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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Deuteronomy 24:16

"Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Poor;   Rulers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Personal Responsibility;   Responsibility;   Stewardship-Ownership;   The Topic Concordance - Execution;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Punishments;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Disease;   Job, Theology of;   Murder;   Punishment;   Responsibility;   Vengeance;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Stranger;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Achan;   Amaziah;   Blood;   Ezekiel;   Zabad;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Human Free Will;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Kin;   Leviticus;   Poverty;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Retaliation ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Avenger of blood;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Amaziah;   Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Achan;   Amaziah;   Courts, Judicial;   Deuteronomy;   Goel;   Judah, Kingdom of;   Kings, Books of;   Punishments;   Resurrection;   Salvation;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Achan;   Avenger of Blood;   Capital Punishment;   Captivity;   Commandments, the 613;   Crime;   Evidence;   Judaism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Fathers are not to be put to death for their children, and children are not to be put to death for their fathers; each person will be put to death for his own sin.
Hebrew Names Version
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
King James Version
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Lexham English Bible
"Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, and children shall not be put to death because of their fathers; each one shall be put to death for his own sin.
English Standard Version
"Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.
New Century Version
Parents must not be put to death if their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death if their parents do wrong. Each person must die for his own sin.
New English Translation
Fathers must not be put to death for what their children do, nor children for what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin.
Amplified Bible
"The fathers shall not be put to death for [the sins of] their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; [only] for his own sin shall anyone be put to death.
New American Standard Bible
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children put to death for the fathers, but euery man shalbe put to death for his owne sinne.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; each shall be put to death for his own sin.
Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Fathers are not to be executed for the children, nor are children to be executed for the fathers; every person will be executed for his own sin.
Darby Translation
The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, neither shall the sons be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Parents must not be put to death for something their children did. And children must not be put to death for something their parents did. People should be put to death only for a bad thing that they themselves did.
George Lamsa Translation
The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, neither shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Good News Translation
"Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for a crime they themselves have committed.
Literal Translation
The fathers shall not die for sons, and sons shall not die for fathers; they each shall die for his own sin.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The fathers shal not dye for the children, ner the childre for the fathers, but euery one shal dye for his awne synne.
American Standard Version
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Bible in Basic English
Fathers are not to be put to death for their children or children for their fathers: every man is to be put to death for the sin which he himself has done.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The fathers shall not be put to death for the chyldren, nor the chyldren for the fathers: but euery man shalbe put to death for his owne sinne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
King James Version (1611)
The fathers shall not bee put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: euery man shall be put to death for his owne sinne.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not unjustly withhold the wages of the poor and needy of thy brethren, or of the strangers who are in thy cities.
English Revised Version
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Berean Standard Bible
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The fadris schulen not be slayn for the sones, nether the sones for the fadris, but ech man schal die for hys owne synne.
Young's Literal Translation
`Fathers are not put to death for sons, and sons are not put to death for fathers -- each for his own sin, they are put to death.
Update Bible Version
The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, neither shall the sons be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Webster's Bible Translation
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
World English Bible
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
New King James Version
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.
New Life Bible
"Fathers are not to be put to death for their children. Children are not to be put to death for their fathers. Each man will be put to death for his own sin.
New Revised Standard
Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for their own crimes may persons be put to death.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor shall sons, be put to death for fathers, - every man, for his own sin, shall he put to death.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children for the fathers, but every one shall die for his own sin,
Revised Standard Version
"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
THE MESSAGE
Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their parents. Each person shall be put to death for his own sin.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

Contextual Overview

14 "Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns. 15 You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it. If you don't, they might cry out to the Lord against you, and it would be counted against you as sin. 16 "Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes. 17 "True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow's garment as security for her debt. 18 Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command. 19 "When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don't go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don't go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 21 When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don't glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Kings 14:5, 2 Kings 14:6, 2 Chronicles 25:4, Jeremiah 31:29, Jeremiah 31:30, Ezekiel 18:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:24 - let her 1 Samuel 22:16 - and 2 Kings 9:26 - of his sons Daniel 6:24 - their children

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the Lord 's help, I have produced a man!"
Genesis 24:17
Running over to her, the servant said, "Please give me a little drink of water from your jug."
Genesis 24:18
"Yes, my lord," she answered, "have a drink." And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink.
Genesis 26:7
When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful."
Genesis 39:6
So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn't worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,
Song of Solomon 5:2

Young Woman

I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: "Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children,.... By the civil magistrates, for sins committed by them of a capital nature, and which are worthy of death:

neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; for sins committed by them that deserve it:

every man shall be put to death for his own sin: which is but just and reasonable; see Ezekiel 18:4; which is no contradiction to Exodus 20:5; that respects what God himself would do, this what Israel, or the civil magistrates in it, should do; this is a command on Israel, as Aben Ezra observes; that the declaration of the sovereign Being, who is not bound by any law. Jarchi interprets these words differently, as that the one should not be put to death by the testimony of the other; and it is a rule with the Jews,

"that an oath of witness is taken of men, and not of women; of those that are not akin, and not of those that are nearly related p:''

on which one of the commentators observes q that such that are near akin are not fit to bear testimony, because it is written, "the father shall not be put to death for the children"; that is, for the testimony of the children. Jarchi indeed mentions the other sense, for the sins of the children, which has been given, and is undoubtedly the true sense of the text. The Targum of Jonathan gives both;

"fathers should not be put to death, neither by the testimony, nor for the sins of the children; and children shall not be put to death, neither by the testimony, nor for the sins of fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin by proper witnesses.''

p Misn. Shebuot, c. 4. sect. 1. q Bartenora in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A caution addressed to earthly judges. Among other Oriental nations the family of a criminal was commonly involved in his punishment (compare Esther 9:13-14). In Israel it was not to be so; compare marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 24:16. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, &c. — This law is explained and illustrated in sufficient detail, Ezekiel 18:1-9 &c.


 
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