The Meaning of Ezekiel 18:32 Explained

Ezekiel 18:32

KJV: For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

YLT: For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And turn ye back and live!

Darby: For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah; therefore turn ye and live.

ASV: For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live.

Discover Ezekiel 18:32

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ezekiel 18:32?

MEANING: What does Ezekiel 18:32 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ezekiel 18:32 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ezekiel 18:32?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For I have no pleasure  in the death  of him that dieth,  saith  the Lord  GOD:  wherefore turn  [yourselves], and live  ye. 

What does Ezekiel 18:32 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This death among His people gave the Lord no pleasure (cf. Ezekiel 18:23; Isaiah 28:21; John 5:40; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). He called them to change their attitude, to practice obedience to the covenant, and to live. Repentance was possible for the generation of Jews to whom Ezekiel ministered in Babylon.
God still deals with people in the same righteous manner under the New Covenant as He did under the Old. Whereas our responsibilities under the New Covenant are somewhat different from Israel"s under the Old, the Lord still holds His people personally responsible for our obedience to His will. Personal failure to obey still affects our present lives negatively, and personal obedience still affects our lives positively. As Christians we are personally responsible for our actions, just as the Israelites were. Our personal actions will affect our lives just as was true in Israel. For Christians, who live under the New Covenant, premature death may be God"s judgment for sin (e.g. Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 John 5:16). However, under the New Covenant what we do in this life also has eternal consequences, not that we will lose our salvation, but we will suffer the loss of some eternal rewards ( Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). [1] The Lord normally gave Old Testament saints the hope that their reward would come before they died (but see Daniel 12:2-3; Daniel 12:13), but He has given Christians the hope that our reward will come mainly after we die. God has always justified people for their trust in Him, and He has always rewarded them for their works.
"The Church in every generation must be alerted to a future judgment seat that is to be a sober constraint and incentive in present living ( Romans 14:10; Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 6:7-8). The necessity of continuance in the faith and in a lifestyle that commends it is backed by grave provisos from which no believer is exempt ( Romans 11:22; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:14)." [2]
"Few units in Ezekiel match ch18 for the transparency and permanent relevance of their message." [3]

Context Summary

Ezekiel 18:14-32 - The Reversal Of The Divine Judgment
The Jews of Ezekiel's day asserted that God's dealings with their nation were not just, because they were suffering, not for their own sins, but for their fathers'. God here makes it clear that He deals with individuals according to their deserts. The guilty son of a good father does not escape punishment because of his father's virtues; and the good son of evil parents reaps the reward of his own goodness. What a well of comfort is supplied by Ezekiel 18:21-22! God pledges Himself that forgiven sin shall not even be mentioned. This solemn covenant should be appropriated and its fulfillment claimed, by those who through all their lifetime have been subject to bondage because of their past. We must not be content with an outward amendment; there must be, and there can be, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, an inward and radical change. This impossible command drives us to the Holy Spirit, Psalms 51:10; Psalms 51:12. As Augustine puts it: "Give what thou requirest, and require what thou wilt." [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 18

1  God defends his justice
31  and exhorts to repentance

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 18:32 mean?

for no I have pleasure in the death of one who dies says the Lord GOD and therefore turn and live -
כִּ֣י לֹ֤א אֶחְפֹּץ֙ בְּמ֣וֹת הַמֵּ֔ת נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה וְהָשִׁ֖יבוּ וִֽחְיֽוּ פ

לֹ֤א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֶחְפֹּץ֙  I  have  pleasure 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָפֵץ 
Sense: to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with.
בְּמ֣וֹת  in  the  death 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
הַמֵּ֔ת  of  one  who  dies 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֑ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וְהָשִׁ֖יבוּ  and  therefore  turn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
וִֽחְיֽוּ  and  live 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Ezekiel 18:32?

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Similar Scriptures for Ezekiel 18:32

Ezekiel 18:23 [10]
2 Peter 3:9 [8]
Ezekiel 33:11 [7]
Lamentations 3:33 [4]