Stress is laid on the fact that the proverb which implied unrighteousness in God is no longer to be used in Israel. There, among the, people in whom he was manifesting his righteousness for the education of mankind, it should be seen to have no force whatever. The thought was an essentially heathen thought—a half-truth distorted into a falsehood. read more
Concerning the land of Israel - Rather, “in the land of Israel,” i. e., upon Israel’s soil, the last place where such a paganish saying should be expected. The saying was general among the people both in Palestine and in exile; and expressed the excuse wherewith they ascribed their miserable condition to anyone’s fault but their own - to a blind fate such as the pagan recognized, instead of the discriminating judgment of an All-holy God. read more
Ezekiel 18:2. What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel With respect to the desolations made in it by the sword, famine, and pestilence. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge The present generation is punished for the offences committed by their forefathers, particularly for the sins committed in the time of Manasseh, king of Judah: see 2 Kings 23:26; Jeremiah 15:4. The Jewish people were very prone to plead their... read more
Ezekiel 18:3. As I live; saith the Lord, ye shall not have occasion to use this proverb any more in Israel I will make such a visible discrimination between the righteous and the wicked, between those that tread in the steps of their forefathers and those who take warning by their examples, that you shall not have any further room to use this proverb among you. God threatens, it must be acknowledged, to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, both in the Old Testament and the... read more
Each person is responsible (18:1-32)Many of the exiles complained that it was unjust that they should suffer because of the sins of the previous generation. True, the present captivity had resulted from the continuing decay of the nation over several generations, but the exiles could not deny that they too had sinned. There could be no excuses. They are individually responsible for their wrongdoings and they are punished accordingly (18:1-4).Examples of sins are then given. These include... read more
the land = the soil. Hebrew. 'admatk . See note on Ezekiel 11:17 . The fathers, &c. Compare Jeremiah 31:29 , Jeremiah 31:30 . children's = sons. read more
saith the Lord GOD = [is] Adonai Jehovah's oracle. the Lord God . See note on Ezekiel 2:4 . any more . This refers to a future time, which has not yet come (Jeremiah 31:29 , Jeremiah 31:30 ). Till then it is otherwise (Ezekiel 21:3 .Lamentations 5:2; Lamentations 5:2 ), and has been since Genesis 3:0 . Compare Romans 5:12-21 . read more
Ezekiel 18:2. What mean ye, &c.— See Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 31:40. read more
2. fathers . . . eaten sour grapes, . . . children's teeth . . . set on edge—Their unbelieving calumnies on God's justice had become so common as to have assumed a proverbial form. The sin of Adam in eating the forbidden fruit, visited on his posterity, seems to have suggested the peculiar form; noticed also by Jeremiah ( :-); and explained in Lamentations 5:7, "Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities." They mean by "the children" themselves, as though they were... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 18:2-4
Heredity and individuality. The proverb here quoted embodied a popular sentiment. Those who suffered from the troubles and calamities of the time were not willing to admit that their sufferings were only their deserts; they endeavoured to thrust the blame upon others than themselves; and accordingly they complained that they had to endure the consequences of the evil deeds of their ancestors. One generation—so they put it—ate the sour grapes, and escaped the consequences; a succeeding... read more