Ezekiel 18 31

Ezekiel 18:31 kjv

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Ezekiel 18:31 nkjv

Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

Ezekiel 18:31 niv

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?

Ezekiel 18:31 esv

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?

Ezekiel 18:31 nlt

Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?

Ezekiel 18 verses

Ezekiel 18 31 Meaning

Ezekiel 18:31 is a passionate divine appeal for radical personal transformation and repentance. It commands the Israelites to completely abandon their past sins, cultivate a new inner being marked by a changed disposition, and choose life instead of continuing on a path leading to spiritual demise. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, urges them to take active steps in aligning their hearts and spirits with His righteous standards, emphasizing His desire for their restoration and continued existence, rather than their judgment.

Ezekiel 18 31 Context

Ezekiel chapter 18 directly confronts and refutes the common proverb among the exiled Israelites: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (Ez 18:2). This proverb reflected a misunderstanding of God's justice, where the people blamed their ancestors for their suffering, absolving themselves of personal responsibility.

The chapter emphasizes individual accountability. God declares that each person is responsible for their own choices, whether righteous or wicked. Righteousness leads to life, while persistent wickedness leads to death. God outlines various scenarios: a righteous man who lives, a wicked son of a righteous man who dies, and a righteous son of a wicked man who lives. The pivot comes when God clarifies that if a wicked person turns from their wickedness, they will live (Ez 18:21-22), and if a righteous person turns to wickedness, they will die (Ez 18:24).

Verse 31, therefore, serves as a crucial appeal and a powerful culmination of this teaching. Having established individual accountability and God's absolute justice, God then expresses His profound desire for their life rather than death. It's an earnest plea, reminding them that while the consequences of sin are dire, the path to life is always open through repentance and internal transformation, emphasizing that their demise is not His will but a direct result of their continued transgression.

Ezekiel 18 31 Word Analysis

• Cast away from you (הַשְׁלִיכוּ hashlikhu): An emphatic imperative, plural form. From the verb shalakh, meaning "to throw, send, cast." This is an active and decisive command to completely rid themselves of something, to abandon it with force and finality, implying a break from their former way of life. It’s not just a passive wish but a vigorous disengagement from sin.
• all your transgressions (כָּל פְּשַׁעֲכֶם kol p'sha'akhem): Kol means "all," highlighting the comprehensive nature of the demand – no sin should be held back. Pesha' (transgression) implies an intentional act of rebellion or revolt against divine authority. It signifies a breach of trust, an outright trespass, often with the idea of active rebellion rather than a simple error.
• whereby ye have transgressed: This phrase directly links their past actions to the serious nature of their pesha'. It reminds them of the specific behaviors they must now abandon, emphasizing their accountability.
• and make you (וַעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם va'asu lakhem): Also an imperative, plural form. From asah, "to do, make, create, prepare." This highlights human responsibility in the process of transformation. While it is God who ultimately provides the means for true regeneration (as seen in Ez 36:26-27), here the command falls on humanity to actively engage their will, dispose themselves for change, and cultivate a transformed inner state. It suggests cooperation with divine grace, an active receptivity.
• a new heart (לֵב חָדָשׁ lev chadash): Lev (heart) in biblical thought refers not merely to emotion but the totality of one's inner being: intellect, will, affections, and conscience. It is the core of personality, where decisions are made. Chadash means "new," implying not merely a renovated or repaired old heart, but a fundamentally different, fresh, and regenerated one. This signifies a profound internal shift in moral and spiritual disposition.
• and a new spirit (וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה v'ruach chadashah): Ruach (spirit) can mean breath, wind, or the life-giving force/disposition. Here, parallel to "new heart," it signifies a changed character, attitude, or inner disposition, perhaps indicating a new impulse to righteousness or a different motivating principle for living. Together, "new heart and new spirit" represent a holistic, profound spiritual change in one's very nature and character.
• for why will ye die (כִּי לָמָּה תָּמוּתוּ ki lammah tamutu): Ki (for/because), lammah (why?), tamutu (will you die). This is a rhetorical question, expressing God's earnestness and frustration at their stubbornness. It is not a threat, but a lament. God passionately pleads, pointing to the inevitable consequence of unrepentance. The "death" here is not only physical but primarily spiritual separation from God, which leads to ultimate destruction.
• O house of Israel (בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל beit yisrael): Addresses the entire covenant community, underscoring that while the chapter stresses individual accountability, the call to repentance is directed to the people as a whole, still considered God's chosen, but currently under judgment due to their collective and individual disobedience.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Cast away from you all your transgressions... and make you a new heart and a new spirit": This phrase captures the two-fold nature of true repentance: a negative act of ceasing evil ("cast away") and a positive act of cultivating righteousness ("make"). It emphasizes that transformation is not merely about stopping bad behavior but actively seeking a renewed inner core and outward disposition.
• "a new heart and a new spirit": This forms a synonymous parallelism, reinforcing the idea of a complete inner renewal. It goes beyond superficial behavioral modification, demanding a radical change at the very seat of one's identity, desires, and motivations.
• "for why will ye die, O house of Israel?": This rhetorical question underlines God's tender and compassionate character. Despite their rebellion, God's ultimate desire for His people is life, not death. He is presenting them with a clear choice between spiritual life (through repentance and transformation) and spiritual death (through persistent transgression), lamenting their potential refusal of His grace.

