Psalms 109:14
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Original Language Analysis
יִזָּכֵ֤ר׀
be remembered
H2142
יִזָּכֵ֤ר׀
be remembered
Strong's:
H2142
Word #:
1 of 9
properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e., to remember; by implication, to mention; to be male
אֲ֭בֹתָיו
of his fathers
H1
אֲ֭בֹתָיו
of his fathers
Strong's:
H1
Word #:
3 of 9
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
יְהוָ֑ה
with the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֑ה
with the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
5 of 9
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
וְחַטַּ֥את
and let not the sin
H2403
וְחַטַּ֥את
and let not the sin
Strong's:
H2403
Word #:
6 of 9
an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender
אִ֝מּ֗וֹ
of his mother
H517
אִ֝מּ֗וֹ
of his mother
Strong's:
H517
Word #:
7 of 9
a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
Cross References
Jeremiah 18:23Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.Nehemiah 4:5And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.Exodus 20:5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Historical Context
David himself came from a mixed heritage (Ruth the Moabitess), yet God blotted out any ancestral disqualification through covenant mercy. His enemy receives no such grace because he spurned it—refusing to repent of the family pattern of treachery.
Questions for Reflection
- How do generational patterns of sin require both personal repentance and renouncing family iniquity?
- What does Ezekiel 18 teach about individual responsibility versus corporate family guilt?
- In what ways can we become "generational curse-breakers" through faith in Christ who bore our iniquity?
Analysis & Commentary
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD (יִזָּכֵר עֲוֺן אֲבֹתָיו אֶל־יְהוָה, yizacher avon avotav el-YHWH)—the verb זָכַר (zachar, "remember") with עָוֺן (avon, "iniquity, guilt") asks God to hold ancestral sins in active memory for judgment. And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out (וְחַטַּאת אִמּוֹ אַל־תִּמָּח, vechatat imo al-timach)—maternal sin (חַטָּאת, chatat) also retained in the divine ledger.
This echoes Exodus 20:5, "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Critics call this unjust, but covenant theology views families as corporate entities: children who continue parental rebellion inherit parental judgment. Ezekiel 18 clarifies the righteous son doesn't die for the father's sin—but the son who perpetuates that sin bears cumulative guilt. David's enemy evidently continued a family legacy of covenant-breaking; thus ancestral guilt compounds rather than being blotted out by generational repentance.