Ezekiel 18:4 (LSB)

Passage

Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:2 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

Ezekiel 18:3 As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

Ezekiel 18:5 “But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness,

Ezekiel 18:6 and 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 or approach a woman during her menstrual period—

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "souls", "mine", "father", and "well". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "souls", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "As I live declares Lord Yahweh you..." into verse 5's "But if a man is righteous and...", so "behold" and "souls" 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 "behold" and "souls" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.