Ezekiel 18:23 (LSB)

Passage

Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Nearby Context

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.

Ezekiel 18:23 Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Ezekiel 18:24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his unfaithfulness which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.

Ezekiel 18:25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pleasure", "death", "wicked", "declares", "lord", "yahweh", "should", and "turn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pleasure" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "All his transgressions which he has done..." into verse 24's "But when a righteous man turns away...", so "pleasure" and "death" 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 "pleasure" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.