Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's question here isn't just about if He takes pleasure in death, but an emphatic statement that His deepest desire is for people to turn away from their destructive paths and embrace life. The "living" He speaks of isn't just continued existence, but a vibrant, restored relationship with Him.
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Ezekiel is addressing a people deeply discouraged by their exile and suffering, believing God has abandoned them. He's been explaining that individuals are responsible for their own sins and that God's judgment is just, not arbitrary. This verse bursts forth as a passionate rebuttal to any notion that God delights in destruction, emphasizing instead His earnest desire for people to turn from their wicked ways and embrace life.
Do you ever feel like God is just waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you? Ezekiel confronts this very idea head-on.
Ezekiel 18:23 is a powerful declaration about God's heart. When we read, 'Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?', we're hearing God express something profound.
Not a Sadistic Judge
God isn't a cosmic killjoy who delights in seeing people suffer and perish. The commentary points out that God's 'mind is presented as being at once absolutely righteous and absolutely loving.' His justice demands consequences for sin, yes, but His ultimate desire isn't destruction. He doesn't 'take pleasure' in the finality of death for the wicked in the same way He delights in life and repentance.
The Priority of Return
God's primary intention is restoration. The verse emphasizes that His preference, His deeper desire, is that the wicked 'should turn from his way and live.' This speaks to His profound love and His design for humanity – to live in relationship with Him. The 'death' mentioned isn't just physical, but spiritual separation. God actively desires our return to Him, to life, and to communion.
A Plea for Understanding
This verse serves to counter feelings of despair. When people felt abandoned or that God had forgotten them, especially after facing judgment, they needed to know that God's heart was still turned towards life for them. It's a reminder that God's ways are not our ways, and His pleasure is found in our flourishing, not our failure.
Ask a follow-up
If God loves life so much, why does anyone face judgment? This verse helps us understand the delicate balance God strikes.
Ezekiel 18:23 doesn't cancel out God's justice; instead, it reveals how His justice operates alongside His mercy.
The Necessity of Consequences
While God delights in life and repentance, He is also a God of absolute righteousness. The commentaries remind us that the 'death of the wicked' can be a 'necessary consequence of laws that were righteous in themselves.' God cannot simply ignore sin. His holiness and the integrity of His universe demand that sin has a consequence.
Mercy's Open Door
However, God's pleasure is NOT in the execution of that consequence as an end in itself. His justice is served, but His heart is always more inclined towards offering a way out. The phrase 'and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?' shows that His ultimate 'pleasure' is found in the sinner's return and subsequent life. It's a testament to His boundless mercy, which is designed to draw people away from destruction.
Love and Law Aligned
God's love and His law are not in conflict; they are perfectly aligned. He created us for life, and His laws protect that design. When we sin, we break those protective laws, leading to death. But God, in His love, provides a path through repentance – a way to satisfy justice and embrace mercy, allowing us to 'live.'
Understand the original words
Adonay YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The Master, the Sovereign One; a title reflecting God's absolute authority over creation and humanity.
This verse directly addresses the despair of the exiles in Babylon who felt abandoned by God. Ezekiel's message, delivered in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction, emphasizes God's desire for repentance and life, not for destruction, countering any notion of a capricious or vengeful deity.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captures Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and a significant portion of the Judean elite to Babylon. This event marks a severe blow to the Judean kingdom and its people.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
After a period of rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, deporting most of the remaining population to Babylon. This catastrophe leads many to despair and question God's faithfulness.
c. 593-571 BC
Ezekiel's Prophetic Ministry in Babylon
Ezekiel, a priest exiled to Babylon, receives visions and pronouncements from God. He ministers to the exiles, addressing their feelings of guilt, despair, and their understanding of divine justice.
Post-Exilic Period
Return from Exile
After approximately 70 years, some Judeans are allowed to return to Jerusalem under Persian rule, beginning the process of rebuilding the Temple and the community.
This passage echoes Ezekiel's thought, emphasizing God's patience and desire for all to repent, not perish. It highlights that God's delay in judgment is an act of mercy, not indifference.
1 Timothy 2:4This verse directly states God's will for salvation for all people, aligning perfectly with Ezekiel's assertion that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires their life.
Luke 15:7Jesus' parable of the lost sheep illustrates God's joy over one sinner who repents, mirroring Ezekiel's point that God's delight is in a sinner's return and life, not their destruction.
Jeremiah 31:20This prophetic word from Jeremiah expresses God's deep yearning for the repentant heart of Ephraim, showing a consistent theme in the Old Testament of God's longing for His people to turn back to Him and live.
Ezekiel 33:11Coming from Ezekiel himself, this verse acts as a direct corollary, affirming that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and explicitly states that repentance and life are God's desire for His people.
cambridgeEzekiel 18:23: "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?"
23 . The verse meets a feeling of despair both in regard to themselves and in regard to God which was beginning to take possession of the minds of some, perhaps many, among the people. The despair in regard to themselves is seen in ch. Ezekiel 33:10-11 , “We pine away in our iniquities, how should we live?” and the despair in regard to God, which is…
pulpitEzekiel 18:23: "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?"
Verse 23. - Have I any pleasure, etc.? Ezekiel's anticipations of the gospel of Christ take a yet wider range, and we come at last to what had been throughout the suppressed premise of the argument. To him, as afterwards to St. Paul (1 Timothy 2:4) and St. Peter (2 Peter 3:9), the mind of God was presented as being at once absolutely righteous and ab…
God's question here isn't just about if He takes pleasure in death, but an emphatic statement that His deepest desire is for people to turn away from their destructive paths and embrace life. The "living" He speaks of isn't just continued existence, but a vibrant, restored relationship with Him.
The prophet Ezekiel is addressing a people deeply discouraged by their exile and suffering, believing God has abandoned them. He's been explaining that individuals are responsible for their own sins and that God's judgment is just, not arbitrary. This verse bursts forth as a passionate rebuttal to any notion that God delights in destruction, emphasizing instead His earnest desire for people to turn from their wicked ways and embrace life.
The prophet Ezekiel is addressing a people deeply discouraged by their exile and suffering, believing God has abandoned them. He's been explaining that individuals are responsible for their own sins and that God's judgment is just, not arbitrary. This verse bursts forth as a passionate rebuttal to any notion that God delights in destruction, emphasizing instead His earnest desire for people to turn from their wicked ways and embrace life.
"Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?" — God's question here isn't just about if He takes pleasure in death, but an emphatic statement that His deepest desire is for people to turn away from their destructive paths and embrace life. The "…
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Last reviewed October 2026