Passage
Yet say ye, Wherefore shall not the sonne beare the iniquitie of the father? because ye sonne hath executed iudgement and iustice, and hath kept all my statutes, and done them, he shall surely liue,
Ezekiel 18:19 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Ezekiel 18:17 Neither hath withdrawen his hand from the afflicted, nor receiued vsurie nor increase, but hath executed my iudgements, and hath walked in my statutes, he shall not die in the iniquitie of his father, but he shall surely liue.
Ezekiel 18:18 His father, because he cruelly oppressed and spoyled his brother by violence, and hath not done good among his people, loe, euen he dyeth in his iniquitie.
Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say ye, Wherefore shall not the sonne beare the iniquitie of the father? because ye sonne hath executed iudgement and iustice, and hath kept all my statutes, and done them, he shall surely liue,
Ezekiel 18:20 The same soule that sinneth, shall die: the sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father, neither shall the father beare the iniquitie of the sonne, but the righteousnes of the righteous shall be vpon him, and the wickednesse of the wicked shall be vpon him selfe.
Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked will returne from all his sinnes that he hath committed, and keepe all my statutes, and doe that which is lawfull and right, he shall surely liue, and shall not die.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "wherefore", "shall", "sonne", "beare", "iniquitie", "father", and "hath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 18's "His father because he cruelly oppressed and..." into verse 20's "The same soule that sinneth shall die...", so "wherefore" and "shall" 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 "wherefore" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.