Exodus 20:5 (NKJV)

you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Eisegesis: 

If you are struggling with sin and problems in your life, there must be some generational curse that is keeping you in bondage.

Exegesis:   

The concept of generational curses is utterly unbiblical. There is no precedent in scripture that we are to break free from superstitious generational curses.

There are four passages in the OT that speak of God “visiting the iniquity of the fathers unto the third and fourth generations of those who hate God”: Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9. The most familiar is Exodus 20:5.

The concept of “generational curses” hinges on the belief that the sins of one’s ancestors can cause lasting curses affecting subsequent generations. For this reason, one must determine which sins run in the family in order to break the cycle. The idea has led to ministries designed to help individuals overcome these unseen burdens, many of which they are unaware of.

The assumption is that all believers are responsible for breaking the curse of their family bloodline and preventing it from being passed on.

But is this the point of the passage? Does it actually mean that God punishes children for the sins of their fathers? There are three compelling reasons to think not.

First, it would contradict other passages of Scripture that teach God does not punish children for their parents’ sins:

Deuteronomy 24:16 (NKJV)

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

See also (Ezekiel 18:1-5, 20-23)

In light of such clear teaching concerning personal responsibility for sin, any interpretation of Deuteronomy 5:9 that yields a contrary notion needs to be reconsidered.

Secondly, we do not see this happening in the lives of the people in the Old Testament. Take for example King Hezekiah who was Judah’s most righteous king next to David (2 Kings 18:4), by the same logic his children should have been blessed for 1000 generations. Instead, his son Manasseh was extremely evil and opposed God. Now according to the doctrine of the “generational curse”, Manasseh’s children should have been cursed by God for at least three generations. Instead, what we see is directly opposite; Manasseh’s grandson Josiah was a righteous king who brought a revival and was blessed by God.

Now some might say, Josiah broke the generation curse but there is absolutely no mention of this in the scriptures.

Another interesting thing to note that in Deuteronomy 24:16 it is that it is God, not Satan, who is the active agent of both the blessing and the curse. And so, if God is responsible for the curse, how could any human possibly break it?

Lastly, and most importantly, one of the main problems with the teachings on generational curses is that people assume that they are the way they are not because of their personal sin but rather, because of their ancestors.

Some go as far as to say that there is no need for repentance  because the problem is the curse that needs to be broken.

This completely undermines the basic component of salvation (repentance).

The Bible says we are fallen from Adam, but we have inherited nothing from our ancestors except for Adam’s sin and fallenness. Therefore, in our own flesh and body exists corruption and we all are equally prone to sin.

Essential, what the verse in Exodus 20:5-6 is mainly saying is that the sin of the fathers has a long lasting consequence /   impact on subsequent generations.

It is a valid sociological observation that children suffer from the same sin patterns as their parents and grandparents. Negative behavior patterns, like uncontrollable anger, domestic violence, and molestation, are passed down through generations.

Is it because God cursed them, or does it merely result from the fact that we observe how those closest to us behave? We learn how to express our anger by observing how our parents express their anger. We learn how to cope with life’s difficulties by observing how our parents cope. Likewise, if parents are alcoholics, their children are likely to follow the same pattern. Explaining this kind of social phenomenon does not require a spiritual interpretation or the doctrine of divine generational curses.

In conclusion, Exodus 20:5 does not teach the concept of “generational curses” as often claimed. Instead, it highlights the natural consequences of sin passed down through learned behaviors and environments, not divine punishment. Scripture clearly states that each person is responsible for their own sin (Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 18:20).

The patterns of sin we see in families are not due to supernatural curses but the result of imitation and environment. True freedom comes through repentance and the renewing of the mind by God’s Word. The Bible calls us to focus on personal responsibility and transformation in Christ, not breaking imagined curses.