Ezekiel 18:3
New International Version
“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

New Living Translation
As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel.

English Standard Version
As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

King James Bible
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

New King James Version
As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

New American Standard Bible
As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

NASB 1995
“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

NASB 1977
“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

Legacy Standard Bible
As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.

Amplified Bible
As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you are certainly not going to use this proverb [as an excuse] in Israel anymore.

Christian Standard Bible
As I live”—this is the declaration of the Lord GOD—“you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As I live"—this is the declaration of the Lord GOD—"you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.

American Standard Version
As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Contemporary English Version
Now tell them that I am the LORD God, and as surely as I live, that saying will no longer be used in Israel.

English Revised Version
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.

Good News Translation
"As surely as I am the living God," says the Sovereign LORD, "you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more.

International Standard Version
As long as I live," declares the LORD, "you won't use this proverb about Israel anymore.

Majority Standard Bible
As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

NET Bible
"As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore!

New Heart English Bible
As I live, says the Lord GOD, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

World English Bible
“As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
[As] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “You no longer have the use of this allegory in Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel.

Smith's Literal Translation
I live, says the Lord Jehovah, if it shall be to you more to use this parable in Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
As I live, saith the Lord God, this parable shall be no more to you a proverb in Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
As I live, says the Lord God, this parable shall no longer be a proverb for you in Israel.

New American Bible
As I live—oracle of the Lord GOD: I swear that none of you will ever repeat this proverb in Israel.

New Revised Standard Version
As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
As I live, says the LORD God, this proverb shall never be used again in Israel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
As I am living, says THE LORD OF LORDS, no one will speak this parable again in Israel!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As I live, saith the Lord, surely this parable shall no more be spoken in Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Proverb about Israel
2“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’? 3As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 31:29-30
“In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’ / Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.

Deuteronomy 24:16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:4
Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”

Romans 14:12
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Galatians 6:5
For each one should carry his own load.

Jeremiah 18:6-10
“O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. / At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed. / But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring. ...

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

Romans 2:6
God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”

1 Peter 1:17
Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.

Ezekiel 33:20
Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”

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 33:17
Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just.

Ezekiel 33:12
Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’

Ezekiel 33:8-9
If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. / But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.


Treasury of Scripture

As I live, said the Lord GOD, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Ezekiel 18:19,20,30
Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live…

Ezekiel 33:11-20
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? …

Ezekiel 36:31,32
Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations…

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Ezekiel 18
1. God defends his justice
31. and exhorts to repentance














As surely as I live
This phrase is a solemn oath, underscoring the certainty and seriousness of God's declaration. In Hebrew, it is "חי־אני" (chai ani), which translates to "I live." This expression is used frequently in the Old Testament to affirm the truthfulness of God's words. It emphasizes God's eternal nature and His active presence in the affairs of humanity. The phrase assures the listener of the unchanging and living nature of God, who is the ultimate authority and source of life. It is a reminder that God's promises and declarations are as certain as His own existence.

declares the Lord GOD
The Hebrew for "declares" is "נְאֻם" (ne'um), which is often used in prophetic literature to introduce a divine pronouncement. "The Lord GOD" is "אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה" (Adonai Yahweh), a combination of titles that emphasize both the sovereignty and the covenantal relationship of God with His people. This phrase indicates that the message is not from the prophet's own mind but is a direct communication from God. It carries the weight of divine authority and is meant to be received with reverence and obedience.

you will no longer quote this proverb
The "proverb" in question is a saying that had become common in Israel, reflecting a misunderstanding of God's justice. The Hebrew word for "proverb" is "מָשָׁל" (mashal), which can mean a parable, saying, or byword. This particular proverb suggested that the children were suffering for the sins of their parents, which contradicted the individual responsibility emphasized in the Law. By stating that this proverb will no longer be quoted, God is correcting a theological error and emphasizing personal accountability. It marks a shift from collective to individual responsibility, aligning with the broader biblical narrative of personal repentance and faith.

in Israel
The mention of "Israel" specifies the audience and context of the message. Israel, as God's chosen people, had a unique covenant relationship with Him, which included specific laws and expectations. The historical context is the period of the Babylonian exile, a time of great turmoil and questioning of God's justice. By addressing Israel, God is reaffirming His covenant and His desire for His people to understand His ways correctly. It is a call for the nation to return to a proper understanding of God's justice and to live in accordance with His statutes.

Verse 3. - 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.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As surely as
אָ֕נִי (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

I live,
חַי־ (ḥay-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

declares
נְאֻ֖ם (nə·’um)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the Lord
אֲדֹנָ֣י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord

GOD,
יְהוִ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

you will no
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

longer
ע֗וֹד (‘ō·wḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 5750: Iteration, continuance, again, repeatedly, still, more

quote
מְשֹׁ֛ל (mə·šōl)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4911: To liken, to use, language, in, to resemble

this
הַזֶּ֖ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

proverb
הַמָּשָׁ֥ל (ham·mā·šāl)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4912: A pithy maxim, a simile

in Israel.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (bə·yiś·rā·’êl)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 18:3 As I live says the Lord Yahweh (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 18:2
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