Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Thomas L. Thompson" <tlt AT teol.ku.dk>]

The passage in Ezekiel 18 that Jim refers to is an important part of the 
intertextual discourse. Perhaps it might be interesting to reflect that the 
narrative of Jacob's struggles with man and God, which leave him an unclean 
crippled (rather than "straight") Israel,  also send his children into Egypt 
for 4 generations (the 400 years prophesied to Abraham).
Thomas
 
Thomas L. Thompson
University of Copenhagen
-----Oprindelig meddelelse----- 
Fra: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org på vegne af tladatsi AT charter.net 
Sendt: on 20-04-2005 02:13 
Til: Jim West; b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org 
Cc: 
Emne: [b-hebrew] children bear punishment for sins of parents - Ez 18:20& 
2Sam 21



        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
        
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