Ezekiel 18:14 (DRB)

Passage

But if he beget a son, who, seeing all his father's sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them:

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:12 That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that comitteth abomination:

Ezekiel 18:13 That giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? he shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.

Ezekiel 18:14 But if he beget a son, who, seeing all his father's sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them:

Ezekiel 18:15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife:

Ezekiel 18:16 And hath not grieved any man, nor withholden the pledge, nor taken away with violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beget", "seeing", "father's", "sins", "hath", "done", "afraid", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beget" and "seeing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "That giveth upon usury and that taketh..." into verse 15's "That hath not eaten upon the mountains...", so "beget" and "seeing" 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 "beget" and "seeing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.