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though the father has done none of them: Indeed, the son eats at the mountain and defiles his neighbor’s wife.
Ezekiel 18:11 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB or who does not do any of those things, but even has eaten at the mountain shrines, and defiled his neighbor’s wife,
  • KJV And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,
  • NKJV And does none of those duties, But has eaten on the mountains Or defiled his neighbor’s wife;
  • NASB (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles his neighbor’s wife,
  • NLT And that son does all the evil things his father would never do—he worships idols on the mountains, commits adultery,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

This wicked son worships at idol shrines and defiles his neighbor's wife. He abandons his father's righteous example.

Overview

Doing none of his father's good deeds, the son embraces idolatry and adultery. His sins mirror the very things the righteous man avoided. The contrast underscores that personal choices, not ancestry, determine one's standing before God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ezek 18:6–7He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.
  • 1 Kgs 13:22but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”
  • Phil 4:9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
  • Rev 22:14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
  • John 15:14You are My friends if you do what I command you.
  • Ezek 18:15He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
  • 1 Jn 3:22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
  • 1 Kgs 13:8But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
  • Matt 7:21–27Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
  • Jas 2:17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.
  • Luke 11:28But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
  • John 13:17If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 18:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.

How Ezekiel 18:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.