Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<tladatsi AT charter.net>]

Hello,

I think your points are well taken.  2 Sam 21 is a story of 
human sacrafice.  Yahweh causes a famine in response to 
Saul's crime. The famine causes widespread suffering. The 
death of Saul's sons and grandsons satisfies God as the 
Saul's crime is atoned for, and the famine ends.  Since 
Saul is dead, he cannot atone for his own sins, so it be 
dealt with (or visited) by God upon Saul's sons and 
grandsons.  David has correctly understood the issues and 
dealth with them in a manner that effects the end of the 
famine.

This is the only point I was trying to make - in the OT, 
there are cases of later generations being dealt with by 
God in negative fashion to atone for the sins of earlier 
generations.  Most people would describe this as 
punishment.  I dare if I were killed and impaled on a pole 
for an entire barley season to atone for a sin my 
grandfather committed, I would describe it as punishment.

Jack Tladatsi