! So then, God himself informs us that a righteous man may not only fall foully, but fall finally. But to such righteous persons the devil will ever preach, “Ye shall not surely die; ye shall be as God.” Touch, taste, and handle; ye cannot ultimately fall. Thus we find, by the manner of treating these two cases, that God’s way is equal, Ezekiel 18:25; just, merciful, and impartial. And to prove this, he sums up his conduct in the above cases, in the following verses, 26-29. {Ezekiel 18:26-29} And then, that the “wicked may not die in his sins,” and that the “backslider may return and find mercy,” he thus exhorts:—

Verse 24. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “The question here,” say some commentators, “is not whether truly righteous men ever do thus apostatize.” No? Surely it is the question, and the sole question: for if the truly righteous (of whom alone the prophet is speaking, and not of the hypocritically righteous, or mere professors of righteousness) do never apostatize, why does the prophet suppose that they do? Nay, why does he expressly affirm it, saying, When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity? &c. Which is repeated verse 26, with the addition, And dieth in them; for the iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Surely these words are utterly irreconcilable with the notion, that the truly righteous never fall away. They who maintain this position may, on similar grounds, maintain, and, to be consistent with themselves, ought to maintain, in contradiction to the 21st and 27th verses, that the truly wicked never turn from their wickedness, never truly repent, and save their souls alive. For both events are equally supposed by the prophet frequently to take place, and it is affirmed in similar terms that both do take place. See note on Ezekiel 3:20. Nor is this prophet singular in teaching this doctrine, or this the only passage of Scripture in which it is taught: it is abundantly and explicitly declared and attested in other parts of holy writ, and by other inspired writers, especially those of the New Testament, and even by Christ himself, as the reader may see, if he will take the trouble of consulting the passages quoted in the margin. All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned — For, better had it been for him not to have known the way of righteousness, than after he hath known it, to turn aside from the holy commandment, 2 Peter 2:21. Such a one sins against a clearer light, and greater convictions, and withal is guilty of the highest ingratitude in doing despite unto the Spirit of grace.

Ver. 24. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, as in ver. 9. The just or righteous man recedes from the righteousness of God by faith, which is given in Christ Jesus, and all the fruits of righteousness, as love, joy, peace; just the reverse of the robber above mentioned; when he shall turn from his righteousness to all the worship on the mountains, and to all its associate sins, he shall die. His soul being already dead, his blood shall be upon him, as in ver. 13. Observe, this is not turning from man’s self-righteousness; the scriptures never blame a man for doing that. By consequence, the death of the soul, as well as the body, are both fully understood.

John Goodwin, B. D., of London, published his Redemption Redeemed, anno 1651. He devotes chap, 12. to this subject. “What more, he asks, can the understanding or conscience of man require for the establishment of truth, than what God himself delivers in this passage, to prove that a just man may decline from righteousness, even unto death. The latter words are very conclusive, ver. 26. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them, for his iniquity he shall die, that is the second death, or perish everlastingly. If otherwise, the words have no meaning.”

“That death which God here threatens against the sin of

backsliding, is opposed to that life which is promised on repentance, which all confess to be life eternal. When St. Paul says, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life; is it not apparent, that eternal death is there opposed to eternal life?” “If it be only a temporal death which God here threatens to men who apostatize, (and commit the four grievous crimes named above) then may not all sinners presume, that they shall die only a temporal death, and also that they shall inherit eternal life? What then becomes of the equity of God; and what effect can our calls to repentance have upon the wicked?” pp. 270, 271.

24. When the righteous turneth away — Having emphasized the new relations to Jehovah attained by the repentant sinner, he has a word of warning for any one who, having once felt the certainty of God’s approving grace, may think himself safe forever. The righteous man, if he be not watchful, may lose his righteousness and thus lose God’s favor. (Compare 1 Corinthians 9:27.)

