Bible Strands
2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records King Amaziah’s judicial restraint immediately after he secured his throne and executed his father’s assassins. The text explicitly states he refused to execute the murderers' sons, acting only according to the written statute.
The words — The Hebrew כָּתוּב (ka.Tuv) translates literally to "what is written," anchoring the king’s decision to a fixed legal document. This term marks the boundary between royal prerogative and statutory compliance.
The thread — The text applies the Mosaic rule to Deuteronomy 24:16 and echoes the individual culpability principle in Ezekiel 18:20. These references establish a continuous legal standard that limits royal power.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political authority must submit to established legal boundaries. It requires the reader to distinguish between justified retribution and unlawful collective punishment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
- Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
- Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
- Jeremiah 31:30 Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.