Ezekiel 3:18
in Ezekiel 3If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
KJV
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
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This verse in Ezekiel 3
Commentary
3 notes on this verseon Ezekiel 3:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) If I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. There are two wicked or iniquitous persons, as the Septuagint has translated.
This site's exposition
I have made thee a watchman
on Ezekiel 3:17-18
The watchman charge is the book's central office named outright: Ezekiel is set to hear the word at the Lord's own mouth and pass on warning, a position with legal weight rather than a metaphor for general preaching. The next verse states the failure case first and starkly: if the prophet does not warn the wicked man and he dies in his sin, his blood is required at the watchman's hand, guilt transferred by silence rather than by any active wrong. Henry and Fairbairn both note the charge is renewed almost word for word at chapter thirty three on the eve of the city's fall, framing the whole book between two statements of the same duty.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Thou shalt surely die - That is, If he turn not from his wickedness, and thou givest him not warning, as above, he shalt die in his iniquity, which he should not have committed; but his blood will I require at thy hand - I will visit thy soul for the loss of his. O how awful is this!
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּאָמְרִ֤י | beameri | when say I | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָֽרָשָׁע֙ | larasha' | to <the> wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| מ֣וֹת | mot | surely <die> | H4191 → | 839 times |
| תָּמ֔וּת | tamut | you will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִזְהַרְתּ֗וֹ | hizharto | you have warned him | H2094 → | 22 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| דִבַּ֛רְתָּ | dibarta | you have spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| לְהַזְהִ֥יר | lehazhir | to warn | H2094 → | 22 times |
| רָשָׁ֛ע | rasha' | a wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| מִדַּרְכּ֥וֹ | midarko | from way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
| הָרְשָׁעָ֖ה | hareshaah | <the> wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
| לְחַיֹּת֑וֹ | lechaiyoto | to preserve alive him | H2421 → | 282 times |
| ה֤וּא | hu' | that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| רָשָׁע֙ | rasha' | wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹ | baavono | for iniquity his | H5771 → | 233 times |
| יָמ֔וּת | yamut | he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וְדָמ֖וֹ | vedamo | and blood his | H1818 → | 360 times |
| מִיָּדְךָ֥ | miyadekha | from hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃ | ʾavakesh | I will require | H1245 → | 225 times |
בְּאָמְרִ֤יwhen say I
beameriH559 →5305 times
לָֽרָשָׁע֙to <the> wicked [person]
larasha'H7563 →263 times
מ֣וֹתsurely <die>
motH4191 →839 times
תָּמ֔וּתyou will die
tamutH4191 →839 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
הִזְהַרְתּ֗וֹyou have warned him
hizhartoH2094 →22 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
דִבַּ֛רְתָּyou have spoken
dibartaH1696 →1141 times
לְהַזְהִ֥ירto warn
lehazhirH2094 →22 times
רָשָׁ֛עa wicked [person]
rasha'H7563 →263 times
מִדַּרְכּ֥וֹfrom way his
midarkoH1870 →707 times
הָרְשָׁעָ֖ה<the> wicked
hareshaahH7563 →263 times
לְחַיֹּת֑וֹto preserve alive him
lechaiyotoH2421 →282 times
ה֤וּאthat
hu'H1931 →1879 times
רָשָׁע֙wicked [person]
rasha'H7563 →263 times
בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹfor iniquity his
baavonoH5771 →233 times
יָמ֔וּתhe will die
yamutH4191 →839 times
וְדָמ֖וֹand blood his
vedamoH1818 →360 times
מִיָּדְךָ֥from hand your
miyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃I will require
ʾavakeshH1245 →225 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
Ezekiel 3:20Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 18:24
But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of…
- Ezekiel 18:26
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
- Ezekiel 33:12–13
Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him…
- Hebrews 10:38
But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
- Romans 2:7–8
To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.
- Ezekiel 18:24
Through
Ezekiel 33:6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 3:18–20
If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man…
- 2 Samuel 4:11
How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the…
- Ezekiel 33:8–9
If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity,…
- Ezekiel 3:18–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.