V. 25. The way-His whole management of affairs. Not equal-Not right, or consistent with his own declaration, and law.

Verses 25-29. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, &c. — Yet ye allege that I do not act according to the strict rules of justice and equity: but “the declarations I have so often repeated concerning the eternal rewards and punishments allotted to the righteous and the wicked, are sufficient to vindicate the justice of my proceedings against all your objections.” When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “It is an opinion that prevails among the Jews, even till this day, that at the day of judgment a considerable number of good actions shall overbalance men’s evil ones. See Ezekiel 33:13. So they thought it a hard case for a man who had been righteous the far greater part of his life, if he did at last commit iniquity, that his former righteousness should avail him nothing. In opposition to this doctrine, God here declares that a righteous man sinning and not repenting, should die in his sins; and that a wicked man, upon his repentance, should save his soul alive.” — Lowth. Again, when the wicked man, &c. — These verses are, as it were, a repetition of what had been said before; or rather, the conclusion of the matter, or the whole of the chapter summed up and brought to a point; namely, that men suffer the divine punishments only on account of their sins; that they cannot enjoy the divine favour while they continue in sin; and that, in order to obtain it, it is indispensably necessary that they should turn from all their transgressions and become new creatures, and that even former righteousness cannot obtain for them, or preserve to them, the favour of God, while they relapse into and continue in subsequent iniquity. In a word, that sin and wickedness are the sole objects of God’s aversion and indignation, and holiness and righteousness of his favour and approbation.

25. The way of the Lord is not equal — This is an objection raised by some of his hearers to the novel argument which the prophet has just developed. Is it indeed true that hereafter individual guilt shall determine individual punishment? (verses 3, 20.) Certainly heretofore in God’s dealings with men the guiltless individual has often suffered with the guilty (Joshua vii; 1 Samuel 14, etc.). Was the unchangeable God about to change his dealings with his people, or was Ezekiel mistaken in his interpretation of the principles of retribution? This was the dilemma thrown into the teeth of the prophet. His reply was simply a strong, distinct reaffirmation of the principles already stated. He would not argue. He would not discuss theoretical questions; he would not even attempt to explain and justify God’s actions. He merely, with great emphasis, repeated the principles of God’s government as they had been revealed to him. The judge of all the earth would do right. Jehovah could not permit final injustice. In the ultimate outcome disobedience and iniquity would work ruin and death (verses 26, 30), while righteousness would keep the soul alive (verse 27). The righteous man “shall not die” (verse 28). We may well regret that Ezekiel did not elaborate and defend his theodicy. The generations would have been enriched by such an exposition. To harmonize the unjust inequalities of earthly condition with God’s justice has been a puzzle to all thinkers, from Job (Job 10:2, 3) and Asaph (Psalm 73:11-14) to the present time. Unbelievers in every age have been quick to decide that Ezekiel was wrong, declaring that experience contradicts his assertion that outward fortune, “either of the nation or the individual, is determined by the moral condition” (so also Kuenen, Prophet and Prophecy, pp. 353, 354). But pious souls throughout universal Christendom have always believed that the prophet was right; and not only so, but more and more the student of history is being convinced that there is a power in the world that “makes for righteousness.” Moral quality is a determining factor in the life of the man and the nation greater than heredity or environment. Ezekiel did not mean to say that every disagreeable manifestation of fortune was a manifestation of God’s disapproval. He could not have overlooked the distinction between punishment and misfortune. The innocent may suffer temporary calamity — which works good to the sufferer — but such calamity is not punishment. Ezekiel knew many calamities in Israelitish history in which the guiltless had been involved with the guilty, and his favorite study was that law in which Jehovah had himself declared that the sins of the father should be visited on the children (Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Leviticus 26:39, 40; Numbers 14:18); but he knew also that God was just, and therefore a just retribution or reward would at last overtake the sinner and the righteous. (Compare Methodist Hymnal, 596.) He also knew that the calamity about to fall upon Israel — which had been prophesied for many years — was a divine punishment for sin, a punishment which might not yet be fully inflicted if they would turn and walk in the ways of their fathers and show themselves obedient to the word of God and the voice of his prophet. Ezekiel was chiefly concerned to meet the objections of his immediate hearers by bringing to their consciences a sense of guilt. However truly the proverb of the sour grapes might apply to some cases, it could not apply to this. They were guilty and were being justly punished, and could only escape by humble repentance. Yet, while this was the immediate purpose of the prophet, he did succeed in laying down certain universal principles concerning the sovereignty of the individual soul, and the irrevocability with which death follows unrepented sin, and life follows consistent and persistent virtue — principles which were adopted afterward by Jesus and his disciples, and which are accepted to-day as ethical axioms of Christianity. Did this man, who, centuries in advance of his time, established these far-reaching principles, have any glimpse of a future life where the men whom God “took” (Genesis 5:24) lived on with God, and where earthly inequalities would be rectified, and did he actually see in the terms “life” and “death” some of that spiritual meaning which the Great Teacher afterward found there? Or did he suppose himself to be announcing merely the ideal principles of an ideal government which should come into operation upon the establishment of his ideal commonwealth? (40-48.) We cannot tell. In either case he “spake not of himself,” but as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost. He may have had only a dim imperfect conception of the inner meaning of what he said. But, knowingly or unknowingly, he was the first great preacher of the blessed gospel that death, as a penalty for sin, never falls upon the righteous, that the righteous man never dies, that no man is the slave of circumstances, that even the hardened sinner may repent and receive a new heart, and that absolute justice is in some way compatible with everlasting mercy, and that both are being exercised even in this world, with all its mysteries and proud injustice and suffering innocence. Ezekiel’s certainty of conviction and tremendous grasp of faith, as he grappled with this momentous question of the centuries, amazes and thrills us. He did not creep up “the great world’s altar stairs” stretching lame hands and faintly trusting a larger hope; his was a more sublime and confident faith in God’s truth and the truth of his revelation.

