Exodus 20:6
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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While God's judgment on sin extends to a few generations, His mercy to those who love Him is vast, reaching to "thousands" – a number meant to convey an immeasurable, enduring blessing far beyond the reach of any punishment. This highlights that God's ultimate desire is for enduring connection and grace, not just consequence.
This verse appears right after God declares He is a "jealous God" and will punish those who hate Him, extending that punishment to their children. It immediately follows the prohibition against idolatry and the explanation that God visits iniquity on subsequent generations, setting up a stark contrast. The verse then pivots to highlight the immense and far-reaching generosity of God's mercy toward those who love and obey Him.
Understand the original words
chesed · Hebrew Noun
A covenant-keeping, faithful, and loyal love, often associated with God’s commitment to His people, implying reliability and grace.
mitsvah · Hebrew Noun
A divine charge or instruction given by God to His people to guide their behavior and reflect His holiness, rooted in His authority as Creator and Redeemer.
This passage directly parallels Exodus 20:6, emphasizing God's faithfulness and covenant love to 'thousands of generations' of those who love Him, reinforcing the theme of enduring mercy.
1 John 4:19This New Testament verse echoes the sentiment that our love for God is a response to His prior, foundational love for us, which is the ultimate source of our obedience and God's mercy.
John 14:15Jesus connects love for Him directly to obedience to His commands, aligning with Exodus 20:6's condition for receiving God's steadfast love, showing that genuine affection leads to action.
Romans 5:20This verse highlights how God's grace and steadfast love, manifested through Christ, far surpass the reach of sin and its consequences, mirroring the disproportionate outpouring of mercy over judgment seen in Exodus 20:6.
Psalm 103:17The psalmist describes God's mercy extending 'from everlasting to everlasting' to those who fear Him and keep His covenant, which beautifully illustrates the 'thousands of generations' of steadfast love promised in Exodus 20:6.
calvinExodus 20:4-6: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Non adorabis ea, neque coles ea, ego enim Jehova Deus tuus, Deus zelotes, visitans iniq…
clarkeExodus 20:6: "And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
And 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. Theocritu…
While God's judgment on sin extends to a few generations, His mercy to those who love Him is vast, reaching to "thousands" – a number meant to convey an immeasurable, enduring blessing far beyond the reach of any punishment. This highlights that God's ultimate desire is for enduring connection and grace, not just consequence.
This verse appears right after God declares He is a "jealous God" and will punish those who hate Him, extending that punishment to their children. It immediately follows the prohibition against idolatry and the explanation that God visits iniquity on subsequent generations, setting up a stark contrast. The verse then pivots to highlight the immense and far-reaching generosity of God's mercy toward those who love and obey Him.
This verse appears right after God declares He is a "jealous God" and will punish those who hate Him, extending that punishment to their children. It immediately follows the prohibition against idolatry and the explanation that God visits iniquity on subsequent generations, setting up a stark contrast. The verse then pivots to highlight the immense and far-reaching generosity of God's mercy toward those who love and obey Him.
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"but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." — While God's judgment on sin extends to a few generations, His mercy to those who love Him is vast, reaching to "thousands" – a number meant to convey an immeasurable, enduring blessing far beyond the…
