Main biblical themes

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The transferability of sin: Punishing
the innocent for the sins of the guilty

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Conflicting biblical quotations:

Is sin transferable from the guilty to the innocent?

No, at least sin which requires the death penalty is not transferable:

Yes, sin is transferable:

A skeptical voice:

Overview:

When a crime is committed, who should be held responsible? Should it be only the person who committed the illegal act? If punishment is involved, should it be restricted to the perpetrator? Or is it appropriate to apply a principle of collective responsibility ₄ and punish a group of people who have some connection to the perpetrator? -- perhaps including that person's parents; their children; more distant relatives; inhabitants of the same town; those of the same religion, tribe, nationality, language, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc. ₅

Most legal, religious and ethical systems worldwide hold individuals responsible for their own acts. A guilty person cannot transfer their responsibility for having committed a criminal act to their children, parents, friends, or strangers. When they do the crime, they are stuck with the time in jail.

However, if we assume that the Bible is inerrant, the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a. New Testament) teach a different message. They contain numerous descriptions of historical instances where a transfer of responsibility from the guilty to the innocent took place -- some under the direct instruction of God. 

Although this section describes many of the instances in the Bible where sin transfer is described, It is important to remember that many liberal and mainline Jews and Christians do not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. Some consider many of these stories to be unrelated to real, historical events. Some feel that the events are against the will and intent of God.

Topics covered in this section:

Reference:

1. Deuteronomy 24:16 in the King James Version of the Bible.
2. Exodus 20:5 in the King James Version of the Bible. This is part of one of the three copies of the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures.
3. Excerpted from a speech by Ahamed Deedat at: http://www.youtube.com/
4. Marion Smiley, "Collective Responsibility," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, at: http://plato.stanford.edu/
5. Nicholas Kristof, "Sentenced to be raped," The New York Times, 2004-SEP-29, Page A-25. Abstract at: http://query.nytimes.com/ Full text at: http://www.pakistan-facts.com/