An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
Ezekiel 18:19-20 says that a son shall not bear the guilt of the father because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all God's statutes and observed them. The inverse of this statement is therefore also true that: if the son of a sinful father (or mother indeed) is also living in sin then it is possible for the son to bear the guilt of the father in addition to punishment for the son's own sins.
Exodus 20:5-6 are the oft quoted verses where God talks about curses on the father flowing through to the children to the third and fourth generation. Indeed there are multiple examples through the Bible where generations after the one that sinned paid the price for historical sins. But limiting our understanding of these verses to this explanation would be inconsistent with the rest of the Bible. Ezekiel 18:20 and Deut 24:16 specifically say that the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father or vice versa. As the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, there’s more to study.
The Langford Files 