Ezekiel 18:18 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "father", "oppressed", "offered", "violence", "brother", "wrought", "evil", and "midst". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "father" and "oppressed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "That hath turned away his hand from..." into verse 19's "And you say Why hath not the...", so "father" and "oppressed" 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 "father" and "oppressed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.