Ezekiel 18:20 (LSB)

Passage

The soul who sins will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Nearby Context

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.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Ezekiel 18:21 “But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done and keeps all My statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Ezekiel 18:22 All his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has done, he will live.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "soul", "sins", "bear", "iniquity", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "soul" and "sins", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Yet you say Why should the son..." into verse 21's "But if the wicked man turns from...", so "soul" and "sins" 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 "soul" and "sins" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.