Exodus 34:6-7
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God isn't just good, He's abundant in goodness, meaning His goodness isn't a limited supply but overflows, far exceeding anything we could ever deserve or even imagine. This proclamation is God revealing His very nature to Moses, emphasizing that His mercy and faithfulness are vast, deep, and readily available.
Fresh off the disaster of the golden calf, Moses pleads for God's presence to continue with Israel. God agrees but also promises to reveal His glory to Moses, which Moses eagerly desires to see. In response to Moses' plea, God passes before him and proclaims His essential nature, emphasizing His immense mercy, grace, and faithfulness in the face of Israel's persistent sin.
Why would God repeat His name, 'The LORD, the LORD,' right before describing Himself? It's like He's pulling us in closer, emphasizing that His very essence is revealed in what follows.
In this profound moment, as God's glory passes before Moses, He doesn't just reveal His power, but the depth of His character. The repetition of "The LORD, the LORD" (Yahweh, Yahweh) is a divine emphasis. It signals that the attributes about to be listed are not mere occasional traits, but the fundamental, unchangeable nature of God Himself.
The Heart of the Matter
Think of it like this: If someone wants to truly know you, they don't just want to hear about your job or your hobbies. They want to know what truly drives you, your core values. That's what God is doing here. He's revealing the inner workings of His being, the very core of who He is.
A New Revelation
While God had revealed Himself as 'I AM WHO I AM' at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), signifying His self-existence and eternal nature, here He unpacks the implications of that existence for humanity. His 'I AM' is a God who is profoundly merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and overflowing with steadfast love and faithfulness. This isn't a secondary aspect of God; it's His very identity being proclaimed.
God doesn't just have mercy; He is 'merciful.' He doesn't just show love; He abounds in it. What does this abundance truly mean for us?
The descriptors here are not static labels; they paint a vibrant picture of God's active, generous heart. Let's break down this incredible outflow:
Mercy and Grace: A Double Blessing
Understand the original words
Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God, revealed to Moses, representing His self-existence and eternal faithfulness to His people.
rachum · Hebrew Adjective
Compassion or pity, often associated with the womb, describing God's deep, protective affection for His people despite their unworthiness.
channun · Hebrew Adjective
Favor shown to the undeserving; God's generous, unearned kindness and goodness toward His creation.
erek appayim · Hebrew Phrase
A phrase describing God’s patience, showing that He is not quick to execute judgment but allows time for repentance.
This passage directly quotes Exodus 34:6, reiterating God's character as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness in the context of His dealings with Israel's rebellion.
Psalm 86:15This psalm echoes the proclamation from Exodus 34:6, emphasizing God's compassion, graciousness, and abundant love and faithfulness as the foundation for the psalmist's prayer for help.
Nehemiah 9:17When recounting God's faithfulness to Israel, Nehemiah draws upon this divine self-declaration, highlighting God's nature as forgiving, gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Joel 2:13In calling for repentance, Joel invokes this very description of God, showing that His character as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love is a reason for hope and turning back to Him.
1 John 4:8This New Testament passage states plainly, 'God is love,' which is the essence of the compassionate, gracious, and faithful attributes revealed in Exodus 34:6.
cambridgeExodus 34:6: "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"
6–8 . Description of the theophany promised in Exodus 33:19-23 . The theophany consists essentially in a proclamation of the glories of Jehovah’s moral nature, developed with special reference to the occasion giving rise to the theophany, and emphasizing the predominance of the Divine attributes of mercy above those of judgement. Ech…
gillExodus 34:6: "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"
And the Lord passed by before him,.... Or caused his Shechinah, his divine Majesty, and the glory of it, to pass before him, as the Targums; his glory and goodness, which he had promised should pass before him, Exodus 33:19 and it is but a transient passing view the greatest of men, God's peculiar favourites, have of him in this life…
God isn't just good, He's abundant in goodness, meaning His goodness isn't a limited supply but overflows, far exceeding anything we could ever deserve or even imagine. This proclamation is God revealing His very nature to Moses, emphasizing that His mercy and faithfulness are vast, deep, and readily available.
Fresh off the disaster of the golden calf, Moses pleads for God's presence to continue with Israel. God agrees but also promises to reveal His glory to Moses, which Moses eagerly desires to see. In response to Moses' plea, God passes before him and proclaims His essential nature, emphasizing His immense mercy, grace, and faithfulness in the face of Israel's persistent sin.
Fresh off the disaster of the golden calf, Moses pleads for God's presence to continue with Israel. God agrees but also promises to reveal His glory to Moses, which Moses eagerly desires to see. In response to Moses' plea, God passes before him and proclaims His essential nature, emphasizing His immense mercy, grace, and faithfulness in the face of Israel's persistent sin.
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Patience and Boundless Love
chesed · Hebrew Noun
God’s covenantal loyalty, steadfastness, and faithful love; a committed, reliable love that keeps its promises.
emeth · Hebrew Noun
Reliability, firmness, and truth; it describes God as completely dependable and in accordance with reality.
avon · Hebrew Noun
A deviation from the right path or a perversion; it refers to twisted or crooked behavior, specifically moral guilt or perversity.
pesha · Hebrew Noun
An act of rebellion or breach of trust against an authority, representing a willful violation of God’s law.
chatta'ah · Hebrew Noun
Missing the mark or failing to meet God's standard of holiness; it encompasses both actions and states of being that are contrary to God's will.
"The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and si…" — God isn't just good, He's abundant in goodness, meaning His goodness isn't a limited supply but overflows, far exceeding anything we could ever deserve or even imagine. This proclamation is God r…
