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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/lamentations/5-7.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/2/25_Lam_05_07.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Lamentations 5:7 - A Prayer for Restoration" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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and we bear their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/5.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/lamentations/5.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, <i>and are</i> not; and we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/lamentations/5.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned <i>and are</i> no more, But we bear their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/lamentations/5.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, <i>and</i> are gone; <i>It is</i> we <i>who</i> have been burdened with the punishment for their wrongdoings.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/lamentations/5.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/lamentations/5.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, <i>and</i> are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/lamentations/5.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Our fathers sinned; they are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/lamentations/5.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have carried their sin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/lamentations/5.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned; they no longer exist, but we bear their punishment.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/lamentations/5.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned; they no longer exist, but we bear their punishment. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/lamentations/5.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/lamentations/5.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned, but they are dead, and we are left to pay for their sins. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/lamentations/5.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/lamentations/5.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned. Now they are gone, [but] we have to take the punishment for their wickedness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/lamentations/5.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone, and we are suffering for their sins. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/lamentations/5.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned and no longer exist yet we continue to bear the consequences of their sin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/lamentations/5.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Our forefathers sinned and are dead, but we suffer their punishment. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/lamentations/5.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, and are no more; but we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/lamentations/5.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.<div class="vheading2"><b>Majority Text Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/lamentations/5.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/lamentations/5.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/lamentations/5.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned—they are not, "" We have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/lamentations/5.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Our fathers have sinned -- they are not, We their iniquities have borne.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/lamentations/5.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, they are not; we bore their iniquities.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/lamentations/5.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are not: and we have borne their iniquities. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/lamentations/5.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are not. And we have carried their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/lamentations/5.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Our ancestors, who sinned, are no more; but now we bear their guilt. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/lamentations/5.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Our ancestors sinned; they are no more, and we bear their iniquities.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/lamentations/5.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; and we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/lamentations/5.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned and they are not, and we carry their sins<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/lamentations/5.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Our fathers have sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/lamentations/5.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Our fathers sinned, <i>and</i> are not: we have borne their iniquities.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/lamentations/5-7.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKrWuOkEqzQ?start=1346" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/5.htm">A Prayer for Restoration</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">6</span>We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread. <span class="reftext">7</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: ’ă·ḇō·ṯê·nū (N-mpc:: 1cp) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">Our fathers</a> <a href="/hebrew/2398.htm" title="2398: ḥā·ṭə·’ū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- A primitive root; properly, to miss; hence to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn.">sinned</a> <a href="/hebrew/369.htm" title="369: ʾē·nå̄m (Conj-w:: Adv:: 3mp) -- As if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a non-entity; generally used as a negative particle.">and are no more,</a> <a href="/hebrew/587.htm" title="587: ʾă·naḥ·nū (Conj-w:: Pro-1cp) -- We. Apparently from 'anokiy; we.">but we</a> <a href="/hebrew/5445.htm" title="5445: sā·ḇā·lə·nū (V-Qal-Perf-1cp) -- To bear (a heavy load). A primitive root; to carry, or be burdensome; specifically, to be gravid.">bear</a> <a href="/hebrew/5771.htm" title="5771: ‘ă·wō·nō·ṯê·hem (N-cpc:: 3mp) -- Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity. Or oavown; from avah; perversity, i.e. evil.">their punishment.</a> </span><span class="reftext">8</span>Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us from their hands.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/20-5.htm">Exodus 20:5</a></span><br />You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/18-2.htm">Ezekiel 18:2-4</a></span><br />“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’? / As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. / Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/31-29.htm">Jeremiah 31:29-30</a></span><br />“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.’ / Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/24-16.htm">Deuteronomy 24:16</a></span><br />Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/14-18.htm">Numbers 14:18</a></span><br />‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-14.htm">2 Kings 17:14-15</a></span><br />But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God. / They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/65-6.htm">Isaiah 65:6-7</a></span><br />Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps, / both for your iniquities and for those of your fathers,” says the LORD. “Because they burned incense on the mountains and scorned Me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their former deeds.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/79-8.htm">Psalm 79:8</a></span><br />Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/14-20.htm">Jeremiah 14:20</a></span><br />We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the guilt of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against You.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/9-16.htm">Daniel 9:16</a></span><br />O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-32.htm">Matthew 23:32-36</a></span><br />Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. / You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell? / Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/5-12.htm">Romans 5:12</a></span><br />Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/9-2.htm">John 9:2-3</a></span><br />and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” / Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/15-21.htm">1 Corinthians 15:21-22</a></span><br />For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. / For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/3-23.htm">Romans 3:23</a></span><br />for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.</p><p class="hdg">fathers</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/20-5.htm">Exodus 20:5</a></b></br> Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God <i>am</i> a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth <i>generation</i> of them that hate me;</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/16-12.htm">Jeremiah 16:12</a></b></br> And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/31-29.htm">Jeremiah 31:29</a></b></br> In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.</p><p class="hdg">and are</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/42-13.htm">Genesis 42:13,36</a></b></br> And they said, Thy servants <i>are</i> twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest <i>is</i> this day with our father, and one <i>is</i> not… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/7-8.htm">Job 7:8,21</a></b></br> The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no <i>more</i>: thine eyes <i>are</i> upon me, and I <i>am</i> not… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/31-15.htm">Jeremiah 31:15</a></b></br> Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, <i>and</i> bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they <i>were</i> not.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/lamentations/3-27.htm">Bear</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-28.htm">Borne</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-6.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-22.htm">Evil-Doing</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-3.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-13.htm">Iniquities</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-22.htm">Punishment</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-42.htm">Sinned</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-26.htm">Sinners</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/4-4.htm">Bear</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-13.htm">Borne</a> <a href="/ezekiel/6-4.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-23.htm">Evil-Doing</a> <a href="/ezekiel/2-3.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/ezekiel/24-23.htm">Iniquities</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-4.htm">Punishment</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-16.htm">Sinned</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-16.htm">Sinners</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-10.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Lamentations 5</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/5-1.htm">A complaint of Zion in prayer unto God.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/5.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/lamentations/5.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Our fathers sinned</b><br>This phrase acknowledges the transgressions of previous generations, reflecting the biblical principle of collective responsibility seen throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites often faced consequences for the sins of their ancestors, as seen in passages like <a href="/exodus/20-5.htm">Exodus 20:5</a>, where God warns of visiting "the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." This highlights the communal nature of sin and its impact on the entire community, not just the individual.<p><b>and are no more</b><br>This indicates that the forefathers who sinned have passed away, emphasizing the transient nature of human life. It reflects the reality of mortality and the inevitable passing of generations, as seen in <a href="/ecclesiastes/1-4.htm">Ecclesiastes 1:4</a>, "Generations come and generations go." The phrase also suggests a sense of loss and absence of those who might have repented or sought to rectify their wrongs.<p><b>but we bear their punishment</b><br>Here, the lament expresses the enduring consequences of ancestral sins on the current generation. This concept is echoed in the Deuteronomic history, where the fate of Israel is often tied to the covenantal faithfulness of its leaders and people. The idea of bearing the punishment for others' sins is also a theme that points forward to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who bore the sins of humanity, as seen in <a href="/isaiah/53-5.htm">Isaiah 53:5</a>, "He was pierced for our transgressions." This phrase underscores the deep sense of injustice and suffering experienced by the people, while also pointing to the hope of ultimate redemption and restoration.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jeremiah.htm">Jeremiah</a></b><br>- Traditionally attributed as the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah was a prophet who warned Judah of impending judgment due to their disobedience to God.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a></b><br>- The southern kingdom of Israel, which faced destruction and exile due to its persistent sin and rebellion against God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylonian_exile.htm">Babylonian Exile</a></b><br>- The event where the people of Judah were taken captive by the Babylonians, serving as the backdrop for the lament in this verse.