Exodus 20:6
in Exodus 20but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
KJV
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
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This verse in Exodus 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd showing mercy unto thousands - Mark; even those who love God and keep his commandments merit nothing from him, and therefore the salvation and blessedness which these enjoy come from the mercy of God: Showing mercy, etc. What a disproportion between the works of justice and mercy! Justice works to the third or fourth, mercy to thousands of generations! The heathen had maxims like these.
This site's exposition
shewing mercy unto thousands
Mercy runs to thousands where the visiting ran to the third and fourth generation, and the two numbers are set against each other on purpose. The same pairing returns at Exodus 34:6 and 34:7 after the calf, where God proclaims his own name and the mercy comes first. That sentence is quoted or echoed at Numbers 14:18, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2, more often than any other statement about God in the Old Testament.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Together with fear one must also love him, because he says of himself: And showing mercy unto thousands to those who love me; in which he shows us that the mercy and kindness of God transcends the punishment of iniquities. When the heart is enlarged …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me,....
As the first commandment requires the inward worship of love, desire, joy, hope, and admiration, so the second requires the outward worship of prayer and praise, and solemn attendance on God's word. Note, First, Those that truly love God will make it their constant care and endeavour to keep his commandments, particularly those that relate to his worship.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה | veoseh | and doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ | chesed | covenant loyalty | H2617 → | 247 times |
| לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים | laalafim | to thousands | H505 → | 505 times |
| לְאֹהֲבַ֖י | leohavai | to [those who] love me | H157 → | |
| וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י | uleshomerei | and to [those who] keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מִצְוֹתָֽי׃ ס | mitzvotai | commandments my | H4687 → | 181 times |
וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂהand doing
veosehH6213 →2628 times
חֶ֖֙סֶד֙covenant loyalty
chesedH2617 →247 times
לַאֲלָפִ֑֔יםto thousands
laalafimH505 →505 times
לְאֹהֲבַ֖יto [those who] love me
leohavaiH157 →
וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥יand to [those who] keep
uleshomereiH8104 →468 times
מִצְוֹתָֽי׃ סcommandments my
mitzvotaiH4687 →181 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 14:21Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
it leads to
- John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 John 1:6
And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,
- 1 John 2:5
But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:
- John 15:9–10
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
- John 14:15
Through
Deuteronomy 7:9Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
it leads to
- Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
- 2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
- Hebrews 10:23
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.