God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 32:18
18You show mercy to thousands of generations. However, you punish children for the wickedness of their parents. You, God, are great and mighty. Your name is the Lord of Armies.
Jeremiah 32:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name,
- New International Version (NIV)You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty,
- English Standard Version (ESV)You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts,
- New King James Version (NKJV)You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Context of Jeremiah 32:18
16“After I had given the copies to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord. I prayed, 17‘Almighty Lord, you made heaven and earth by your great strength and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show mercy to thousands of generations. However, you punish children for the wickedness of their parents. You, God, are great and mighty. Your name is the Lord of Armies. 19You make wise plans and do mighty things. You see everything the descendants of Adam do. You reward them for the way they live and for what they do. 20You performed miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt. To this day you are still doing them in Israel. You made a name for yourself that continues to this day.
Read all of Jeremiah 32Jeremiah 32:18 word by word
עֹ֤שֶׂה חֶ֙סֶד֙ לַֽאֲלָפִ֔ים וּמְשַׁלֵּם֙ עֲוֹ֣ן אָב֔וֹת אֶל־חֵ֥יק בְּנֵיהֶ֖ם אַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם הָאֵ֤ל הַגָּדוֹל֙ הַגִּבּ֔וֹר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁמֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou shewestעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- lovingkindnessחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
- unto thousandsאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- and recompensestשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
- the iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: guiltH5771
- of the fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- into the bosomחֵיקchêyq chêq chôq · bosom: lapH2436
- of their childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- them: the Greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- the Mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
- Godאֵל'êl · GodH410
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
- his nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
Cross-references for Jeremiah 32:18
- Exodus 20:5Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
- Exodus 34:7He continues to show his love to thousands of generations, forgiving wrongdoing, disobedience, and sin. He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children and grandchildren for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation.”
- Numbers 14:18‘The Lord … patient, forever loving…. He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience…. He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children … for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation….’
- Deuteronomy 5:9Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
- Deuteronomy 7:9Keep in mind that the Lord your God is ⌞the only⌟ God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands.
- Joshua 7:24Joshua and all Israel took Achan (son of Zerah), the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, and his tent—everything he had—and brought them to the valley of Achor [Disaster].
- 2 Samuel 21:1In the time of David, there was a famine for three successive years, and David asked the Lord’s advice about it. The Lord answered, “It’s because of Saul and his family. They are guilty of murder because they killed the people of Gibeon.”
- 1 Kings 14:9You have done more evil things than everyone before you. You made other gods, metal idols, for yourself. You made me furious and turned your back to me.
- 1 Kings 16:1The Lord spoke his word to Jehu, Hanani’s son, against Baasha.
- 1 Kings 21:21So I am going to bring evil on you. I will destroy your descendants. I will destroy every male in Ahab’s ⌞house⌟, whether slave or freeman in Israel.
- 2 Kings 9:26‘Just as I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday, I will pay you back in this field,’ declares the Lord. Now take him and throw him into the field as the Lord predicted.”
- Matthew 23:32Go ahead, finish what your ancestors started!
- Matthew 27:25All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
- Genesis 49:24But his bow stayed steady, and his arms remained limber because of the help of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
- Deuteronomy 7:21Don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God is with you. He is a great and awe-inspiring God.
- Deuteronomy 10:17The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring God. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 32:18
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Recompensest - The recompence is placed in the bosom, because, in the East, the garments are so arranged as to form a pocket there. Thus then, men must receive and carry with them God‘s requital for their deeds.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-25Verses 16-25 Jeremiah adores the Lord and his infinite perfections. When at any time we are perplexed about the methods of Providence, it is good for us to look to first principles. Let us consider that God is the fountain of all being, power, and life; that with him no difficulty is such as cannot be overcome; that he is a God of boundless mercy; that he is a God of strict justice; and that he directs every thing for the best. Jeremiah owns that God was…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18The Lord always showed his unfailing love, but he also held generations accountable for their sins, and their children faced the consequences. Through his mercy and judgment, the Lord showed his unlimited power. Jeremiah was confident that the Lord would show love to his people as he had promised.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. (Ex 34:7; Is 65:6). This is taken from the decalogue (Ex 20:5, 6). This is a second consideration to check hasty judgments as to God's ways: Thou art the gracious and righteous Judge of the world.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 32:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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