None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
Parallel translations
- WEB None of his sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him: he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
- KJV None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
- NKJV None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
- NASB None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.
- NLT None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live.
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
None of the repentant sinner's former sins will be held against him; doing right, he will surely live. God's forgiveness fully covers the past of the truly penitent.
Overview
The astonishing promise is that for the one who turns, 'none of his sins... shall be remembered against him.' God does not merely overlook but removes the record of forgiven sin. This anticipates the new covenant assurance that God remembers our sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12), ultimately secured by the atoning work of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Isa 43:25I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Ezek 18:22None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.
- Mic 7:18–19Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
- Rom 5:16Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification.
- Isa 1:18“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
- Isa 44:22I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
- 1 Jn 2:1–3My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
- Rom 5:21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 33:16 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.