Intergenerational punishment
Does God punish children for their fathers iniquities?
It is claimed (by some) that the Bible teaches that God punishes children for the iniquities of the fathers. He will also punish the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those fathers.
There are a number of verses that are used to show this.
Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation
Numbers 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
It would seem, by using these verses alone without context or understanding, that they certainly do support the idea.
However, this could be argued it is a little Immoral of God and this is an argument that I have seen used against God.
It is also used to support the Bible having contradictions as the Bible also says that the children will NOT be punished for their fathers iniquities.
Deuteronomy 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Jeremiah 31:29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
2 chronicles 25:4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.
Here these verses very clearly state that each man will bear his own iniquity. An obvious contradiction to the statements in the verses saying that God will indeed punish the children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren of those who do iniquity. How do we deal with this. Surely a perfect God would not have contradictions in his book. He wouldn’t state one thing in one verse and then the exact opposite in another, would he? Did he simply forget what he said? It can’t be correct to punish a child for his father’s sins or a grandchild for their grandfathers sins, can it?
When we add context and understanding we will see that this is not a contradiction at all. God does NOT punish the children for the sins of their fathers that do iniquity. Every man is held accountable for their own actions, if they sin they are punished if they are righteous God is faithful.
In each of the verses used to show that God punishes the children of the fathers we have the wording “visiting the iniquity of the fathers”. And it is the “visiting the iniquities” that is used to show that God punishes the children.
The NIV even translates the Hebrew as “he punishes the children” in each ofd these verses.
Exodus 20:5 am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, NIV
Exodus 34:7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Numbers 14:18 The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
Deuteronomy 5:9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
However the Hebrew does not say that God punishes the children of the fathers who do iniquity but God visits the punishment upon the children even to the 3rd and 4th generation.
The Hebrew translated as “visiting the iniquities” and “he punishes the children” is פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֹ֨ן pō-qêḏ ‘ă-wōn
This means to attend to, visit, muster, appoint and iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity
The Hebrew just simply does not say that God punishes the children for their fathers/parents sins. Or punishing the children with the fathers punishment. That makes NO sense in the Hebrew whatsoever.
It is the punishment of the father that is visited upon the future generation. It is not the punishing of those future generations. God is actually stating that the children suffer the consequences of those punishments not that they themselves are punished.
Just as if a father today would commit a crime and be sentenced to do time in jail. The child of that father is not punished but the child has to deal with the consequences of his father’s punishment just as the sons son (the grandchild) would have to. This could also be the same if the father is a gambler and gambles away all his money and the family loses their home, the child is not punished but deals with the consequences and there are a vast array of examples that could be given that would demonstrate exactly what God is saying.
Just as this “contradiction” is misunderstood today because people choose to look at one verse at a time and do not look any further as to what the meanings of the verses are or go any deeper in their study, this was actually also misunderstood by the Jews themselves. Even they understood the statement to mean that children would be punished for their fathers sins. That God punishes intergenerationally.
They had started a proverb “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”
God asks the question to the Jews through Ezekiel what the proverb meant.
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?
God then says that they would have no occasion to use this proverb again.
Ezekiel 18:3As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
He then explains to them that they had it wrong and that every man will bear their own iniquities. In a detailed passage he tells that the if the righteous father has a son who is unrighteous then the son will bear the punishment for that unrighteousness not the father and if that unrighteous son himself has a son who is righteous then that son will not bear the unrighteousness of his father but be righteous by his own righteousness.
Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, 9 walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife, 12Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 15That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife, 16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. 18As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did thatwhich is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
God Continues to explain this for the rest of the chapter
Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 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?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 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? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
It is the CONSEQUENCES of the iniquities and the punishment of the father that is “visited” upon the children. The children are not being punished.
This is shown in a passage in Lamentations where it is stated, we are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are widows…..OUR FATHERS have sinned and we have BORNE their iniquities. Servants rule over us…..
Lamentations 5:1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. 4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.5 Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. 6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand. 9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness. 10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured. 13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood. 14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick. 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 17 For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim. 18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it. 19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. 22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.
The children were not punished for the iniquities of the father directly , they were dealing with the consequences of those iniquities. The children were fatherless, the wives husbandless. They were in slavery and when we read the passage a whole lot more had happened because the fathers had committed iniquities.
This is exactly what God meant when he said that he will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children. This is not a punishment from God. This is the consequences of punishment.
The fathers iniquities caused the punishment of being banished or taken into captivity. The next generations have to deal with the consequences of the fathers punishments. They are not being punished the fathers are being punished they are suffering the consequences of their fathers punishments.
In contrast God states that when the father’s love him and the sons love him he will be faithful to them for a thousand generations (or basically forever)
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
NO punishments, no consequences of those punishments would befall any generation of those that love him and continue to do so…..forever.
There is no contradiction. God does not punish children for their fathers iniquities but they will have to deal with the consequences of their fathers punishments.
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