| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 'And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: |
The word of the LORD – The 18th chapter of Ezekiel relates specially to the time when the Adamic transgression will be offset by the New covenant. Naught will remain against believers but their own misconduct. R2017:3[R2017]
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| 2 'What to you, ye using this simile Concerning the ground of Israel, saying: Fathers do eat unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted |
The fathers – Adam and his descendants, our ancestors. A109;[A109] R2220:2[R2220], R2608:5[R2608]
Have eaten – Those who claim that God directly creates every human being, make out that God is responsible for all the idiocy, insanity and imbecility in the world. E309[E309]
Sour grapes – Of human sin and weakness. R4881:2, R2050:6, R3133:6; E309
And – In consequence. R2220:2
Children's teeth – By heredity, from their parents. R4881:2
Are set on edge – Now all suffer for what their fathers sowed. OV392:3
By sickness, misery and death which follows. A109
They are all depraved. E309
All of Adam's posterity are fallen, depraved, dying, as a result of his transgression. R2398:6
Illustrated by the nearly one-half of the human family who die in infancy--thus obviously not for their own sins. E331[E331]
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| 3 I live an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel. |
Ye shall not – During the Millennial age. R4971:4; E331; Q288:6
Any more – No longer will men be held accountable for Adam's sin. R5292:3; A143
The parents' sins will not be upon the children. R381:2
The Adamic sin and curse being canceled by the Redeemer, men will be freed from that condemnation. R492:5
The weakness of heredity shall no longer weigh men down. R892:4
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| 4 Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son they are Mine, The soul that is sinning it doth die. |
All souls are mine – God does not leave the eternal destiny of a single soul to the faithfulness of parents, or pastor, or any one. R944:6
The soul – The being. E465; R282:1, R1221:5, R1377:6, R3027:5, R5578:6, R205:4, R277:1
It was not Adam's hand nor his body that sinned, but his soul, his intelligent will. CR170:1; R5611:3, R3174:1; Q835:T
Because of sin, all souls die. To redeem our souls, our Lord became a human soul and "made his soul an offering for sin." (Isa. 53:12) Therefore there is a resu R3027:5, R3854:5; HG135:3
That sinneth – Not the innocent children, as at present. E331
Wilfully and deliberately against full light and ability. R892
An individual and deliberate act. R649:5
All the wicked--not all the ignorant--will God destroy. HG197:2
It shall die – The Second Death. R3175:6, R381:2, R553:5, R5292:5; HG283:6
Not suffer eternal torment. R4982:5, R5318:2, R1039:6, R1196:1, R2607:3, R5753:5; CR269:6; CR293:4; CR492:1; CR498:6; OV362:3, OV376:2; SM86:3, SM171:T, SM520:2, SM663:2; HG394:6; HG707:2*; A128
The penalty for sin was not dying, but death. E465
The spark of life produced the soul, so taking away the spark of life extinguishes the soul. R5611:3
"The wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36) E404
This scripture is not generally applicable to the present time because all now die--saints and sinners; it is expressed as a second sentence based on individual action and the context refers to those who are free from Adamic sin. E330
A truth applicable to the Gospel Church now and to the world during the Millennial reign, but not applicable to the Jews at the time of the utterance. R4881:1
The sinning soul, but none other. R363:1
It is the soul, the living, intelligent being, which enters into death. Q834:3; SM86:3; HG654:1
It was the soul that died; it is the soul that is to be resuscitated. Q836:4
The full penalty of the divine law. OV16:1
The just penalty for the unworthy. E404
The only penalty expressed against sin by the Creator and Lawgiver. R1983:3
God's law is that any creature who will not live in harmony with his law shall not live at all. R282:1
Everlasting punishment, but not everlasting torment. R2611:4; HG224:1
This shall always be the divine standard. HG233:1
Death is the absence of life, the loss of life. R3754:6
God gave us our existence and he has the power to deprive us of it if we do not use it properly. R363:1, R1882:1
If it dies it does not have any punishment, or any more pain after that. It has had its punishment. It is a great punishment to die. HG221:6
But the breath of life (the spirit), the energizing of life principle, was removed from the body and returned to God. Q837:4
Death is the sentence, and it is from death that the world must be awakened in order to know the privileges of divine grace. HG115:2
In direct opposition to Satan's lie to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die." R910:5
The first death, Adamic Death, was the death of the soul. HG356:5
Never in the chemical laboratory, with analysis, microscopes or scalpel, has any scientist ever been able to discover that a man has a soul that could not die. CR209:1*
"God is able to destroy both soul and body." (Matt. 10:28) CR169:6
That God could create a human soul, but could not destroy one, is absurd and unscriptural. OV34:1; HG334:5
"All the wicked will God destroy." (Psa. 145:20) R2607:3
"The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23) R2607:3
The Second Death is not an enemy, but a friend. R3175:6, R1219:4, R1511:4, R4999:6; Q261:1, Q623:6
None but wilful sinners will die in the Millennium. R1073:2
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| 5 And a man, when he is righteous, And hath done judgment and righteousness, |
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| 6 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour defiled not, And to a separated woman cometh not near, |
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| 7 A man he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment, |
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| 8 In usury he doth not give, and increase taketh not, From perversity he turneth back his hand, True judgment he doth between man and man. |
Usury – The meaning of the English word "usury" has somewhat changed--now it indicates oppressive interest. Formerly its meaning was, simply, interest. R1995:1[R1995]
We do not understand the taking of a reasonable interest to be usury. R1994:5[R1994]
A reasonable proportion of the profit would not be usury; but there might be circumstances where even a small interest might mean oppression and injury. R1994:6[R1994]
