In Exodus 34:7, it says that the consequences of sin can be passed down to the third and fourth generations, but in Ezekiel 18:20, it states that each person is responsible only for their own sins. How can these two verses be understood together, and what is the significance of mentioning up to four generations?
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1 Answer
Berachot 7a asks a very similar question:
Isn’t it written: “He visits iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:7). And it is written elsewhere: “Fathers shall not die for their children, and children shall not be put to death for the fathers; every man shall die for his own transgression” (Deuteronomy 24:16) ... This is not difficult. This [verse from Exodus, which states that God punishes descendants for the transgressions of their ancestors, refers to a case] where they adopt the actions of their ancestors as their own. While this [verse from Deuteronomy, which states that descendants are not punished for the actions of their ancestors, refers to a case] where they do not adopt the actions of their ancestors as their own.
So one could argue that Ezekiel too is referring only to cases where the descendants do not adopt the wicked ways of their ancestors.
On the other hand, Makkot 24a seems to view the two verses as directly contradicting each other, and posits that Ezekiel indeed revoked what Moses had originally said:
Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: Moses our teacher issued four decrees upon the Jewish people, and four prophets came and revoked them ... Moses said: “He visits the transgression of the fathers upon the sons” (Exodus 34:7). Ezekiel came and revoked it: “The soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).
