New Living Translation
Exodus 20:6
6But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Exodus 20:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
- New International Version (NIV)but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- New King James Version (NKJV)but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Context of Exodus 20:6
4“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Read all of Exodus 20Exodus 20:6 word by word
וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֹתָֽי׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 20:6
- Deuteronomy 4:37Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power.
- Deuteronomy 5:29Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever.
- Deuteronomy 7:9Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.
- Jeremiah 32:39And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.
- Acts 2:39This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
- Romans 11:28Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- John 14:15“If you love me, obey my commandments.
- 1 John 4:19We love each other because he loved us first.
- 1 John 5:3Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
- 2 John 1:6Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
Commentaries on Exodus 20:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6And 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. Theocritus also teaches that the children of the good shall be…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-17Verses 1-17 The Hebrew name which is rendered in our King James Version as the ten commandments occurs in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4. It literally means “the Ten Words.” The Ten Commandments are also called the law, even the commandment Exodus 24:12, the words of the covenant Exodus 34:28, the tables of the covenant Deuteronomy 9:9, the covenant Deuteronomy 4:13, the two tables Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 9:17, and, most…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-11Verses 3-11 The first four of the ten commandments, commonly called the FIRST table, tell our duty to God. It was fit that those should be put first, because man had a Maker to love, before he had a neighbour to love. It cannot be expected that he should be true to his brother, who is false to his God. The first commandment concerns the object of worship, JEHOVAH, and him only. The worship of creatures is here forbidden. Whatever comes short of perfect…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6jealous God: When Scripture calls God a jealous God, it means he strongly opposes his people turning to false gods. He does not want them to give their loyalty to other gods (see Joshua 24:19–20). God’s jealousy is not selfish. It shows his deep love and his desire for his people to remain faithful to him. to the third and fourth generations … a thousand generations: We must understand both parts of this statement together. God does not punish children…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-118. Remember the sabbath day--implying it was already known, and recognized as a season of sacred rest. The first four commandments [Ex 20:3-11] comprise our duties to God--the other six [Ex 20:12-17] our duties to our fellow men; and as interpreted by Christ, they reach to the government of the heart as well as the lip (Mt 5:17). "If a man do them he shall live in them" [Le 18:5; Ne 9:29]. But, ah! what an if for frail and fallen man. Whoever rests his…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 20:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 20
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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