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| 9 In My statutes he doth walk, And My judgments he hath kept to deal truly, Righteous [is] he, he surely liveth, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. |
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| 10 And he hath begotten a son, A burglar a shedder of blood, And he hath made a brother of one of these, |
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| 11 And he all those hath not done, For even on the mountains he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour he hath defiled, |
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| 12 The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done! |
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| 13 In usury he hath given, and increase taken, And he liveth: he doth not live, All these abominations he hath done, He doth surely die, his blood is on him. |
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| 14 And lo, he hath begotten a son, And he seeth all the sins of his father, That he hath done, and he feareth, And doth not do like them, |
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| 15 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour he hath not defiled, |
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| 16 A man he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment, |
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| 17 From the afflicted he hath turned back his hand, Usury and increase he hath not taken, My judgments he hath done, In My statutes he hath walked, He doth not die for the iniquity of his father, He doth surely live. |
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| 18 His father because he used oppression, Did violently Plunder a brother, And that which [is] not good did in the midst of his people, And lo, he is dying in his iniquity. |
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| 19 And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father And the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth. |
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| 20 The soul that doth sin it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him. |
The soul that sinneth – See comments on verse 4.
Verses 20 to 32 give the rules of the coming age. R2613:3
The son shall not bear – Each will have an individual trial, just as in Adam's case, and each will be sentenced for himself. R1222:4, R2117:4[R2117], R2606:3
No one will die again on account of another; no one live again on account of another. R527:6*
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| 21 And the wicked when he turneth back From all his sins that he hath done, And he hath kept all My statutes, And hath done judgment and righteousness, He doth surely live, he doth not die. |
Keep all my statutes – Implies also the pondering and study of them. R2016:6
Shall surely live – The evildoer, coming to God with full repentance, is forgiven and received into God's family. R5781:2
Verses 21 to 24 present the principle of divine justice. R4986:5
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| 22 All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth. |
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| 23 Do I at all desire the death of the wicked An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Is it not in his turning back from his way And he hath lived |
Have I any pleasure – The destruction of the incorrigible shows God's unceasing hatred of sin. R1782:1
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| 24 And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked hath done, he doth thus he liveth, All his righteousnesses that he hath done are not remembered, For his trespass that he hath trespassed, And for his sin that he hath sinned, For them he doth die. |
Not be mentioned – If he sins wilfully, his past good deeds will not be remembered. R5781:2
Every act, down to the last, has to do with the sentence of the trial. R4986:5
Differing from the reasoning that a man's life should be judged by the whole, and not by the failures in it. R2016:6
Contradicting the concept of "once in grace, always in grace." R4971:2
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| 25 And ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way is it not pondered Are not your ways unpondered |
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| 26 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, And he is dying by them, for his perversity That he hath done he dieth. |
Dieth in them – Unrepentant. R2017:1
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| 27 And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he hath done, And he doth judgment and righteousness, He his soul doth keep alive. |
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| 28 And he seeth and turneth back, From all his transgressions that he hath done, He doth surely live, he doth not die, |
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| 29 And the house of Israel have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord, My ways are they not pondered O house of Israel are not your ways unpondered |
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| 30 Therefore, each according to his ways I judge you, O house of Israel An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Turn ye back, yea, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not to you for a stumbling-block, |
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| 31 Cast from off you all your transgressions, By which ye have transgressed, And make to you a new heart, and a new spirit, And why do ye die, O house of Israel |
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| 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And turn ye back and live! |
I have no pleasure – Ours is a merciful God. CR277:4
He desires to "have all men to be saved." (1 Tim. 2:4) E466, E467
The destruction of the incorrigible shows God's unceasing hatred of sin. R1782:1
He willeth not the death of him that dieth, but would (prefer) that all should turn unto him and live. R1026:5, R2398:6
Nevertheless, when Adam chose disobedience, God pronounced the penalty. E468
Not that he does not "will" the death of the sinner, for it is his will that the "soul that sinneth, it shall die." R1449:6*
God changes not. He has always had this good will toward his creatures. E467
Him that dieth – The Second Death is not an enemy, but a friend. R3175:6, R1219:4, R4999:6, R1511:4; Q261:1, Q623:6
Turn yourselves – Choose life by complying with the conditions on which God says we may have it. R363:1
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