Literature: This passage contains parallel phrases of the number of generations (three/four) and a description (“pass away in righteousness”). The difference is that “many,” not “all” of the fourth generation are righteous. The parallelism serves two purposes: first, to communicate a continuity of righteousness and second, to communicate discontinuity. This is the real message: In the midst of continuing righteousness, the seed is sown for the destruction of the righteous.