Verses 25-29. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, &c. — Yet ye allege that I do not act according to the strict rules of justice and equity: but “the declarations I have so often repeated concerning the eternal rewards and punishments allotted to the righteous and the wicked, are sufficient to vindicate the justice of my proceedings against all your objections.” When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “It is an opinion that prevails among the Jews, even till this day, that at the day of judgment a considerable number of good actions shall overbalance men’s evil ones. See Ezekiel 33:13. So they thought it a hard case for a man who had been righteous the far greater part of his life, if he did at last commit iniquity, that his former righteousness should avail him nothing. In opposition to this doctrine, God here declares that a righteous man sinning and not repenting, should die in his sins; and that a wicked man, upon his repentance, should save his soul alive.” — Lowth. Again, when the wicked man, &c. — These verses are, as it were, a repetition of what had been said before; or rather, the conclusion of the matter, or the whole of the chapter summed up and brought to a point; namely, that men suffer the divine punishments only on account of their sins; that they cannot enjoy the divine favour while they continue in sin; and that, in order to obtain it, it is indispensably necessary that they should turn from all their transgressions and become new creatures, and that even former righteousness cannot obtain for them, or preserve to them, the favour of God, while they relapse into and continue in subsequent iniquity. In a word, that sin and wickedness are the sole objects of God’s aversion and indignation, and holiness and righteousness of his favour and approbation.

GOVERNMENT ARE NOW MET, 19-30.

19. Yet say ye, Why? etc. — Rather, And say ye, Why doth not the son bear a part of the iniquity of the father? (also verse 20.) The people were so imbued with the common notion that the father must control the son’s destiny that they again asked in great surprise how it could really be that the son did not share at all in the father’s guilt and penalty. To this the prophet merely reaffirms Jehovah’s way of dealing with the just and the unjust, as previously laid down and illustrated (verses 5-18, 19-24).

Verses 25-29. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, &c. — Yet ye allege that I do not act according to the strict rules of justice and equity: but “the declarations I have so often repeated concerning the eternal rewards and punishments allotted to the righteous and the wicked, are sufficient to vindicate the justice of my proceedings against all your objections.” When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “It is an opinion that prevails among the Jews, even till this day, that at the day of judgment a considerable number of good actions shall overbalance men’s evil ones. See Ezekiel 33:13. So they thought it a hard case for a man who had been righteous the far greater part of his life, if he did at last commit iniquity, that his former righteousness should avail him nothing. In opposition to this doctrine, God here declares that a righteous man sinning and not repenting, should die in his sins; and that a wicked man, upon his repentance, should save his soul alive.” — Lowth. Again, when the wicked man, &c. — These verses are, as it were, a repetition of what had been said before; or rather, the conclusion of the matter, or the whole of the chapter summed up and brought to a point; namely, that men suffer the divine punishments only on account of their sins; that they cannot enjoy the divine favour while they continue in sin; and that, in order to obtain it, it is indispensably necessary that they should turn from all their transgressions and become new creatures, and that even former righteousness cannot obtain for them, or preserve to them, the favour of God, while they relapse into and continue in subsequent iniquity. In a word, that sin and wickedness are the sole objects of God’s aversion and indignation, and holiness and righteousness of his favour and approbation.

