Ezekiel Chapter 18

“And the word of the Lord came unto me again, saying.] The word of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum; and its being mentioned is coming from the Lord is to give it weight and authority. This is a distinct sermon or prophecy from the former, and was sent and delivered out at another time.”

“THE PARABLE OF THE SOUR GRAPES REPROVED. (Eze. 18:1-32) 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 (Jer 31:29); and explained in Lam 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 innocent, whereas they were far from being so. The partial…”

“The last verse of Ezekiel 17:0 gives occasion for a declaration of the principle upon which God’s providential dispensations proceed, namely, that every individual shall be equitably dealt with - a principle that precludes the children from either presuming on the father’s merits or despairing on account of the father’s guilt. This chapter is an enlargement of Jeremiah 31:29, and sets forth fully the doctrine of individual responsibility. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The land of Israel - The two tribes, not the ten. The fathers - Our fore - fathers. Have eaten - Have sinned. The childrens - We their children, who were unborn, suffer for their sins. Ezekiel 18:4”

“18:1-2 The people had been quoting an aphorism, The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste, meaning that innocent children sometimes suffer because of their parents’ actions. In Ezekiel’s context, people were using this proverb to imply that the sins that had brought about the Exile had been committed by their forefathers, while they were paying the price (cp. Lam 5:7).”

“mean: Eze 17:12; Isa 3:15; Rom 9:20 the land: Eze 6:2, Eze 6:3, Eze 7:2, Eze 25:3, Eze 36:1-6, Eze 37:11, Eze 37:19, Eze 37:25 The fathers: Jer 15:4, Jer 31:29, Jer 31:30; Lam 5:7; Mat 23:36 Ezekiel 18:3”

“In the word of God contained in this chapter, the delusion that God visits the sins of fathers upon innocent children is overthrown, and the truth is clearly set forth that every man bears the guilt and punishment of his own sins ( Eze 18:1-4). The righteous lives through his righteousness ( Eze 18:5-9), but cannot save his wicked son thereby ( Eze 18:10-13); whilst the son who avoids the sins and wickedness of his father, will live through his own righteousness ( Eze 18:14-20). The man who repents and avoids sin is not even charged with his own sin; and, on the other hand, the man who forsakes the way of…”