Ezekiel 18:23 (ASV)

Passage

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Ezekiel 18:22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

Ezekiel 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he hath done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Ezekiel 18:25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pleasure", "death", "wicked", "saith", "lord", "jehovah", "rather", and "should". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pleasure" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "None of his transgressions that he hath..." into verse 24's "But when the righteous turneth away from...", so "pleasure" and "death" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pleasure" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.