Ezekiel 18 31 Bonus Section

• The tension between "make you a new heart" (human responsibility) in Ez 18:31 and "I will give you a new heart" (divine initiation) in Ez 36:26-27 is not a contradiction but a profound theological truth. It illustrates that human will must respond to God's offer of grace. We are commanded to desire and pursue the change that only God can fully accomplish within us. Our part is to turn, repent, and seek, while God's part is to empower, transform, and enable.
• The Hebrew word shuv (שׁוּב), often translated as "turn" or "return," is foundational to the concept of repentance in the Old Testament. While not explicitly used in "cast away" or "make," the essence of shuv – a decisive change of direction – underpins the commands of Ez 18:31, representing both turning from sin and turning to righteousness.
• This verse directly counters fatalism or determinism, highlighting God's insistence on free moral agency. It teaches that one is not hopelessly trapped by their past sins or generational curses, but continually offered the choice for life and restoration by a merciful God.
• The emphasis on "heart" and "spirit" speaks to an inner, radical change. God isn't merely asking for behavioral modification but for a deep alteration of desires, affections, and motivations – the very core of one's being, which ultimately leads to transformed outward conduct.

Ezekiel 18 31 Commentary

Ezekiel 18:31 encapsulates a core tenet of biblical theology: God's justice is always accompanied by His offer of mercy, demanding a responsive will from humanity. In this powerful verse, God challenges the exiles' deterministic outlook, asserting that their fate is not sealed by inherited sin or past mistakes if they choose to change. The imperative "cast away" denotes a vigorous, intentional discarding of their rebellious past. This isn't just passive regret but an active divestment from sin. Immediately coupled with this is the command "make you a new heart and a new spirit," signifying that genuine repentance is never solely negative (abandoning sin) but critically positive (embracing a new way of being). This new inner life, however, cannot be self-generated in its ultimate reality. While commanded here, the fulfillment of this "new heart and spirit" is later promised by God as His divine gift (Ez 36:26-27), illustrating the tension and synergy between human responsibility and divine enablement in the process of spiritual transformation. We are called to strive for it, even as God empowers us to achieve it.

The rhetorical question, "for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" is the ultimate expression of God's redemptive heart. It dispels any notion that God delights in punishment. Instead, He passionately desires the life and well-being of His people, lamenting their potential self-inflicted destruction through unrepentance. This verse serves as an invitation to choose life, aligning one's inner being with God's righteous standards and embracing the path of restoration and blessing. It reinforces that salvation and condemnation are not arbitrary acts of God but direct consequences of human choice concerning repentance and transformation.