By Water & Blood

Questions on Exodus 40: How is justice preserved if children are punished for fathers?

How is justice preserved when children are punished for their fathers?

With the Master God the threats are greater than the punishments. And this is easy to learn from the divine Scripture: “Every male who is uncircumcised,” it says, “who is not circumcised on the eighth day, shall be utterly destroyed.” Yet one can find those who were circumcised in the wilderness destroyed in various ways, and those who remained uncircumcised obtaining the promise of their ancestors; for Joshua circumcised these at Gilgal. Likewise he threatened utter destruction to houses that had leaven; yet he did not bring the punishment according to the threat. So here too, as those who love their children and care for love of children, he frightens them with threats and says, “repaying the sins of fathers upon children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” That it is impious to attend to the bare letter God himself teaches by legislating the opposite: “Children shall not die for fathers,” he says, “nor fathers for children; but each shall die in his own sin.” And through the prophet Ezekiel he says: “What is this proverb among you that says, ‘The fathers ate sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, says the Lord, this proverb shall not be, but the teeth of those who ate the sour grapes shall be set on edge; for all souls are mine.” And what follows has the same sense.

I myself think rather that the threat displays the divine loving-kindness. For it is added: “of those who hate me”—that is, I am long-suffering toward fathers who have sinned; I am long-suffering also toward children. But if the grandchildren and great-grandchildren zealously imitate the wickedness of the fathers and ancestors, I will bring the punishment; yet the piety of the ancestors will procure salvation for the race for a long time: “showing mercy,” he says, “to thousands and tens of thousands for those who love me and keep my commandments.” One may find even in the history the truth of the divine oracles. “For in the fifth generation,” it says, “the sons of Israel went up from Egypt.” Yet those who had served the gods of the Egyptians in Egypt—neither their fathers nor their forefathers paid the penalty; but they themselves, zealously imitating those people’s impiety, were punished, as ones who after so great a benefaction and countless wonders did not spit out the impiety; while their children, having loved the Savior God, enjoyed the ancestral promise. And we see the truthfulness of the promise made to the patriarchs: for the nations have obtained the blessing through the seed of Abraham. Since, then, they were going to worship the calf, he threatens the punishment beforehand.