27. He shall save his soul alive — Rather, keep his soul alive. In modern religious phraseology the word “soul” is commonly interchanged with “spirit,” although in the early Christian era a marked distinction was maintained between them (Hebrews 5:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). It is quite possible that in Ezekiel’s day the word soul was being filled with a larger meaning than it originally possessed. Yet very early in Hebrew history “soul” and “man” were used interchangeably (Genesis 2:7; compare 1 Peter 3:20).

V. 28. He shall surely live-“That is, he shall be restored to the favour of God, which is the life of the soul.”

Verses 25-29. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, &c. — Yet ye allege that I do not act according to the strict rules of justice and equity: but “the declarations I have so often repeated concerning the eternal rewards and punishments allotted to the righteous and the wicked, are sufficient to vindicate the justice of my proceedings against all your objections.” When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “It is an opinion that prevails among the Jews, even till this day, that at the day of judgment a considerable number of good actions shall overbalance men’s evil ones. See Ezekiel 33:13. So they thought it a hard case for a man who had been righteous the far greater part of his life, if he did at last commit iniquity, that his former righteousness should avail him nothing. In opposition to this doctrine, God here declares that a righteous man sinning and not repenting, should die in his sins; and that a wicked man, upon his repentance, should save his soul alive.” — Lowth. Again, when the wicked man, &c. — These verses are, as it were, a repetition of what had been said before; or rather, the conclusion of the matter, or the whole of the chapter summed up and brought to a point; namely, that men suffer the divine punishments only on account of their sins; that they cannot enjoy the divine favour while they continue in sin; and that, in order to obtain it, it is indispensably necessary that they should turn from all their transgressions and become new creatures, and that even former righteousness cannot obtain for them, or preserve to them, the favour of God, while they relapse into and continue in subsequent iniquity. In a word, that sin and wickedness are the sole objects of God’s aversion and indignation, and holiness and righteousness of his favour and approbation.

GOVERNMENT ARE NOW MET, 19-30.

19. Yet say ye, Why? etc. — Rather, And say ye, Why doth not the son bear a part of the iniquity of the father? (also verse 20.) The people were so imbued with the common notion that the father must control the son’s destiny that they again asked in great surprise how it could really be that the son did not share at all in the father’s guilt and penalty. To this the prophet merely reaffirms Jehovah’s way of dealing with the just and the unjust, as previously laid down and illustrated (verses 5-18, 19-24).

Verses 25-29. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal, &c. — Yet ye allege that I do not act according to the strict rules of justice and equity: but “the declarations I have so often repeated concerning the eternal rewards and punishments allotted to the righteous and the wicked, are sufficient to vindicate the justice of my proceedings against all your objections.” When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, &c. — “It is an opinion that prevails among the Jews, even till this day, that at the day of judgment a considerable number of good actions shall overbalance men’s evil ones. See Ezekiel 33:13. So they thought it a hard case for a man who had been righteous the far greater part of his life, if he did at last commit iniquity, that his former righteousness should avail him nothing. In opposition to this doctrine, God here declares that a righteous man sinning and not repenting, should die in his sins; and that a wicked man, upon his repentance, should save his soul alive.” — Lowth. Again, when the wicked man, &c. — These verses are, as it were, a repetition of what had been said before; or rather, the conclusion of the matter, or the whole of the chapter summed up and brought to a point; namely, that men suffer the divine punishments only on account of their sins; that they cannot enjoy the divine favour while they continue in sin; and that, in order to obtain it, it is indispensably necessary that they should turn from all their transgressions and become new creatures, and that even former righteousness cannot obtain for them, or preserve to them, the favour of God, while they relapse into and continue in subsequent iniquity. In a word, that sin and wickedness are the sole objects of God’s aversion and indignation, and holiness and righteousness of his favour and approbation.

Ver. 29. Yet saith the house of Israel, the way of the Lord is not equal. Here is their third objection. It is a hard battle when the vanquished return three times to the charge. God commands an obedience beyond the ability of man. Alas, oh Israel, your ways are unequal. God in his covenant promises to give you pardon, a new heart, a right spirit; therefore grace having done all, it is just that he should say, use the grace which heaven confers. Wash you, make you clean; make you a new heart, and a right spirit. You were martyrs for Baal, but now for the Lord you cannot lift a little finger. Out of thine own mouth will I condemn thee, thou wicked and slothful servant. Oh christian preacher, you little think how your hearers reason against your reproaches for sin, and injustice for what you require. Oh study the heart of man, and trace out the beautiful harmony of grace and will.

