Ezekiel 18:16 (LSB)

Passage

or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing;

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:14 “Now behold, he has a son who has seen all his father’s sins which he has done. And he saw this but does not do likewise.

Ezekiel 18:15 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife

Ezekiel 18:16 or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing;

Ezekiel 18:17 he turns his hand away from the afflicted, does not take interest or increase, but does My judgments and walks in My statutes; he will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live.

Ezekiel 18:18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mistreat", "anyone", "retain", "pledge", "commit", "robbery", "gives", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mistreat" and "anyone", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "He does not eat at the mountain..." into verse 17's "he turns his hand away from the...", so "mistreat" and "anyone" 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 "mistreat" and "anyone" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.