Ezekiel 18:16

Study note

Setting — Ezekiel addresses the house of Israel to define the concrete actions that mark a righteous individual who will live rather than die for his own sins. The prophet contrasts this profile with the idolatry, sexual immorality, and financial exploitation condemned in the surrounding verses.

The words — The Hebrew הוֹנָה (ho.nah) denotes oppression or extortion, while חָבָל (cha.val) and חֲבֹל (cha.vol) specify taking or retaining a neighbor's pledge as collateral. The text explicitly groups these financial abuses with robbery (גְזֵלָה, ge.ze.lah) as prohibited acts.

The thread — This description mirrors Ezekiel 18:7, which pairs non-oppression with restoring pledges and distributing bread to the hungry. It directly opposes the condemned neglect recorded in Job 22:7 and Job 31:19, where withholding water, food, and clothing from the destitute is listed as guilt.

Why it lands — The passage requires readers to actively supply food and clothing to the hungry and naked while refusing to exploit others financially. It frames righteousness as a series of verifiable economic and social actions rather than internal devotion.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.