GOVERNMENT ARE NOW MET, 19-30.

19. Yet say ye, Why? etc. — Rather, And say ye, Why doth not the son bear a part of the iniquity of the father? (also verse 20.) The people were so imbued with the common notion that the father must control the son’s destiny that they again asked in great surprise how it could really be that the son did not share at all in the father’s guilt and penalty. To this the prophet merely reaffirms Jehovah’s way of dealing with the just and the unjust, as previously laid down and illustrated (verses 5-18, 19-24).

Verse 30. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions] There is still life; still a God that has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, one who is ever ready to give his Holy Spirit to all them that ask him; therefore “repent and turn, so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”

Verses 30, 31. Therefore will I judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, &c. — You complain of the injustice of my ways or proceedings; but if I judge you according to the desert of your ways, you will certainly be all found guilty: and nothing but repentance, and a real turning to God in heart and life, can avert that ruin to which your sins have exposed you. Cast away from you all your transgressions — Here God, in a most tender and pathetic manner, exhorts the Israelites, and in them all sinners, to comply with those terms on which alone he could or can take men into favour, and save them from destruction, namely, the casting away or forsaking all their sins, whether of omission or commission, all their sinful tempers, words, or works; and giving up themselves sincerely and heartily to his love and service. And to show that a mere attendance on modes of worship, and an external obedience to the precepts of God’s law, are not sufficient, nor can be accepted without internal purity and holiness, he adds, Make you a new heart and a new spirit — Which words imply, both that a new heart and a new spirit are absolutely necessary in order to salvation, and that means must be used by us in order to the attainment of these blessings. It must be well observed, that what is here commanded as our duty, to show the necessity of our endeavours in the use of means, is elsewhere promised as God’s gift, (see Ezekiel 36:26, and 11:19,) to show man’s inability to perform this duty, without the special grace of God, which, however, will not be denied to those who sincerely and earnestly seek it, in the way God has prescribed, namely, the way of prayer, watchfulness, self-denial, attention to and faith in the word and promise of God, assembling with his people, and carefully shunning the appearance of evil. For, as Lowth well observes, the difference of expression is thus to be reconciled, “that although God works in us to will and to do, and is the first mover in our regeneration, yet we must work together with his grace, and not quench or resist its motions:” see notes on Jeremiah 31:18, 33, 34. To the same purpose are the words of Calmet here: “We can do nothing well of ourselves; we have of ourselves nothing but sin: all our power comes from God, and with the aid of his grace we can do all things. But if, on the one hand, we ought to humble ourselves on account of our impotence, on the other hand we ought to hope in him, who giveth to all liberally, and who willeth not our death, but our conversion. He informs us of our freedom of will, by enjoining us to make us a new heart: he would have us to do what we can, and to ask of him what we cannot.”

30. So iniquity shall not be your ruin — Or, that it be not to you a stumbling-block of [unto] iniquity. Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. It leadeth to destruction and utter ruin. “God does not need to send an angel of judgment to punish the sinner. His own iniquity shall be his ruin.”

V. 31. Make you a new heart-Suffer me to do it in you.

Verse 31. Cast away] With a holy violence, dash away every transgression and incentive to it.

Make you a new heart] Call upon God for it, and he will give it: for as sure as you earnestly call on God through Christ to save you, so surely you shall be saved; and the effect will so speedily follow, that God is pleased to attribute that in some sort to yourselves, which is done by his grace alone; because ye earnestly call upon him for it, come in the right way to receive it, and are determined never to rest till you have it. For why will ye die] Who should you go to hell while the kingdom of God is open to receive you? Why should you be the devil’s slaves, when ye may be Christ’s freemen! WHY WILL YE DIE? Every word is emphatic. Why—show God or man one reason. Will—obstinacy alone,—a

determination not to be saved, or a voluntary listlessness about salvation,—can prevent you. Ye—children of so many mercies, fed and supported by a kind God all your life; ye, who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ; ye, who have made many promises to give up yourselves to God; ye, who have been dedicated to the ever-blessed Trinity, and promised to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; why will YE die? Die!—what is this? A separation from God and the glory of his power for ever! Die!—forfeiting all the purposes for which your immortal souls were made! Die—to know what the worm is that never dieth, and what that fire is which is never quenched! Why will ye die?

