Ezekiel 18:3
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
Original Language Analysis
חַי
As I live
H2416
חַי
As I live
Strong's:
H2416
Word #:
1 of 13
alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or livin
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
6 of 13
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
יִֽהְיֶ֨ה
H1961
יִֽהְיֶ֨ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
7 of 13
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
ע֗וֹד
H5750
ע֗וֹד
Strong's:
H5750
Word #:
9 of 13
properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more
מְשֹׁ֛ל
ye shall not have occasion any more to use
H4911
מְשֹׁ֛ל
ye shall not have occasion any more to use
Strong's:
H4911
Word #:
10 of 13
to liken, i.e., (transitively) to use figurative language (an allegory, adage, song or the like); intransitively, to resemble
הַמָּשָׁ֥ל
this proverb
H4912
הַמָּשָׁ֥ל
this proverb
Strong's:
H4912
Word #:
11 of 13
properly, a pithy maxim, usually of metaphorical nature; hence, a simile (as an adage, poem, discourse)
הַזֶּ֖ה
H2088
Historical Context
Among the Babylonian exiles (591 BC), fatalistic resignation threatened to perpetuate the very idolatry that caused exile. If judgment was inevitable regardless of personal behavior, why repent? God's prohibition of this proverb restored moral agency and hope—repentance matters because God judges individuals, not just generations. This principle prepared for the New Covenant emphasis on personal faith and individual regeneration. While corporate identity remains important biblically, it doesn't eliminate personal responsibility.
Questions for Reflection
- How does personal accountability before God challenge fatalistic attitudes about spiritual growth and change?
- What is the biblical balance between acknowledging generational influences and accepting personal responsibility?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God declares emphatically: "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel." The oath formula "as I live" invokes God's eternal existence as guarantee. This isn't denying generational consequences but rejecting deterministic fatalism. Each person will be judged according to their own righteousness or wickedness (verses 4, 20). The doctrine of personal accountability doesn't negate original sin but emphasizes that individuals ratify or repudiate their inheritance. Adam's sin brings condemnation, but each sinner willingly confirms that sentence through personal rebellion (Romans 5:12).