Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<tladatsi AT charter.net>]

Jim et al.,

The original querry was were there any examples of children 
being punished for the sins of the fathers.  I cited 
several examples where the OT gives commands that the 
children and grand-children of sinners should be punished 
(and two where the punishment extended for 10 generations 
and beyond).  That Ez 18:20 contradicts these commands at a 
later date does not change the fact that the commands were 
given at an earlier date.  

The US constitution originally allowed slavery, indeed it 
was built around slavery.  Later it was ammended to outlaw 
slavery.  The 13th & 14th ammendments do not prove that the 
US constitution never allowed slavery, it merely proves 
that slavery was legal before their passage.

Having said that, the citations I gave were conditional 
commands, IF a man committed certain sins, THEN his 
children and grandchildren would be punished.  They are not 
actual examples.  Other correspondents cite Jos 7.  I think 
the clearest example is 2 Sam 21 1-14.  Here two of Saul's 
sons and five of his grandchildren are all killed for 
Saul's crimes against the Gibeonites.  It is as unambiguous 
an example of the 2nd & 3rd generation being punished for 
the sins of the father, as it is an unpleasent story.  
Likewise in 1 Sam 15 the Amalekites are exterminated 
because, accroding to the text,  of something their 
ancestors had done perhaps a few hundreds years eariler. 
(this depends on how one reads the chronology from Moses to 
Saul).  

That Ezikiel would later denouce this practice does not 
mean it did not occur or that it was not commanded to 
occur.


> From: Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>
> Date: 2005/04/19 Tue PM 06:25:52 GMT
> To: tladatsi AT charter.net,  b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] children bear punishment for sins 
of parents - Examples
> 
> 
> curiously however, look at Ezekiel 18:20 where this is, 
for all intents 
> and purposes- revoked.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jim West
> 
> Biblical Studies Resources -  http://web.infoave.net/
~jwest
> Biblical Theology Weblog -  http://biblical-
studies.blogspot.com
> 
> 

Jack Tladatsi