Ezekiel 18:31

Ezekiel 18:31

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

a. ASV: Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

b. YLT: Cast from off you all your transgressions, By which ye have transgressed, And make to you a new heart, and a new spirit, And why do ye die, O house of Israel?

c. Classic Amplified: Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed against Me, and make you a new mind and heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel?

d. Septuagint: Cast away from yourselves all your ungodliness wherein ye have sinned against me; and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: for why should ye die, O house of Israel? 

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: Cast off from upon yourselves all your transgressions through which you have transgressed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O House of Israel?

1. “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed…”

a. Cast away [Strong: 7993 shâlak, shaw-lak; a primitive root; to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively):—adventure, cast (away, down, forth, off, out), hurl, pluck, throw.]

b. from [you] [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

c. Strong: 853 'eth ayth apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

d. all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

e. [your] transgressions [Strong: 6588  peshaʻ, peh'-shah; from H6586; a revolt (national, moral or religious):—rebellion, sin, transgression, trespass.]

f. whereby [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

g. [you have] transgressed [Strong: 6586 pâshaʻ, paw-shah'; a primitive root (identical with through the idea of expansion); to break away (from just authority), i.e. trespass, apostatize, quarrel:—offend, rebel, revolt, transgress(-ion, -or).]

2. “...and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

a. [and] make [you] [Strong: 6213 ʻâsâh, aw-saw'; a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application:—accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, × certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, feast, (fight-) ing man, finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, hinder, hold (a feast), × indeed, be industrious, journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, × sacrifice, serve, set, shew, × sin, spend, × surely, take, × thoroughly, trim, × very, vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

b. [a] new [Strong: 2319 châdâsh, khaw-dawsh'; from H2318; new:—fresh, new thing.]

c. heart [Strong: 3820  lêb, labe; a form of H3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything:—care for, comfortably, consent, × considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), × heed, × I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), × regard(-ed), × themselves, × unawares, understanding, × well, willingly, wisdom.]

d. [and a] new [Strong: 2319 châdâsh, khaw-dawsh'; from H2318; new:—fresh, new thing.]

e. spirit [Strong: 7307 rûwach, roo'-akh; from H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):—air, anger, blast, breath, × cool, courage, mind, × quarter, × side, spirit(-ual), tempest, × vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).]

1). The terms of “a new heart and a new spirit” are similar to the New Covenant, but there needs to be a distinction between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Spiritual aspect of Old Covenant Circumcision

a). Israel’s responsibility: Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.”

b). Gods responsibility: Deuteronomy 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

c). Both God and Israel had a part in the spiritual aspect of the Old Covenant circumcision, and there was a limited [limited in the sense of comparison to New Covenant circumcision], work that was done in the heart. A work, enabling them “to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”, (Deuteronomy 6:5). I believe that this work that was done in Israel’s heart was part of the reason they continued as a people for thousands of years without being born again.

d). What ever the work done in their heart, it was far short of the New Covenant circumcision. Romans 8:3 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,…”

e). The law could not give “life”. Galatians 3:21 “…for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.” They could not be born again. The weaknesses of the Old Covenant have already been mentioned, but a very powerful witness to that was preached by the Apostle Paul in Pisidia Antioch.

(1) Acts 13:38, 39 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

(2) Spiros Zodhiates Complete Word Study of the New Testament: “In Acts 13:39, dikaioo, the Greek word for “justified” is used with the preposition apo – from, referring to all those things from which the Mosaic Law could not liberate us. In this instance as well as in Romans 6:7 where apo is used with the word “sin”, it refers to our liberation from something, i.e., sin which holds a man a prisoner, a slave…thus dikaioo does not mean the mere declaration of innocence, but the liberation from sin which holds man a prisoner.”

2). New Covenant Circumcision

a). The New Covenant Circumcision is a spiritual circumcision: Romans 2:25-29.

(1) Romans 2:25-29 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

b). The spiritual circumcision spoken of in Romans is the new birth, the born again experience. Paul wrote about it in Colossians 2:11, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”

c). The “body of the sins of the flesh”, in Colossians 2:11 is the same as the “body of this death”, in Romans 7:24. It is “the law of sin and death”, in Romans 8:2.

d). The spiritual circumcision of the Old Covenant was not as effective or complete as the spiritual circumcision under the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the effect was, “…to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” Deuteronomy 6:5, while the effect under the New Covenant is, “…putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” Colossians 2:11.

e). We are under a better Covenant, a better Covenant! Under the old Covenant they did not have the authority we have, they did not have the power to break free from the bondages of sin that we have in Christ. Acts 13:39 says it right: “…and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”

f. [for] why [Strong: 4100 mah maw or mah {mah}; or ma {maw}; or ma {mah}; also meh {meh}; a primitive particle; properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses:--how (long, oft, (- soever)), (no-)thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.]

g. [will ye] die [Strong: mûwth, mooth; a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill:—× at all, × crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), × must needs, slay, × surely, × very suddenly, × in (no) wise.]

h. [O] house [Strong: 1004 bayith, bah'-yith; probably from H1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.):—court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, × great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).

i. [of] Israel [Strong: 3478 Yisrâʼêl, yis-raw-ale'; from H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:—Israel.]