I’ve been considering yehôvâh’s fearful pronouncement: I punish (pâqad, פקד) the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject me…[1] By way of review, I didn’t find anything about the Hebrew word itself that would compel anyone to translate פקד (pâqad) I punish. While I don’t have any particular quarrel with calling the plague of Exodus 32:35 a punishment, I’m not convinced it justifies translating pâqad I punish (פקדי) and I will indeed punish (ופקדתי) beyond this limited context.[2]
After a kind of thought experiment I concluded that the translation of פקד (pâqad) as I punish in Deuteronomy 5:9 was a perpetuation of an erroneous popular notion of religious minds that was clearly corrected in Ezekiel 18.[3] Though the fixation on punishment in Leviticus 18:25 is difficult for me to unravel, it hasn’t really dissuaded me from the idea that yehôvâh visits iniquity itself upon descendants to consign all to disobedience, so that he may show mercy to them all.[4]
Here I’ll focus on ʽâvôn in Exodus, and though I’ve already considered Exodus 20:5 I want to start there again from a slightly different perspective. I’m comparing/contrasting the NET and Tanakh as relatively contemporary translations of the Hebrew from Christian and Jewish perspectives respectively, and the Septuagint as a more ancient Jewish perspective.
| Exodus 20:3-6 (NET) | |
| You shall have no other gods before me [Table]. | Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. |
| You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below [Table]. | Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing 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 or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding (pâqad, פקד) to the transgression (ʽâvôn, עון) of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me [Table], | thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I HaShem thy G-d am a jealous G-d, visiting (pâqad, פקד) the iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; |
| and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments [Table]. | and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. |
The translators of the NET would not quite enshrine the idea that yehôvâh punishes children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the sins of the father in the ten commandments. Though one might argue that—responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing—is scarcely different if one already has that idea in mind, it is a move away from: punishing the children for the sin of the parents (NIV), punishing the children for the fathers’ iniquity (CSB), I will punish your families (CEV), I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants (GNT), punishing the children for the fathers’ sin (HCSB), punishing the children for the iniquity of the parents (ISV) or I punish children for their parents’ sins (GWT).[5] All of these translations follow the idea in the Septuagint that visiting (פקד) iniquity (עון) is equivalent to “repaying” (ἀποδιδοὺς, a form of ἀποδίδωμι) “sins” (ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία).
| Exodus 20:3-6 (Septuagint) | |
| οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ [Table] | You shall have no other gods besides Me. |
| οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον οὐδὲ παντὸς ὁμοίωμα ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ ὅσα ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω καὶ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς [Table] | You shall not make for yourself an idol or likeness of anything whatever is in heaven above and whatever is in the earth beneath and whatever is in the waters beneath the earth. |
| οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεός σου θεὸς ζηλωτὴς ἀποδιδοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἕως τρίτης καὶ τετάρτης γενεᾶς τοῖς μισοῦσίν με [Table] | You shall not do obeisance to them, nor are you to serve them, for I am the Lord your God, a jealous god, repaying (ἀποδιδοὺς, a form of ἀποδίδωμι) sins (ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) of fathers upon children up to the third and fourth generation to those who hate me, |
| καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας τοῖς ἀγαπῶσίν με καὶ τοῖς φυλάσσουσιν τὰ προστάγματά μου [Table] | and doing mercy unto thousands, for those who love me and keep my ordinances. |
Admittedly, my own idea is more like I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected in the New Living Translation. But I didn’t come to it by reading the NLT, and I’m way too snobby to cite it as support. The next occurrence of ʽâvôn includes an occurrence of nâśâʼ.
| “You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it the way a seal is engraved: “Holiness to the Lord.” | And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE HaShem. |
| You are to attach to it a blue cord so that it will be on the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban, | And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. |
| It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear (nâśâʼ, ונשׁא) the iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) of the holy things, which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance before the Lord. | And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before HaShem. |
I won’t pretend that I understand the iniquity of the holy things or the iniquity committed in the holy things. Nor will I chase that rabbit. I want to stay focused. The translators of the Septuagint took a different tack that actually makes more sense when considering the next occurrence of ʽâvôn also rather than this one alone.
