God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.
God stores up punishment for the wicked person's children. When God pays him back for his sins, he will understand what's happening.
The writer is saying that God sometimes punishes evil people by allowing their children to suffer the consequences, and the wrongdoer will eventually realize this is divine justice.
📚 Historical Context
Job is responding to his friend Zophar's claim that the wicked always suffer immediately for their sins. In ancient times, people believed strongly in generational consequences - that children could bear the punishment for their parents' sins. This was a common understanding of divine justice in the ancient Near East.
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