ÉzéchielChapitre 18

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The word of the LORD came to me:

What do you mean by repeating this proverb about the land of Israel: "The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"?

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

See, every soul belongs to me: the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right.

He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her period.

He oppresses no one; he returns what he took in pledge for a debt; he commits no robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

He does not lend at interest or take a profit. He holds back his hand from wrongdoing and judges fairly between one person and another.

He walks in my statutes and faithfully keeps my ordinances. Such a man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

But suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood and does any of these things

—he does none of these good things, but instead eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor's wife,

oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not return a pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, and does what is detestable,

lends at interest and takes a profit. Will he live? He will not live! Because he has done all these detestable things, he shall surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

But suppose this man in turn has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do the same.

He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife.

He oppresses no one, takes no pledge, commits no robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

He holds back his hand from harming the poor, takes no interest or profit, keeps my ordinances and walks in my statutes. He will not die for his father's guilt; he will surely live.

But his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people—he will die for his own guilt.

Yet you ask, "Why should the son not bear his father's guilt?" Since the son has done what is just and right, keeping all my statutes and carrying them out, he will surely live.

The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear his father's guilt, nor will a father bear his son's guilt. The righteousness of the righteous will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked will be his own.

But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.

None of the transgressions he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Is it not rather that he turn from his ways and live?

But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does wrong, committing the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous deeds he has done will be remembered. Because of the treachery he is guilty of and the sin he has committed, he will die.

Yet you say, "The Lord's way is not fair." Listen, house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does wrong, he will die for it; because of the wrong he has done, he will die.

And if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.

Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.

Yet the house of Israel says, "The Lord's way is not fair." Are my ways unfair, house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent! Turn away from all your transgressions, so that guilt will not be your downfall.

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

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord GOD. So turn, and live!

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Résumé2

Chapitre 18

Main Theme: God establishes the principle of individual responsibility—each person will be judged according to their own deeds, not those of their parents.

Content: Ezekiel rejects the proverb that children suffer for their fathers' sins and declares: "The one who sins is the one who will die." Through examples spanning three generations, God shows that righteousness and wickedness are not inherited—each generation is responsible for itself. God emphasizes that repentance is always possible: the wicked who turn from sin will live, while the righteous who turn away will die. When Israel accuses God of being unfair, He responds that it is their own ways that are unjust. The chapter concludes with a heartfelt appeal to repent, for God does not desire anyone's death.

Key Words/Images:

"Sour grapes" proverb (v. 2): A popular saying falsely claiming that children are punished for their parents' sin—this is firmly rejected.
"The one who sins will die" (vv. 4, 20): The foundational principle of individual responsibility, repeated as the chapter's central message.
Three generations (vv. 5–18): A righteous father, a wicked son, and a righteous grandson—illustrating that each generation is judged on its own merits.
Repentance (vv. 21–23, 27–28): The opportunity to turn from sin and live—God does not hold past transgressions against those who repent.
"I do not want anyone to die" (v. 32): God's heart toward people—He desires repentance and life, not death.

Contexte historique

Events and Customs

Ezekiel 18 directly confronts a proverb that was widespread among the Jewish exiles: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge" (verse 2). This proverb expressed a fatalistic attitude in which the people believed they were suffering unjustly for their ancestors’ sins rather than for their own. The same proverb also appears in Jeremiah 31:29, showing that this was a common way of thinking in the exile community. The proverb may reflect a misunderstood interpretation of texts such as Exodus 20:5, where God says He "visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation". Ezekiel rejects this fatalistic use and emphasizes individual responsibility.

The chapter contains a detailed list of actions that define a righteous person (verses 5–9). These include the prohibition against eating sacrificial meals on the high places (idolatry), sexual purity, fair treatment of debtors, and the ban on usury. The practice of "eating on the mountains" refers to cultic meals at Canaanite high places, which remained a persistent problem in Israel’s history. The list reflects both ritual and social requirements from the Mosaic Law, especially from the Holiness Code in Leviticus.

Key Terms

The Hebrew word נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), translated "soul" or "the one", appears repeatedly throughout the chapter (especially verses 4 and 20). In this context, it does not mean "soul" in the Greek philosophical sense, but rather "person" or "living being". The statement "The soul who sins shall die" therefore concerns the whole person and their responsibility, not an immortal soul separate from the body.

The terms נֶשֶׁךְ (neshekh, "interest/usury") and תַּרְבִּית (tarbit, "profit/addition") in verses 8 and 13 refer to practices forbidden by Israelite law (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36–37). Neshekh literally means "bite" and suggests the exploitative nature of interest. In an agrarian economy without a modern banking system, lending with interest was seen as taking advantage of people in distress, not as legitimate business.

The expression לֵב חָדָשׁ וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה ("a new heart and a new spirit") in verse 31 is central to the chapter’s message about repentance. "Heart" (lev) in Hebrew thought is the seat of will and understanding, not merely emotions. Here Ezekiel calls for a fundamental change in a person’s inner orientation, a theme he develops further in chapter 36:26, where God Himself promises to give His people this new heart.

Personnages

Aucun personnage connu dans ce chapitre.

Mots-clés8

Sin — An act, thought, or attitude that breaks with God's will and morality.
Righteousness — To act in accordance with God's will and ethical principles, the opposite of sin.
Soul — The spiritual and immortal part of a person, considered to be God's creation and existing beyond death.
Death — The end of life, when the body stops functioning and the soul separates from the physical world.
Repentance — A change of heart and mind that leads a person to turn away from sin and toward God.
Inheritance — That which is passed down from one generation to another, especially in relation to sin and righteousness.
Responsibility — The principle that each person is accountable for their own actions and the consequences thereof.
Life — The biological and spiritual existence that begins at conception and continues through death and eternal life.