Ezekiel 18 · Verse 25

Ezekiel 18:25

Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
Ezekiel 18:25, King James Version

Ezekiel 18:25 in other translations

BSBYet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
WEB“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal?
ASVYet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
YLTAnd ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way--is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?
DARBYAnd ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear then, house of Israel. Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
BBEBut you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Give ear, now, O children of Israel; is my way not equal? are not your ways unequal?
WebsterYet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

What does Ezekiel 18:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. Their plea for saying, "The way of the Lord is not equal," was that God treated different classes in a different way. But it was really their way that was unequal, since living in sin they expected to be dealt with as if they were righteous. God's way was invariably to deal with different men according to their deserts.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 18:21-29

The wicked man would be saved, if he turned from his evil ways. The true penitent is a true believer. None of his former transgressions shall be mentioned unto him, but in the righteousness which he has done, as the fruit of faith and the effect of conversion, he shall surely live. The question is not whether the truly righteous ever become apostates. It is certain that many who for a time were thought to be…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 18:21-29 →

Ezekiel 18:25 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕םva.'a.mar.Temand you sayH559
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יִתָּכֵ֖ןyi.ta.Khenit is correctH8505
דֶּ֣רֶךְDe.rekh[the] way ofH1870
אֲדֹנָ֑י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
שִׁמְעוּ\־shim.'u-listenH8085
נָא֙na'pleaseH4994
בֵּ֣יתbeitO house ofH1004
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
הֲדַרְכִּי֙ha.dar.Ki¿ way myH1870
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
יִתָּכֵ֔ןyi.ta.Khenis it correctH8505
הֲלֹ֥אha.Lo'¿ notH3808
דַרְכֵיכֶ֖םdar.khei.Khemways yourH1870
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יִתָּכֵֽנוּ\׃yi.ta.Khe.nuare they correctH8505

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 18:25

  • Ezekiel 33:17

    Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

  • Malachi 3:13-15

    Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

  • Malachi 2:17

    Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

  • Ezekiel 33:20

    Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

  • Genesis 18:25

    That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

  • Zephaniah 3:5

    The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

  • Jeremiah 12:1

    Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

  • Ezekiel 18:29

    Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

  • Romans 2:5-6

    But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

  • Jeremiah 2:29-37

    Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord. In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. …

  • Deuteronomy 32:4

    He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

  • Romans 10:3

    For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
way.
29; 33:17,20; Job 32:2; 34:5-10; 35:2; 40:8; 42:4-6; Mal 2:17
Mal 3:13-15; Mt 20:11-15; Ro 3:5,20; 9:20; 10:3
my.
Ge 18:25; De 32:4; Ps 50:6; 145:17; Jer 12:1; Zep 3:5; Ro 2:5,6
are.
Ps 50:21; Jer 2:17-23,29-37; 16:10-13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 18:24

    But 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.

  • Ezekiel 18:25

    Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

  • Ezekiel 18:26

    When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

Read all of Ezekiel 18

Ezekiel 18:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y si dijereis: No es derecho el camino del Señor: oid ahora, casa de Israel: ¿No es derecho mi camino? ¿no son vuestros caminos torcidos?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et vous dites: La voie du Seigneur n’est pas réglée. Écoutez donc, maison d’Israël: Ma voie n’est-elle pas réglée? Ne sont-ce pas vos voies qui ne sont pas réglées?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ihr sprechet: Der Weg des Herrn ist nicht recht. Höret doch, Haus Israel: Ist mein Weg nicht recht? Sind nicht vielmehr eure Wege nicht recht?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et dixistis: Non est æqua via Domini! Audite ergo, domus Israël: numquid via mea non est æqua, et non magis viæ vestræ pravæ sunt?