Ezekiel 18:20 (WEB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ezekiel 18:21 “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

Ezekiel 18:22 None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "soul", "sins", "shall", "bear", "iniquity", "father", and "neither". 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 doesn t the..." into verse 21's "But if the wicked turns from all...", 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.