Deuteronomy 24 16

Deuteronomy 24:16 kjv

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.

Deuteronomy 24:16 nkjv

"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.

Deuteronomy 24:16 niv

Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

Deuteronomy 24:16 esv

"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.

Deuteronomy 24:16 nlt

"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.

Deuteronomy 24 verses

Deuteronomy 24 16 Meaning

Deuteronomy 24:16 establishes a foundational principle of justice within the Mosaic Law, mandating individual accountability for capital offenses. It strictly prohibits the execution of children for their parents' sins, or parents for their children's sins. Instead, each person facing a capital charge must bear the legal consequences solely for their own proved transgression, upholding the concept of personal responsibility in judicial matters. This command was revolutionary in its time, ensuring that justice was administered fairly to the accused individual, not extended unjustly to innocent family members.

Deuteronomy 24 16 Context

Deuteronomy 24 stands as a chapter deeply concerned with justice, compassion, and the sanctity of community within Israel. It addresses diverse civil and humanitarian laws, ranging from divorce and treatment of vulnerable persons to ensuring fair wages and protecting the rights of the poor and aliens. This specific verse, Deuteronomy 24:16, is placed amidst statutes regulating loan securities, treatment of new husbands in wartime, fair treatment of hired laborers, and returning lost articles. Its location underscores a broad concern for just and humane conduct in all societal interactions. Historically and culturally, this law stands in stark contrast to many ancient Near Eastern legal codes (e.g., Code of Hammurabi, Laws of Ur-Nammu) which sometimes practiced forms of collective or retaliatory punishment where family members of an offender might be held accountable, or even executed, for the primary offender's crime. This Israelite law represents a remarkable and unique ethical development, prioritizing individual culpability over familial guilt in capital punishment.

Deuteronomy 24 16 Word analysis

• Fathers (אָבוֹת ʾābōṯ): Plural of ʾāb, meaning paternal heads, patriarchs. Significance: Refers to adult individuals responsible for a family unit, emphasizing the male head but encompassing anyone legally defined as a parent.
• shall not be put to death (לֹא יוּמְתוּ lōʾ yûmatû): Strong prohibition (negation lōʾ) with a Niphil imperfect verb form, indicating a passive action—"they shall not be caused to die" or "executed." Significance: This is a binding judicial command, prohibiting the state or community from executing someone on account of another's capital crime.
• for their children (עַל־בָּנִים ʿal-bānîm): Literally "upon children." Bānîm refers to sons, but here, it collectively means children/descendants. Significance: Clarifies the specific circumstance for the prohibited execution—vicarious punishment for the wrongdoing of one's offspring.
• nor shall children (וּבָנִים ûḇānîm): Reciprocates the initial clause. Significance: Emphasizes that the principle applies equally in both directions; children cannot be held accountable for the capital crimes of their parents. The chiastic structure highlights the symmetrical prohibition.
• be put to death for their fathers (לֹא־יוּמְתוּ עַל־אָבוֹת lōʾ-yûmatû ʿal-ʾābōṯ): Completes the reciprocal prohibition. Significance: Further solidifies the revolutionary concept of individual legal culpability, ensuring no one is condemned judicially for ancestral sin.
• everyone (אִישׁ ʾîš): Literally "a man," here used distributively as "each person" or "every individual." Significance: Focuses on the singular identity and legal standing of each human being before the law. This term signals a shift from familial/group responsibility to singular, personal responsibility.
• shall be put to death (יְמֻת yĕmut): A Qal imperfect verb, indicating "he shall die" or "he shall be put to death." Significance: This verb form emphasizes the active, singular consequence directed only towards the proven perpetrator.
• for his own sin (בְחֶטְאוֹ ḇeḥeṭʾô): "In his sin" or "for his sin." Ḥeṭʾ means sin, offense, or trespass, implying legal guilt. The suffix "his" stresses individual possession. Significance: The sole justifiable reason for capital punishment is the individual's own proven, capital offense, explicitly negating collective or inherited guilt in this legal context. This is the positive counter-principle to the negative prohibitions.

• "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers": This symmetrical structure forms a chiasm (ABBA) which forcefully emphasizes the absolute and universal application of the prohibition across generations. It leaves no room for judicial delegation of guilt within a family. This was radical for its time, separating judicial guilt from the commonly held concept of inherited lineage or family responsibility in other cultures.
• "everyone shall be put to death for his own sin": This affirmative clause defines the boundaries of righteous capital justice. It contrasts divine visitation of corporate spiritual sin (as seen in Exodus 20:5, where consequences can impact generations who continue to rebel) with human judicial execution. This legal principle prevents human courts from mistakenly or deliberately executing innocent parties, underscoring the just nature of God's desired legal system. It demands accurate and targeted retribution for capital crimes, upholding the integrity of human life and due process.

Deuteronomy 24 16 Bonus section

This statute stands as a unique humanitarian and jurisprudential hallmark within the Pentateuch, differentiating Israel's legal system significantly from its pagan neighbors. It reflects God's character as fundamentally just, demanding a clear demarcation between the guilty and the innocent in matters of capital punishment. This principle would later find expression in historical accounts, such as King Amaziah’s adherence to it in 2 Kings 14:6 and 2 Chronicles 25:4, where he executed his father's murderers but spared their children, directly applying this Deuteronomic law. Furthermore, the strong emphasis on individual responsibility here foreshadows the New Covenant teaching that each person will give an account of themselves before God, underscoring the profound and timeless ethical insight embedded in this single verse. It illustrates that God's laws are not just arbitrary commands but are rooted in a deep regard for individual fairness and human dignity.

Deuteronomy 24 16 Commentary

Deuteronomy 24:16 presents one of the most ethically advanced legal principles of the ancient world. It is a powerful affirmation of individual responsibility before God and the law. Unlike many contemporary ancient Near Eastern legal codes, which could inflict punishment on an entire family for an individual's transgression, the Mosaic Law, through this verse, specifically forbade such corporate capital punishment. This ensures that the divine attribute of justice, mishpat, is accurately reflected in human courts, providing protection for the innocent. This statute also serves as a crucial distinction from divine judgment, where God might allow consequences for the iniquity of fathers to affect successive generations (Exo 20:5-6, Num 14:18) for persistent corporate sin or rejection of Him. In judicial contexts, however, human courts are bound to strict individual accountability. This law thus provides a foundational stone for concepts of due process, fair trial, and the inalienable worth of individual human life, echoing throughout prophetic warnings (like Ezekiel 18 and Jeremiah 31) against the idea of inherited legal guilt. It prevents a cascading cycle of injustice, ensuring legal culpability remains with the proven offender.