Ezekiel 18:22 · Bible study
Ezekiel 18:22 Commentary: Transgressions Remembered No More
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does Ezekiel 18:22 teach salvation by works? Study the meaning of God not remembering sins and the righteousness that leads to life.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God completely forgives the repentant sinner and does not hold past transgressions against them; their present righteousness is the evidence of this restored relationship.
- Key words: “Remembered” (legal term, not brought up or charged), “transgressions” (rebellions against God’s covenant), “righteousness” (conduct conforming to God’s statutes).
- Main debate: Whether the righteousness described is the basis for salvation (works) or the evidence of a faith that receives grace. The supplied commentators largely take the latter view.
- Theological theme: Divine mercy and individual responsibility; God judges each person by their present state, not by their past.
- Best use: Pastoral care for those burdened by guilt; teaching on repentance; evangelistic appeal to those who think they are beyond forgiveness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.
WEB World English Bible 2000
None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live.
KJV King James Version 1769
All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
None of his transgressions which he hath committed shall be remembered against him; in his righteousness which he hath done shall he live.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Todas sus rebeliones que cometió, no le serán recordadas: en su justicia que hizo vivirá.
Todas as suas transgressões que cometeu não lhe serão lembradas; por sua justiça que praticou, viverá.
Toutes les transgressions qu’ il a commises seront oubliées; il vivra, à cause de la justice qu’ il a pratiquée.
Es soll aller seiner Übertretung, so er begangen hat, nicht gedacht werden; sondern er soll leben um der Gerechtigkeit willen, die er tut.
Al zijn overtredingen, die hij gedaan heeft, zullen hem niet gedacht worden; in zijn gerechtigheid, die hij gedaan heeft, zal hij leven.
Nessuna delle trasgressioni che ha commesse sarà più ricordata contro di lui; per la giustizia che pratica, egli vivrà.
Żadne przestępstwa jego, których się dopuścił, nie będą mu przypominane; w sprawiedliwości swej, którąby czynił, żyć będzie.
Все преступления его, какие делал он, не припомнятся ему: в правде своей, которую будет делать, он жив будет.
他所 犯 的一切 罪過 都不 被記念，因所 行 的義，他必存活。
Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in memory against him: in the righteousness which he has done he will have life.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse promises complete forgiveness for the repentant sinner. Gill notes that the transgressions “shall not be mentioned unto him”, not charged to his conscience, not brought against him in providence. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown stress that the righteous man lives “in” his righteousness, not “for” it; this righteousness is the evidence of his being in favour with God through the merit of the coming Messiah. Matthew Henry calls the verse an “encouragement to repentance.” Keil and Delitzsch set the verse within the larger argument of Ezekiel 18: God does not delight in the death of the wicked but desires their conversion. The righteousness performed after repentance does not atone for past sins but demonstrates that the heart has genuinely turned. All sources treat the verse as a declaration of God’s mercy, not a merit-based transaction.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Evidence-of-faith view: Points to Gill’s and JFB’s comments that the righteous live ‘in’ their righteousness but not ‘for’ it — the righteousness is the fruit of a forgiven state, not its cause.
- Covenantal-obedience view: Some traditions read the verse as describing the condition for continued life in the covenant: God forgives the repentant and then requires obedient righteousness as the path of life (linked to Leviticus 18:5).
What is clear: All Christians agree that God grants forgiveness to those who genuinely repent, and that past sins are not held against them.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Forgiveness of past sins | God forgives the repentant sinner fully, not remembering their previous transgressions. | Some traditions hold that this forgiveness is purely covenantal (temporal blessings), while others see it as full spiritual forgiveness analogous to New Testament justification. |
| Role of righteousness in salvation | Righteousness after repentance is necessary for life; it is not disconnected from forgiveness. | Protestant interpreters (e.g., Matthew Henry, Gill) stress that the righteousness is the fruit of grace, not the ground of pardon. Catholic and Orthodox traditions may see the righteous acts as meritorious within the covenant, though still dependent on God’s mercy. |
| Individual responsibility | Each person is judged for their own conduct, not for their parents’ sins. | The extent to which this principle applies in all of life (e.g., inherited consequences of sin) is debated, but all affirm the core point of the chapter. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel 18 addresses a proverb circulating among the exiles in Babylon: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (v.2). The people blamed their ancestors’ sins for their own suffering, claiming God was unfair. In response, God asserts individual responsibility: each person stands or falls by their own conduct. Verses 1, 20 established that a righteous son does not bear his father’s iniquity and a wicked son does not benefit from a righteous father. The passage then moves (vv.21, 29) to cases where a person’s life course changes entirely, the wicked repents or the righteous falls away. Verse 22 sits at the heart of this second movement.
The historical setting is the Babylonian exile (roughly 593 BC, the date given in Ezekiel 1:2). The people felt trapped by a national catastrophe they thought was undeserved. Ezekiel’s message offers hope: no one is locked into a past identity. A wicked person who turns to God receives full forgiveness; God remembers their wrongs no more. The surrounding verses emphasize the symmetry, the same principle applies in reverse to the righteous who abandon God. This was a radical corrective to the fatalism of the exiles, and it reaffirms that God’s ways are “equal” (v.25).
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 18:22. The Hebrew text is stable across major manuscripts. The main differences among English translations are stylistic: some render “remembered against him” (WEB, ASV) and others “mentioned unto him” (KJV, YLT). These variations do not alter the meaning of the verse. The Douay-Rheims adds “I will not remember,” personalizing the subject as God speaking. All translations convey the same promise of non-remembrance.
