Contradiction with Ezekiel 18:20
This verse states that the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, contradicting Jeremiah 15:4, which implies that the people suffer due to the sins of Manasseh, the king.
Ezekiel 18:20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Paradox #1
Jeremiah 15:4 mentions God deciding to make the people of Judah a horror to other nations because of the actions of Manasseh. The historical issue here could be the timeline of events. In the Bible, some of the consequences attributed to Manasseh’s actions appear to occur during the reigns of later kings, which could cause confusion about the direct impact of his reign on those specific events in history.
Paradox #2
The contradiction in this verse could be seen as the idea of holding future generations accountable for the mistakes or sins of their ancestors. This raises questions about fairness and individual responsibility, as it involves punishment for actions that the future generations themselves did not commit.