Ezekiel 18:18 (WEB)

Passage

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he will die in his iniquity.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:16 hasn’t wronged any, hasn’t taken anything to pledge, hasn’t taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

Ezekiel 18:17 who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who hasn’t received interest or increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father. He shall surely live.

Ezekiel 18:18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he will die in his iniquity.

Ezekiel 18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why doesn’t the son bear the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he will surely live.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "father", "cruelly", "oppressed", "robbed", "brother", "good", "people", and "behold". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "father" and "cruelly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "who has withdrawn his hand from the..." into verse 19's "Yet you say Why doesn t the...", so "father" and "cruelly" 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 "father" and "cruelly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.