Ezekiel 18:17 (LSB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ezekiel 18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ But the son has done justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them. He shall surely live.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turns", "hand", "away", "afflicted", "does", "take", "interest", and "increase". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turns" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "or mistreat anyone or retain a pledge..." into verse 18's "As for his father because he practiced...", so "turns" and "hand" 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 "turns" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.