The Meaning of Exodus 34:7 Explained

Exodus 34:7

KJV: Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

YLT: keeping kindness for thousands, taking away iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and not entirely acquitting, charging iniquity of fathers on children, and on children's children, on a third generation, and on a fourth.'

Darby: keeping mercy unto thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.

ASV: keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty , visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Keeping  mercy  for thousands,  forgiving  iniquity  and transgression  and sin,  and that will by no means  clear  [the guilty]; visiting  the iniquity  of the fathers  upon the children,  and upon the children's  children, unto the third  and to the fourth  [generation]. 

What does Exodus 34:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 34:1-17 - The Covenant Of The Law Renewed
Before we can behold the vision of Eternal Love we must be willing to fulfill three conditions: (1) Earliness: "My soul, be ready in the morning." (2) Solitude: "No man shall come up with thee." (3) The open heart: "That God may write there what He will." God is always passing by and covering us with the shadow of His hand, and proclaiming His loving kindness and tender mercy. He keeps mercy for thousands, and limits the entail of sin to the third and fourth generation.
Whenever we get near to God we should begin to think of and pray for others. As the last notes of the divine procession were dying away Moses bowed his head and worshiped, saying, "Let the Lord go in the middle of us and forgive." It was as though he said, "If thou art a God like that, thou art the God that stiff-necked people need. Go with us, therefore, for thou canst bear with us." He went on to ask that they might be pardoned, and that God would account them His heritage. His request was more than granted! God entered into covenant with them and promised to drive out their enemies on conditions which He proceeded to enumerate.
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Chapter Summary: Exodus 34

1  The tablets are replaced
5  The name of the Lord proclaimed
8  Moses entreats God to go with them
10  God makes a covenant with them, repeating certain duties
28  Moses after forty days on the mount, comes down with the tablets
29  His face is radiant, and he covers it with a veil

What do the individual words in Exodus 34:7 mean?

keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and clearing [the guilty] no by means visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons and children of the sons to the third the fourth [generation]
נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֣ד ׀ עֲוֺ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־ בָּנִים֙ וְעַל־ בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־ שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים רִבֵּעִֽים

נֹצֵ֥ר  keeping 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נְצוּרִים 
Sense: to guard, watch, watch over, keep.
חֶ֙סֶד֙  mercy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶד 
Sense: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
לָאֲלָפִ֔ים  for  thousands 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Number, masculine plural
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
נֹשֵׂ֥א  forgiving 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
עָוֺ֛ן  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
וָפֶ֖שַׁע  and  transgression 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּשַׁע  
Sense: transgression, rebellion.
וְחַטָּאָ֑ה  and  sin 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
וְנַקֵּה֙  and  clearing  [the  guilty] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָקָה  
Sense: to be empty, be clear, be pure, be free, be innocent, be desolate, be cut off.
לֹ֣א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְנַקֶּ֔ה  by  means 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָקָה  
Sense: to be empty, be clear, be pure, be free, be innocent, be desolate, be cut off.
פֹּקֵ֣ד ׀  visiting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
עֲוֺ֣ן  the  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
אָב֗וֹת  of  the  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בָּנִים֙  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בְּנֵ֣י  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בָנִ֔ים  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים  the  third 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שִׁלֵּשִׁים  
Sense: pertaining to the third, third (generation).
רִבֵּעִֽים  the  fourth  [generation] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: רִבֵּעַ  
Sense: pertaining to the fourth.