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.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses issues a judicial statute to Israel regulating capital punishment and personal responsibility within the covenant community.

The words — The Hebrew terms אָבוֹת ('a.Vot, "parents/fathers") and בָּנִים (ba.Nim, "children") are paired with יוּמְת֤וּ (yu.me.Tu, "they will be put to death") to establish that execution applies strictly to the individual offender.

The thread — This principle of individual culpability reappears in Ezekiel 18:20, 2 Chronicles 25:4, and Jeremiah 31:29.

Why it lands — The text requires legal proceedings to target individual guilt, instructing readers to assign punishment only to the person who committed the offense rather than transferring liability across generations.

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

לֹֽא־lo'-not יוּמְת֤וּyu.me.Tuthey will be put to death אָבוֹת֙'a.Votparents עַל־'al-on בָּנִ֔יםba.Nimchildren וּבָנִ֖יםu./va.Nimand/ children לֹא־lo'-not יוּמְת֣וּyu.me.Tuthey will be put to death עַל־'al-on אָב֑וֹת'a.Votparents אִ֥יש'ishanyone בְּחֶטְא֖וֹbe./chet.'/Ofor/ own sin/ his יוּמָֽתוּ׃ סyu.Ma.tuthey will be put to death

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.

Cross-references

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.
2 Chronicles 25:4 Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book 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.”
Jeremiah 31:29 “In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’
2 Kings 14:5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.