Verses 30, 31. Therefore will I judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, &c. — You complain of the injustice of my ways or proceedings; but if I judge you according to the desert of your ways, you will certainly be all found guilty: and nothing but repentance, and a real turning to God in heart and life, can avert that ruin to which your sins have exposed you. Cast away from you all your transgressions — Here God, in a most tender and pathetic manner, exhorts the Israelites, and in them all sinners, to comply with those terms on which alone he could or can take men into favour, and save them from destruction, namely, the casting away or forsaking all their sins, whether of omission or commission, all their sinful tempers, words, or works; and giving up themselves sincerely and heartily to his love and service. And to show that a mere attendance on modes of worship, and an external obedience to the precepts of God’s law, are not sufficient, nor can be accepted without internal purity and holiness, he adds, Make you a new heart and a new spirit — Which words imply, both that a new heart and a new spirit are absolutely necessary in order to salvation, and that means must be used by us in order to the attainment of these blessings. It must be well observed, that what is here commanded as our duty, to show the necessity of our endeavours in the use of means, is elsewhere promised as God’s gift, (see Ezekiel 36:26, and 11:19,) to show man’s inability to perform this duty, without the special grace of God, which, however, will not be denied to those who sincerely and earnestly seek it, in the way God has prescribed, namely, the way of prayer, watchfulness, self-denial, attention to and faith in the word and promise of God, assembling with his people, and carefully shunning the appearance of evil. For, as Lowth well observes, the difference of expression is thus to be reconciled, “that although God works in us to will and to do, and is the first mover in our regeneration, yet we must work together with his grace, and not quench or resist its motions:” see notes on Jeremiah 31:18, 33, 34. To the same purpose are the words of Calmet here: “We can do nothing well of ourselves; we have of ourselves nothing but sin: all our power comes from God, and with the aid of his grace we can do all things. But if, on the one hand, we ought to humble ourselves on account of our impotence, on the other hand we ought to hope in him, who giveth to all liberally, and who willeth not our death, but our conversion. He informs us of our freedom of will, by enjoining us to make us a new heart: he would have us to do what we can, and to ask of him what we cannot.”

31. Make you a new heart — See Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; Jeremiah 4:4; 24:7. “To make” in Hebrew is constantly used in the sense of “to procure for oneself,” “to acquire.” The prophet is only emphasizing the truth that notwithstanding their excuses they may even now obtain a new heart if they will only “turn and live;” he is not minimizing the divine agency, but enforcing the truth of human responsibility and free will. The prophet has turned exhorter, and with eager voice calls his people to repent and yield themselves to God’s infinite mercy.

V. 32. I have no pleasure-Sinners displease God when they undo themselves; they please him when they return.

Verse 32. For I have no pleasure] God repeats what he had so solemnly declared before. Can ye doubt his sincerity? his ability? his willingness? the efficacy of the blood of his covenant?

Wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.] Reader, now give God thy heart.

Though every man comes into the world with a fallen nature—a soul infected with sin, yet no man is damned on that account. He who refuses that grace which pardons sin and heals infected nature, who permits the evil principle to break out into transgression, and continues and dies in his iniquity and sin, and will not come unto Christ that he may have life; he, and he only, goes to perdition. Nor will the righteousness of a parent or relation help his sinful soul: no man can have more grace than is necessary to save himself; and none can have that, who does not receive it through Christ Jesus. It is the mercy of God in Christ which renders the salvation of a sinner possible; and it is that mercy alone which can heal the backslider. The atoning blood blots out all that is past; the same blood cleanses from all unrighteousness. Who believes so as to apply for this redemption? Who properly thanks God for having provided such a Saviour?

EZEKIEL

Ver. 32. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth. Sanctius thinks that a temporal death is here principally implied; but Augustine contends, and his views are well supported in the new testament, that all the temporal blessings and curses of the law were shadows of spiritual and eternal things to those who so understood; for many of the jews rested in exterior services, while others placed the anchor of their hope in future times.

32. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth — If they die, it will be not because of God’s will, but because of their own. It is God’s will that all men come to repentance. (See 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:2-4.) Only their own obstinacy or indifference or love of sin, or unbelief, can keep them away from life. “The most glorious, the most blessed truth ever revealed of God to this sinning world is here — that God has compassion toward even very guilty sinners; is pained, and not pleased, when he must punish; is delighted, even to infinite joy, when the sinner turns from his wicked way and lives.” — Cowles.