Ezekiel 18:5
in Ezekiel 18Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
KJV
But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
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This verse in Ezekiel 18
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The first case is given in Eze 18:5-9, the just man. The excellencies are selected in reference to the prevailing sins of the age, from which such a one stood aloof; hence arises the omission of some features of righteousness, which, under different circumstances, would have been desirable to be enumerated.
This site's exposition
But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
on Ezekiel 18:5-9
The just man is described by a list of concrete acts, and the verdict follows, he shall surely live. Henry notes the list draws on the law's social ethics, so righteousness here reaches into ordinary dealings between neighbors. Wesley reads the specificity as deliberate, giving the exiles a concrete standard.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 5, 6 and following) And if a man is just and does judgment and justice, does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not violate his neighbor's wife, does not approach a menstruating woman, does not oppress anyone, gives back a pledge to a debtor, does not commit robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, covers the naked with clothing, does not lend at interest or take any increase, turns his hand away from iniquity, does justice between man and man, walks in my statutes, and keeps my judgments, to do truth: this man is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord God.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
But if a man be just,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
If a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right - If he be just or holy within, and do what is according to law and equity. What is meant by this, is immediately specified.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֖ישׁ | veish | and anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יִהְיֶ֣ה | yihyeh | he will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| צַדִּ֑יק | tzadik | righteous | H6662 → | 206 times |
| וְעָשָׂ֥ה | veasah | and he will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| מִשְׁפָּ֖ט | mishpat | justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וּצְדָקָֽה׃ | utzedakah | and righteousness | H6666 → | 157 times |
וְאִ֖ישׁand anyone
veishH376 →1663 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יִהְיֶ֣הhe will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
צַדִּ֑יקrighteous
tzadikH6662 →206 times
וְעָשָׂ֥הand he will do
veasahH6213 →2628 times
מִשְׁפָּ֖טjustice
mishpatH4941 →422 times
וּצְדָקָֽה׃and righteousness
utzedakahH6666 →157 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 21:3To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of…
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- Micah 6:6–8
With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
- Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Mark 12:33
and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and…
- 1 Samuel 15:22
Through
1 John 3:7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:29
If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.
- Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.
- 1 Peter 1:15–16
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
- 1 John 2:29
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Justice34 verses
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.