Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Ezekiel 18:24 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 24. 24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Ezekiel turns or qualifies the movement with “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the…” at Ezekiel 18:24 inside “Turning Changes the Moral Direction of a Life.”
If the wicked will turn from all his sins
This verse is one part of that explanation in Ezekiel 18:21–24. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Ezekiel 18:21–24
Read Ezekiel 18:24 with 18:21–24. By itself, “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: A wicked person who turns toward justice lives, while a righteous person who abandons justice is not protected by a moral résumé.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “The Child Does Not Bear the Parent's Guilt” into “Turning Changes the Moral Direction of a Life.” Its non-interchangeable contribution is: A wicked person who turns toward justice lives, while a righteous person who abandons justice is not protected by a moral résumé. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Ezekiel turns or qualifies the movement with “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the…” at Ezekiel 18:24 inside “Turning Changes the Moral Direction of a Life.”
What Remains True
People and leaders answer for the truth and actions actually entrusted to them; accountability must not become control, fatalism, or blame of those harmed. In Ezekiel 18:24, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Ezekiel turns or qualifies the movement with “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the…” at Ezekiel 18:24 inside “Turning Changes the Moral Direction of a Life.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Ezekiel 18:21–24 — Turning Changes the Moral Direction of a LifeSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Ezekiel 18:21–24, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 18:21–24
Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 18:21–24
Open the official NET Ezekiel PDF ↗