Ezekiel 18:27 (WEB)

Passage

Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal?

Ezekiel 18:26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done he shall die.

Ezekiel 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive.

Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die.

Ezekiel 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "again", "wicked", "turns", "away", "wickedness", "committed", "does", and "lawful". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "again" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "When the righteous man turns away from..." into verse 28's "Because he considers and turns away from...", so "again" and "wicked" 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 "again" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.