Ezekiel 18:5 (GNV)

Passage

But if a man be iust, and doe that which is lawfull, and right,

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:3 As I liue, sayth the Lord God, ye shall vse this prouerbe no more in Israel.

Ezekiel 18:4 Beholde, all soules are mine, both the soule of the father, and also the soule of the sonne are mine: the soule that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:5 But if a man be iust, and doe that which is lawfull, and right,

Ezekiel 18:6 And hath not eaten vpon the mountaines, neither hath lift vp his eyes to the idoles of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbours wife, neither hath lyen with a menstruous woman,

Ezekiel 18:7 Neither hath oppressed any, but hath restored the pledge to his dettour: he that hath spoyled none by violence, but hath giuen his bread to the hungry, and hath couered the naked with a garment,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iust", "lawfull", and "right". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iust" and "lawfull", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Beholde all soules are mine both the..." into verse 6's "And hath not eaten vpon the mountaines...", so "iust" and "lawfull" 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 "iust" and "lawfull" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.