complete verse (Ezekiel 33:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 33:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “like when/if he returns what he has held in security/pledge, returns what he has stolen, follows the laws/rules for life, and does not commit sins, that person will not die.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “example, he returned what-was-guaranteed to him or what he had stolen, he followed the statutes which give life, and he does not do bad — that man will- surely -live; he will- not -die.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “For example, he may return what he took from another person to guarantee that that person would pay back what he owes, or he may return things that he has stolen, and he may obey the laws that will enable those who obey them to remain alive, and he will not continue to do evil things. If that happens, he will surely remain alive; he will not die because of the sins that he committed previously.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 33:14 - 33:15

Verses 14-16 discuss the opposite situation of the previous verse: where wicked people repent, turn from their sinful ways, and begin doing what is right. In Hebrew the structure of verses 14-15 is basically the same as that of verse 13.

Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die’: See Ezek 33.8. God threatens death for evil people. Contemporary English Version says “Suppose I warn wicked people that they will die because of their sins.” For wicked see verse 12.

Yet if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right: The Hebrew word for sin refers to the mistakes that come from missing the mark (see verse 10). For the Hebrew words rendered lawful and right, see the comments on 18.5. New Century Version renders these clauses as “they may stop sinning and do what is right and honest.”

Verse 15 lists four examples of doing what is right:

(1) For if the wicked restores the pledge, see the comments on 18.7. Here this clause may mean that the reformed person gives back a specific pledge that he has illegally kept, or that he now habitually does so. New Century Version says “For example, they may return what somebody gave them as a promise to repay a loan.”
(2) For gives back what he has taken by robbery, compare 18.7. If someone took anything by force in a violent robbery, he returns what he took to the rightful owner.
(3) And walks in the statutes of life: The Hebrew word for statutes refers to fixed and definite laws, usually enacted by a ruler or government (see 5.6). Good News Translation renders this clause as “and follows the laws that give life.” Another possible model is “and they follow my rules so that they will live and not die.”
(4) Committing no iniquity: For iniquity see verse 13. Good News Translation renders this clause as “he stops sinning,” and New Living Translation has “no longer doing what is evil.”

He shall surely live, he shall not die: Those who stop sinning and begin doing good will not die, but live. For he shall surely live, see verse 13; for he shall not die, see Ezek 33.8.

For a model of these verses, see the discussion on the next verse.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .