I punish children for their parents' sins?

Question

Is this a mistranslation? How could anyone worship such a being?

This is from Exodus 20:5 in the Bible that I happen to have.

"GODS WORD"

I just looked up another translation:

I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EXODUS%2020:5&version=31

King James Version:

For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children

I don't see how this translation has a different meaning than the others.

I didn't mean to imply "all sins" in my question.

But it seems like if you do something akin to spitting in God's face, he will in fact punish your children.

Answer 1

This is a bit out of context. What God is saying is that if you choose to hate Me, and worship something else (an idol of any kind) thus denying me, then I will punish you and the next few generations down because of it. Or as the actual text says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
So, basically, it is bad enough if you know He exists and you choose to ignore Him. But if you are going to spit right in His face like that by worshipping another "god" or idol of any kind, well that is like not only did you break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend but you are kissing someone else right in front of them right where they can see this. Remember also that this took place when God had JUST BARELY taken them (rescued them) out of Egypt and 400 years of slavery and oppression! That is rather harsh...you go and save some people's lives, protect them and provide ALL OF THEIR NEEDS, and they go and not only leave you, but worship something/someone else?!? I'm thinking, "Oh, NO you DIDN'T just go on over to that FLOOZIE after I just saved your unworthy Bootie!!! Grab your ankles and kiss that unworthy Bootie bye-bye!" Though I am sure God is never so crass in his reactions, wordings, or feelings.

Answer 2

In Exodus chapter 20 God is handing down his commandments to the Israelites. In verse 5 they are warned that if they disobey the law there will be punishment. Often times they no longer recieved divine protection as God turned his back so to speak on them. At Exodus 34:6, 7 it says " And Jehovah went passing by before his face and declaring: “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, 7 preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin, but by no means will he give exemption from punishment, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.” When the Israelites went against the law and continued sinning they were punished for their sins. Their divine protection was taken away and sometimes they were turned over into the hands of their enemies and enslaved or exiled from their home. This punishment could carry on for generations until the people begged for forgiveness and turned back to Jehovah. That is why it says at Exodus 20:6 "but exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation in the case of those who love me and keep my commandments." There are numerous accounts in the Hebrew scriptures of the Israelites turning away and being punished and later begging for forgiveness.

Children are often a continuation of their parents, meaning they often repeat the same mistakes or carry on the same cycle. Then there are those who turn away from that course of action. As a result they are rewarded for it with say an easier life. The same can be said about the Israelites. They were punished as long as they were sinning in the eyes of God, but were promised loving-kindness if they turned away from what was bad.

Answer 3

Consequences... Children are NOT charged with the guilt of their parents' sins. They MAY suffer consequences which were CAUSED by parents' sins. Ezekiel 18 explains this in detail.

Eze 18:1 A message came to me from the LORD. He said, 2 “You people have a proverb about the land of Israel. What do you mean by it? It says, “‘The parents eat sour grapes. But the children have a bitter taste in their mouths.’
3 “You will not use that proverb in Israel anymore,” announces the LORD and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive. 4 Everyone belongs to me. Father and son alike belong to me. People will die because of their own sins.
...
Eze 18:19 “But you still ask, ‘Is the son guilty along with his father?’ No! The son did what was fair and right. He was careful to keep all of my rules. So you can be sure he will live. 20 People will die because of their own sins. The son will not be guilty because of what his father did. And the father will not be guilty because of what his son did. The right things a godly person does will be added to his account. The wrong things a sinful person does will be charged against him.

Read the entire chapter. In it, God presents a hypothetical family of alternating good and evil parents.

"Original sin" is a LIE! GUILT for sins cannot be inherited.

Answer 4

This is a total misinterpretation.
Children do pay for their parents' sins, but not in the way you are thinking. The PARENTS themselves do it to them. I work in a poverty stricken school and see how these parents can buy a brand new car, but not afford dental care for their kids. Or a very young teen mom spends no time being a MOM to her son, and he comes here not really even knowing how to talk because she never spent any time with him. Or another child who is one five children from five different fathers and is so desparate for any kind of parental type attention that he gives up all his recesses to spend some time with me.
I have seen this and so much more. These poor kids are paying for their parents' sins, but it is NOT God who made these choices.

Answer 5

i'm a Muslim and my holy e book is Quran, this is a continuation of Bible. Any questions that Bible fails to respond to are spoke returned by utilising way of Quran. God Almighty has a kit wherein way forward for a teenager in all fairness suited to his mom and pa and that's truthfully in fact. utilising actuality a toddler inherits the valuables of his mom and pa. Now if a wealthy father loses his fee reductions in hypothesis or enjoying and could become penniless, than certainly his successor son gets no longer something. further if a pregnant mom beverages and meets an twist of destiny, her daughter could desire to born with some inborn concern. although the specific toddler could be assisted and helped by utilising way of God Almighty in many approaches so as to earnings his due place indoors the international and hereinafter. he will additionally settle for due credit indoors the hereinafter for his shortcomings. each and each human has 2 lives, one in this international and yet yet another indoors the hereinafter. on a similar time as 2 are seen on the comparable time, no toddler will ever pass with the aid of unduly for any fault of his mom and pa. Muhammad Javed Iqbal

Answer 6

Yes, it is a mistranslation if you want to call it that. I think what was meant is that all generations became sinful because the parents pass down their traits to their offspring. It does not mean that an innocent child who has never sinned on his/her own is judged sinful by God.

Answer 7

It is a misinterpretation on your part It clearly states in the Holy Bible Children will not be held responsible for the sins of their fathers. Again you have taken things out of context.

Answer 8

People can worship anything you tell them to worship. You just have to be sure they are very gullible or suggestible when you do so. Cults do this by using brainwashing methods to get you to that point. Religion does this by preying on children, who have not developed the rational capabilities to defend themselves against such nonsense.

Answer 9

You just made that translation up, it is totally inaccurate and I can't imagine what you read or heard to even lead you down that road. The bible clearly states that we will all be judged based on OUR OWN ACTIONS, not those of others. Read it sometime,

Answer 10

As much as some of these morons try to explain that away or justify it as "consequences" you are exactly right.

If human parents treated their children the way god treats his, they would be locked up on the spot