Albert Barnes Commentary Ezekiel 18:2

"What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children`s teeth are set on edge?" — Ezekiel 18:2 (ASV)

Concerning the land of Israel - Rather, “in the land of Israel,” that is, upon Israel’s soil, the last place where such a pagan saying should be expected. The saying was general among the people both in Palestine and in exile; and expressed the excuse with which they ascribed their miserable condition to anyone’s fault but their own - to a blind fate such as the pagan recognized, instead of the discriminating judgment of an All-holy God.