Bible Strands
Ezekiel 18:3
As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD speaks directly to the people of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel, halting their habitual recitation of a proverb that blamed ancestral sin for present suffering.
The words — The oath "As surely as I live" combines חַי־ (chai-) meaning "[by] [the] life" and אָ֕נִי ('A.ni) meaning "of me." The word אִם ('im-), meaning "if," stands apart from this formula and functions later in the verse to introduce a conditional clause.
The thread — The text's rejection of inherited guilt and emphasis on individual judgment runs through Ezekiel 18:19 and 18:30, while the exact oath "As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD" appears in Ezekiel 33:11.
Why it lands — The verse commands readers to stop using theological proverbs that excuse personal responsibility and to accept that divine judgment applies strictly to individual conduct.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 18:19 Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live.
- Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.
- Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
- Ezekiel 36:31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.
- Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.