Reception History
Jerome, quoted in Keil and Delitzsch, summarized the passage’s principle: “Every one will be judged in that state in which he is found.” This interpretive thread, that God judges based on a person’s final spiritual state, persisted through medieval theology. During the Reformation, this verse was used to oppose the view that past merits or sins permanently determine one’s standing before God. It has been a key text for pastoral assurance, especially for those haunted by past failures. In liturgical traditions, echoes of “I will not remember your sins” appear in confession and absolution rites. The verse also features in discussions of apostasy (the reverse case in v.24), highlighting that continued faith is necessary.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God remembers what we forget. The verb “remembered” (v.22) is a legal term: sins are not held against the repentant sinner. God consciously chooses not to bring them up.
- The righteousness that follows repentance is the fruit, not the root. The “righteousness that he has done” does not earn forgiveness; it is the living proof that the heart has changed. JFB calls it the evidence of being in favour with God.
- God’s ultimate desire is life, not death. Verse 23 asks the rhetorical question that undergirds the entire passage: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” The context shows that forgiveness is motivated by God’s own compassionate character.
Five-point outline
- The problem of past guilt. The exiles felt their sins were permanent marks against them. Many believers today feel the same.
- The promise of non-remembrance. “All his transgressions … shall not be remembered against him.” God cancels the record.
- The new life that validates repentance. “In his righteousness … he shall live.” The righteous actions are not payment but the natural outflow of a restored relationship.
- The warning for those who presume. The same chapter warns the righteous who turn away (v.24). Grace does not license continued sin.
- The character of God. God is both just and merciful. He judges based on the present state of the heart, not the distant past.
Illustration hooks
- A clean slate in a courtroom. Just as a judge who pardons a guilty person does not later bring up the old charges, God treats the repentant sinner as if the crimes never happened.
- Starting over in a relationship. A spouse who has been unfaithful can be fully forgiven and trusted again; the past is not brought up in every argument. This mirrors God’s complete forgiveness.
- The weight of a backpack. Imagine carrying a backpack filled with rocks labelled with past mistakes. Repentance is God taking the backpack off and throwing it away.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “If I have committed serious sins, can I ever be fully free from their guilt?”
- “Does this verse mean I can sin now and repent later, and still be saved?”
- “How does this promise relate to the New Testament teaching that we are saved by grace through faith, not works?”
Leading a Discussion
Ezekiel 18:22 sits at the center of one of the Old Testament’s clearest statements on individual responsibility and divine mercy. This passage challenged the exiles’ fatalism and gave them a new reason to hope. As you discuss, notice how the verse balances forgiveness with the call to a changed life.
Discussion questions
- What is the immediate context of verse 22? Why did the exiles need to hear this message?
- The verse says transgressions “will not be remembered against him.” What does this tell us about God’s attitude toward past sins after genuine repentance?
- How does the phrase “in his righteousness that he has done he shall live” relate to the idea of God’s grace? Is righteousness the cause of life, or the sign of it?
- Compare verse 22 with verse 24, where the righteous person who turns away loses all their former righteousness. What does this teach about perseverance?
- How does this chapter answer the accusation that “the way of the Lord is not equal” (v.25)? What does “equal” mean in this context?
- In what ways does this passage prepare us for the New Testament teaching on repentance and forgiveness?
- Share a time when you struggled to believe that God had truly forgiven something from your past. How might Ezekiel 18 address that struggle?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 17:18 | She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!” |
| II Chronicles 6:23 | then hear from heaven, act, and judge your servants, bringing retribution to the wicked, to bring his way on his own head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. |
| Psalms 18:20 | Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me. |
| Psalms 18:24 | Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. |
| Psalms 19:11 | Moreover your servant is warned by them. In keeping them there is great reward. |
| Psalms 25:7 | Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh. |
| Psalms 32:1 | By David. A contemplative psalm. Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered. |
| Psalms 32:2 | Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that when God forgives, the sins are so completely removed that they are not even mentioned again. The promise of eternal life with God depends on remaining in that restored state until death. Nothing is held back or remembered against the penitent.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that the phrase "mentioned unto him" can also be read as "remembered in regard to him," shifting the emphasis from a spoken mention to an act of mindful remembrance. This alternative highlights a deeper personal attention implied in the original wording.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note emphasizes that a repentant person's past sins are completely erased from God's record, never to be mentioned again. Only the present righteousness that the person has done will be counted, and on that basis he will live.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes between living "in" righteousness and living "for" it. The sinner’s past transgressions are not counted against him after repentance, but the forgiveness described here primarily prevents temporal disaster. He lives because of his obedience, not as if it earns salvation, but as the law promised long life in the land.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that the righteousness mentioned here is not the basis of salvation, as if it could atone for past sins. Instead, it serves as the evidence that a person is already in God's favor through the coming Messiah's merit, a truth the Gospel later clarifies.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that Ezekiel 18 addresses a crucial gap in the earlier discussion: what happens when a person's life course changes entirely. Their key point is that God judges each person based on their present state, not their past record. The repenting wicked person lives; the apostate righteous person dies. God's ways are not unfair; the complaint recoils on those who make it.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the proverb about sour grapes is not a complaint about inherited guilt but an arrogant evasion of personal responsibility. The people blame their ancestors to avoid confessing their own sins. God's answer counters this by asserting each soul belongs directly to Him, making every person accountable for their own choices, not their father's.