| Exodus 28:36-38 (Septuagint) | |
| καὶ ποιήσεις πέταλον χρυσοῦν καθαρὸν καὶ ἐκτυπώσεις ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτύπωμα σφραγῖδος ἁγίασμα κυρίου | And you shall make a pure gold thin plate and shall put in relief in it the relief of the seal “Holiness of the Lord.” |
| καὶ ἐπιθήσεις αὐτὸ ἐπὶ ὑακίνθου κεκλωσμένης καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τῆς μίτρας κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς μίτρας ἔσται | And you shall place it on twisted blue, and it shall be on the headdress. It shall be at the front of the headdress. |
| καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου Ααρων καὶ ἐξαρεῖ Ααρων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν ἁγίων ὅσα ἂν ἁγιάσωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ παντὸς δόματος τῶν ἁγίων αὐτῶν καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου Ααρων διὰ παντός δεκτὸν αὐτοῖς ἔναντι κυρίου | And it shall be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron shall take away (ἐξαρεῖ, a form of ἐξαίρω) the sins (ἁμαρτήματα, a form of ἁμάρτημα) of the holy things, whichever the sons of Israel have consecrated, every donation of their holy things. And it shall be on Aaron’s forehead always, making them acceptable before the Lord. |
| Exodus 28: 42, 43 (NET) | |
| Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; they must cover from the waist to the thighs. | And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach. |
| These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter to the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear (nâśâʼ, ישׁאו) no iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) and die. It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him. | And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die; it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him. |
In the former example Aaron will bear (nâśâʼ, ונשׁא) the iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) of the holy things. In the latter example Aaron and his sons wear underwear so that they bear (nâśâʼ, ישׁאו) no iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) and die. The translators of the Septuagint resolved this dilemma by translating ונשׁא (nâśâʼ) ἐξαρεῖ (a form of ἐξαίρω; NETS: “shall take away”) and ישׁאו (nâśâʼ) ἐπάξονται (a form of ἐπάγω; NETS: “shall…bring onto”).
| καὶ ποιήσεις αὐτοῖς περισκελῆ λινᾶ καλύψαι ἀσχημοσύνην χρωτὸς αὐτῶν ἀπὸ ὀσφύος ἕως μηρῶν ἔσται | And you shall make for them linen drawers to hide the shame of their flesh; from hip to thighs they shall be. |
| καὶ ἕξει Ααρων αὐτὰ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἂν εἰσπορεύωνται εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἢ ὅταν προσπορεύωνται λειτουργεῖν πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ οὐκ ἐπάξονται πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἁμαρτίαν ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνωσιν νόμιμον αἰώνιον αὐτῷ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ μετ᾽ αὐτόν | And Aaron and his sons shall wear them, whenever they enter the tent of witness or whenever they come near the altar of the holy place to minister, and they shall not bring onto (ἐπάξονται, a form of ἐπάγω) themselves sin (ἁμαρτίαν, another form of ἁμαρτία), lest they die: a perpetual precept for him and his seed after him. |
And I would consider death an extreme punishment for bearing iniquity. The next occurrences of ʽâvôn also include an occurrence of nâśâʼ.
