Ezekiel 33:8
in Ezekiel 33If 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, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.
KJV
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe substance of this we had before, ch. iii. He must let them know upon what terms they stand with God, that they are upon their trial, upon their good behaviour, that if a wicked man repent he shall not perish, but that if a righteous man apostatize he shall perish,
This site's exposition
I have made you a watchman
on Ezekiel 33:7-9
The general law becomes personal, “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel”, the charge first given at 3:17. If Ezekiel stays silent, “I will hold you accountable for his blood”. Keil marks the charge as repeated at the hinge of the book.
This site's exposition
you will surely die
The Hebrew formula is the one spoken over Adam at Genesis 2:17. The prophet's task is to speak the sentence out loud so the wicked man hears it. Silence makes him an accomplice.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter XXXIII, Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of your people and say to them: When I bring a sword upon a land and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Although it is best for us to be ever aware of our unworthiness and to confess our sins before God, nevertheless it is good and necessary to speak when the times demand it, for I see the church that God founded on the apostles and prophets, its cornerstone being Christ his Son, tossed on an angry sea, beaten by rushing waves, shaken and troubled by the assaults of evil spirits.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He is a watchman to the house of Israel. He had occasionally given warning to the nations about, but to the house of Israel he was a watchman by office, for they were the children of the prophets and the covenant They did not set him for a watchman, as the people of the land,
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man,.... Order the prophet to say so to him, and as follows; See Gill on Eze 3:18.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּאָמְרִ֣י | beameri | when say I | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָרָשָׁ֗ע | larasha' | to the wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| רָשָׁע֙ | rasha' | O 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 |
| דִבַּ֔רְתָּ | dibarta | you have spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| לְהַזְהִ֥יר | lehazhir | to warn | H2094 → | 22 times |
| רָשָׁ֖ע | rasha' | [the] wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| מִדַּרְכּ֑וֹ | midarko | from way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
| ה֤וּא | hu' | that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| רָשָׁע֙ | rasha' | wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹ | baavono | in 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 |
בְּאָמְרִ֣יwhen say I
beameriH559 →5305 times
לָרָשָׁ֗עto the wicked [person]
larasha'H7563 →263 times
רָשָׁע֙O wicked [person]
rasha'H7563 →263 times
מ֣וֹתsurely <die>
motH4191 →839 times
תָּמ֔וּתyou will die
tamutH4191 →839 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
דִבַּ֔רְתָּyou have spoken
dibartaH1696 →1141 times
לְהַזְהִ֥ירto warn
lehazhirH2094 →22 times
רָשָׁ֖ע[the] wicked [person]
rasha'H7563 →263 times
מִדַּרְכּ֑וֹfrom way his
midarkoH1870 →707 times
ה֤וּאthat
hu'H1931 →1879 times
רָשָׁע֙wicked [person]
rasha'H7563 →263 times
בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹin 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 18:4Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 18:20
The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
- Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
- Galatians 3:10–13
All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
- Ezekiel 18:20
Through
Genesis 3:4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her.
it leads to
- John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him.…
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- John 8:44
Through
Ezekiel 33:14But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—
it leads to
- Ezekiel 18:27
But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.
- Ezekiel 18:27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Damascene, ON DIVINE IMAGES 1:1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel and Patrick Fairbairn, Ezekiel and the Book of His Prophecy.