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?

EZEKIEL 18:31KJV
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Ezekiel 18:31 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 18:31 mean?

Ezekiel 18:31 calls the people of Israel to turn away from their wrongdoings and to take responsibility for a fresh start, urging them to create for themselves a new heart and a new spirit so that they do not bring about their own ruin. The verse is a direct appeal from God, through the prophet Ezekiel, asking why the people would choose a path that leads to death when change is possible.

The prophet Ezekiel is speaking to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, confronting them about their past actions ("transgressions") and urging them to change. The verse is part of a larger message where God makes clear that each person is responsible for their own choices, not doomed by the sins of previous generations. The call for a "new heart" and "new spirit" highlights the need for deep, personal transformation, not just outward change.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 18:31

  • "Cast away" (שָׁלַךְ, shalak): This word means to throw or discard something forcefully. Here, it emphasizes an active, decisive rejection of past wrongs, not just a passive regret.
  • "Transgressions" (פֶּשַׁע, pesha): This word refers to rebellious or willful acts against God, not just accidental mistakes. The verse is about turning from deliberate wrongdoing.
  • "Make" (עָשָׂה, asah): This verb means to do or make, showing that the people are called to take action themselves in forming a new heart and spirit, not just waiting for God to do it for them.
  • "New" (חָדָשׁ, chadash): This word means something fresh or renewed, pointing to a complete change, not just a repair of the old.
  • "Heart" (לֵב, lev) and "spirit" (רוּחַ, ruach): In Hebrew thought, "heart" is the center of will and thought, and "spirit" is the inner life or attitude. The verse calls for a total renewal of both inner motivation and outlook.

Why Ezekiel 18:31 matters

  • Ezekiel 18:31 clarifies that God does not desire anyone’s destruction but instead invites real change, countering the idea that people are trapped by their past or by their ancestors’ sins.
  • The verse emphasizes personal responsibility, showing that each individual can choose a different path, which was a radical message for people who felt hopeless in exile.
  • By calling for a "new heart and a new spirit," Ezekiel 18:31 connects to the wider biblical theme of inner transformation, not just outward compliance, as the true way to life.

Where else these words appear

“transgressed” Hebrew H6586 · used in 37 verses

  • 1 Kings 8:50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
  • Psalms 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
  • Jeremiah 2:29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.

“new” Hebrew H2319 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
  • 2 Samuel 21:16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
  • Song of Solomon 7:13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

“transgressions” Hebrew H6588 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
  • Psalms 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
  • Lamentations 1:5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

“away” Hebrew H7993 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
  • 2 Kings 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
  • Isaiah 14:19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.