THEOSISJerome of Stridon
But if a man has a son who is a violent offender, shedding blood, acting contrary to the righteous path of his father, engaging in these wicked practices, indulging in extravagant feasts on the mountains, violating his neighbor's spouse, oppressing the needy and the poor, using force to steal, failing to return what he borrowed, and turning his gaze toward idols, committing abominations, and profiting while engaging in such acts, will he live? Because he engages in all these detestable deeds, he shall certainly perish; his own blood shall be upon him.
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In the Hebrew text, instead of robber, the term used is ῥharus, which Aquila translated as sinner, Simmachus as criminal, while the LXX and Theodotion described him as “contagious.” Just as contagion spreads illness and devastates the land it infects, so too does a person whose actions are contagious wreak havoc upon everything.
To clarify from a historical perspective, it is important to understand that the sins of fathers do not affect their children. A righteous individual who adheres to what has been outlined previously will live. However, if he fathers a son who turns away from serving the Lord, transforming his father’s virtues into vices, doing what his father would not and neglecting what he would, can such a one truly live? Absolutely not; he shall not survive, for he bears the responsibility for his own blood.
Furthermore, from a spiritual standpoint, if someone within the Church proclaims the Gospel’s faith, yet his son or disciple falls prey to heretical deception, he is to be regarded as an infestor. As stated in Psalm 1, “and on the seat of contagion he shall not sit.” Proverbs also speaks of the presumptuous, arrogant, and proud individual as an infestor. Such a one sheds the blood of the deceived, carrying the weight of all sins, parading on the heights of pride, dishonoring his neighbor’s faith, afflicting and oppressing the vulnerable in their understanding of Scripture, forcibly removing those he has led away from the Church, failing to return the commitment made to the teacher in accordance with what is written: “Thou shalt not receive, thou shalt not give.” He turns his eyes towards idols formed from his own desires, committing all manner of abomination, and financially supporting the deceit of the teacher through his disciples' endeavors, extracting from those he has wronged more than he originally gave. Surely he cannot live but will die in his own wrongdoing.