Ezekiel 18:23 (DBY)

Passage

Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; is it not in his turning from his way, that he may live?

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:21 And the wicked, if he turn from all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do judgment and justice, he shall certainly live, he shall not die.

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

Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; is it not in his turning from his way, that he may live?

Ezekiel 18:24 And when the righteous turneth from his righteousness and practiseth what is wrong, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked doeth, shall he live? None of his righteous acts which he hath done shall be remembered: in his unfaithfulness which he hath wrought, and in his sin which he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Ezekiel 18:25 And ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear then, 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", "turning", and "live". 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 which he hath..." into verse 24's "And when the righteous turneth from his...", 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.