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/generational_consequences.htm">Generational Consequences</a></b><br>The verse highlights the reality of generational consequences, where the actions of one generation can impact the next. This calls for a reflection on how our actions today can affect future generations.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/personal_responsibility.htm">Personal Responsibility</a></b><br>While acknowledging generational consequences, the Bible also teaches personal responsibility. We must examine our own lives and ensure we are not perpetuating the sins of our forefathers.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_restoration.htm">Repentance and Restoration</a></b><br>The lament in this verse should lead us to repentance. God is merciful and desires to restore those who turn back to Him, breaking the cycle of sin.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/i/intercessory_prayer.htm">Intercessory Prayer</a></b><br>We are encouraged to pray for our families and communities, asking God to break any generational curses and bring healing and restoration.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_in_christ.htm">Hope in Christ</a></b><br>Through Christ, we have the hope of breaking free from the past. He offers forgiveness and a new beginning, emphasizing the transformative power of the Gospel.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_lamentations_5.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 5</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/do_children_suffer_for_fathers'_sins.htm">Does God punish children for their fathers' sins? (Exodus 20:5 vs. Ezekiel 18:20)</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_lam_5_7_conflict_with_deut_24_16.htm">Lamentations 5:7 indicates suffering for ancestors' sins--does this conflict with Deuteronomy 24:16's emphasis on individual responsibility?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_jer._16_10-12_contradict_deut._24_16.htm">Jeremiah 16:10-12 implies children are punished for ancestors' sins--does this contradict Deuteronomy 24:16, where each person is held responsible only for their own sin?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_ezekiel_18_20_with_exodus_20_5.htm">Ezekiel 18:20 - If individuals alone bear their own guilt, how do we reconcile this with Exodus 20:5, which speaks of generational punishment?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/lamentations/5.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(7) <span class= "bld">We have borne their iniquities.</span>--The words seem at first parallel to the proverb of the "sour grapes" in <a href="/jeremiah/31-29.htm" title="In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.">Jeremiah 31:29</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/18-2.htm" title="What mean you, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?">Ezekiel 18:2</a>. Here, however, it is followed in <a href="/lamentations/5-16.htm" title="The crown is fallen from our head: woe to us, that we have sinned!">Lamentations 5:16</a> by a confession of personal guilt, and the complaint is simply that the former generation of offenders had passed away without the punishment which now fell upon their descendants, who thus had to bear, as it were, a double penalty.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/lamentations/5.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 7.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">We have borne their iniquities.</span> The fathers died before the iniquity was fully ripe for punishment, and their descendants have the feeling that the accumulated sins of the nation are visited upon them. This view of national troubles is very clearly endorsed by one important class of passages (<a href="/exodus/20-5.htm">Exodus 20:5</a>; <a href="/exodus/34-7.htm">Exodus 34:7</a>; <a href="/numbers/14-18.htm">Numbers 14:18</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/32-18.htm">Jeremiah 32:18</a>). The objection to it is forcibly expressed by Job (<a href="/job/21-19.htm">Job 21:19</a>), "God [it is said] layeth up his iniquity for his children: [but] let him requite it to himself, that he may feel it!" Hence Jeremiah (<a href="/jeremiah/31-30.htm">Jeremiah 31:30</a>) and Ezekiel (<a href="/ezekiel/18-1.htm">Ezekiel 18:1</a>, etc.) insist on the truth that every man is punished for his own sins. Of course the two views of punishment are reconcilable. The Jews were not only punished, according to <a href="/jeremiah/16-11.htm">Jeremiah 16:11, 12</a>, for their fathers' sins, but for their own still more flagrant offences. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/lamentations/5-7.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Our fathers</span><br /><span class="heb">אֲבֹתֵ֤ינוּ</span> <span class="translit">(’ă·ḇō·ṯê·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">sinned</span><br /><span class="heb">חָֽטְאוּ֙</span> <span class="translit">(ḥā·ṭə·’ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2398.htm">Strong's 2398: </a> </span><span class="str2">To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[and are] no more,</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאֵינָ֔ם</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’ê·nām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_369.htm">Strong's 369: </a> </span><span class="str2">A non-entity, a negative particle</span><br /><br /><span class="word">but we</span><br /><span class="heb">וַאֲנַ֖חְנוּ</span> <span class="translit">(wa·’ă·naḥ·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_587.htm">Strong's 587: </a> </span><span class="str2">We</span><br /><br /><span class="word">bear</span><br /><span class="heb">סָבָֽלְנוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(sā·ḇā·lə·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5445.htm">Strong's 5445: </a> </span><span class="str2">To carry, be burdensome, to be gravid</span><br /><br /><span class="word">their punishment.</span><br /><span class="heb">עֲוֺנֹתֵיהֶ֥ם</span> <span class="translit">(‘ă·wō·nō·ṯê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5771.htm">Strong's 5771: </a> </span><span class="str2">Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/lamentations/5-7.htm">Lamentations 5:7 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/lamentations/5-7.htm">OT Prophets: Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers sinned and are no more (Lam. La Lm) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/lamentations/5-6.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Lamentations 5:6"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Lamentations 5:6" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/lamentations/5-8.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Lamentations 5:8"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Lamentations 5:8" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>