Ezekiel 18:17 (DRB)

Passage

That hath turned away his hand from injuring the poor, hath not taken usury and increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my commandments: this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live.

Nearby Context

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:

Ezekiel 18:17 That hath turned away his hand from injuring the poor, hath not taken usury and increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my commandments: this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but living he shall live.

Ezekiel 18:18 As for his father, because he oppressed and offered violence to his brother, and wrought evil in the midst of his people, behold he is dead in his own iniquity.

Ezekiel 18:19 And you say: Why hath not the son borne the iniquity of his father? Verily, because the son hath wrought judgment and justice, hath kept all my commandments, and done them, living, he shall live.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "turned", "away", "hand", "injuring", "poor", and "taken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hath" and "turned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And hath not grieved any man nor..." into verse 18's "As for his father because he oppressed...", so "hath" and "turned" 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 "hath" and "turned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.