Notice how God proclaims His name not once, but twice: "The LORD, the LORD." This repetition isn't just emphasis; it signifies that the God who is about to reveal Himself is the same eternal God, revealing Himself in a new way – not just as the mighty Creator, but as a God overflowing with compassion and faithfulness. This declaration, coming after the people's severe sin, dramatically highlights that His mercy and steadfast love are not dependent on our perfection, but on His abundant, self-giving nature.
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)
Fresh off the shattering of the stone tablets and the idolatry of the golden calf, Moses has pleaded with God for a renewed covenant. God agrees to pass before Moses, revealing His glory and, crucially, proclaiming His character in a way that emphasizes His mercy and faithfulness, even amidst the people's repeated failures. This declaration is central to God’s relationship with Israel and serves as a foundational understanding of His nature that echoes throughout Scripture.
Why does God say 'The LORD, The LORD'? It's more than just emphasis; it's a profound invitation to know Him more deeply.
The Divine Name and His Nature
When God proclaims "The LORD, the LORD," He's not just repeating a word. This repetition of His covenant name, Yahweh (LORD), immediately before describing His character, highlights that His very being is defined by these attributes.
God doesn't just possess mercy; He's 'abounding' in it. What does this abundance look like, and how does faithfulness tie in?
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The Overflowing Love of God
This passage paints a rich picture of God's character, using several words that beautifully intertwine to describe His heart towards humanity.
These aren't separate traits but a harmonious expression of God's relational heart. His mercy and grace are the foundation, His patience provides the space, and His steadfast love and faithfulness guarantee His enduring commitment.
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.
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.
This passage directly quotes Exodus 34:6, emphasizing the LORD's enduring qualities of mercy and forgiveness even in the face of rebellion.
Psalm 86:15This psalm echoes the proclamation of God's character found in Exodus 34:6, highlighting the LORD as compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Nehemiah 9:17During a prayer of confession and remembrance, Nehemiah recalls God's nature as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, directly referencing the declaration made to Moses.
Joel 2:13This prophetic call to repentance urges people to return to the LORD, described here with the same attributes of graciousness and compassion found in Exodus 34:6, emphasizing His reluctance to destroy.
Romans 2:4The Apostle Paul alludes to God's longsuffering and forbearance when describing His kindness, suggesting that this attribute, so clearly revealed in Exodus 34:6, is intended to lead people to repentance.
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…
Notice how God proclaims His name not once, but twice: "The LORD, the LORD." This repetition isn't just emphasis; it signifies that the God who is about to reveal Himself is the same eternal God, revealing Himself in a new way – not just as the mighty Creator, but as a God overflowing with compassion and faithfulness. This declaration, coming after the people's severe sin, dramatically highlights that His mercy and steadfast love are not dependent on our perfection, but on His abundant, self-giving nature.
Fresh off the shattering of the stone tablets and the idolatry of the golden calf, Moses has pleaded with God for a renewed covenant. God agrees to pass before Moses, revealing His glory and, crucially, proclaiming His character in a way that emphasizes His mercy and faithfulness, even amidst the people's repeated failures. This declaration is central to God’s relationship with Israel and serves as a foundational understanding of His nature that echoes throughout Scripture.
Fresh off the shattering of the stone tablets and the idolatry of the golden calf, Moses has pleaded with God for a renewed covenant. God agrees to pass before Moses, revealing His glory and, crucially, proclaiming His character in a way that emphasizes His mercy and faithfulness, even amidst the people's repeated failures. This declaration is central to God’s relationship with Israel and serves as a foundational understanding of His nature that echoes throughout Scripture.
"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…" — Notice how God proclaims His name not once, but twice: "The LORD, the LORD." This repetition isn't just emphasis; it signifies that the God who is about to reveal Himself is the same eternal God, rev…
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Last reviewed October 2026