| Exodus 34:5-7 (NET) | |
| The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) by name. | And HaShem descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of HaShem. |
| The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה), the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה), the compassionate and gracious God (ʼêl, אל), slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, | And HaShem passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; |
| keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving (nâśâʼ, נשׁא) iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding (pâqad, פקד) to the transgression (ʽâvôn, עון) of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” | keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty;[6] visiting (pâqad, פקד) the iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’ |
| καὶ κατέβη κύριος ἐν νεφέλῃ καὶ παρέστη αὐτῷ ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου | And the Lord descended in a cloud, and he stood beside him there, and he called in the name of the Lord. |
| καὶ παρῆλθεν κύριος πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος καὶ ἀληθινὸς | And the Lord passed by before his face, and he called, “The Lord, the Lord God is compassionate and merciful, patient and very merciful and truthful |
| καὶ δικαιοσύνην διατηρῶν καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας ἀφαιρῶν ἀνομίας καὶ ἀδικίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ οὐ καθαριεῖ τὸν ἔνοχον ἐπάγων ἀνομίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἐπὶ τέκνα τέκνων ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεάν | and preserving righteousness and doing mercy for thousands, taking away (ἀφαιρῶν, a form of ἀφαιρέω) acts of lawlessness (ἀνομίας, a form of ἀνομία) and of injustice and sins, and he will not acquit the guilty person, bringing (ἐπάγων, another form of ἐπάγω) lawless acts (ἀνομίας, a form of ἀνομία) of fathers upon children and upon children of children, upon the third and fourth generation.” |
Here the translators of the NET and Tanakh agreed that נשׁא (nâśâʼ) should be translated forgiving, while the translators of the Septuagint chose ἀφαιρῶν (a form of ἀφαιρέω; NETS: “taking away”). One can appreciate the problem: How could yehôvâh bear iniquity (not to mention transgression and sin) if that made Aaron and his sons liable to death? Of course, if I let the Hebrew words stand as is and learn from them, and believe that yehôvâh took on human flesh and became Jesus the Christ, I have a gospel message foretold to Moses in the long name of God.
So what did Moses know and when did he know it? Following yehôvâh’s self-revelation Moses didn’t ask Him to bear (nâśâʼ) Israel’s iniquity.
| Exodus 34: 8, 9 (NET) | |
| Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped | And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. |
| and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon (sâlach, וסלחת) our iniquity (ʽâvôn, לעוננו) and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” | And he said: ‘If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O L-rd, let the L-rd, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.’ |
Moses asked for וסלחת (sâlach) instead. And yehôvâh gave them rules and rituals (Exodus 34:10-27) that when they transgressed them they might seek a remedy through confession, sacrifice and other rituals to receive sâlach. The translators of the Septuagint, on the other hand, turned Moses’ request into a prophecy of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
| καὶ σπεύσας Μωυσῆς κύψας ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν προσεκύνησεν | And quickly, bowing down to the earth, Moyses did obeisance |
| καὶ εἶπεν εἰ εὕρηκα χάριν ἐνώπιόν σου συμπορευθήτω ὁ κύριός μου μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁ λαὸς γὰρ σκληροτράχηλός ἐστιν καὶ ἀφελεῖς σὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν καὶ ἐσόμεθα σοί | and said, “If I have found favor before you, let my Lord go together with us. For the people are stiff-necked, and you shall take away (ἀφελεῖς, another form of ἀφαιρέω) our sins (ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) and lawless acts (ἀνομίας, a form of ἀνομία), and we will be yours.” |
If they had the law, the rituals and the sacrifices in mind, hear what may well be Jesus’ teaching to his disciples in the days between his resurrection and ascension (Hebrews 10:1-4 NET):
For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away (ἀφαιρεῖν, another form ἀφαιρέω) sins (ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία).
A table of forms of ʽâvôn in Exodus and their translations in the KJV and NET follows.
|
Form of ʽâvôn |
Reference |
KJV |
NET |
| עון | Exodus 20:5 | …visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children… | …responding to the transgression of fathers… |
| Exodus 28:38 | …that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things… | …and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things… | |
| Exodus 28:43 | …that they bear not iniquity, and die… | …so that they bear no iniquity and die. | |
| Exodus 34:7 | …forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… | …forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. | |
| Exodus 34:7 | …visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children… | …responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children… | |
| לעוננו | Exodus 34:9 | …and pardon our iniquity and our sin… | …pardon our iniquity and our sin… |
[3] Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 9
[5] See: Bible Hub
[6] The clauses: But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, and, and that will by no means clear the guilty are translations of three Hebrew words, two of which are forms of nâqâh. First, ונקה (nâqâh), second, לא (lôʼ); third, ינקה (nâqâh).