Exodus 34:7

34:7 keeping loyal love for thousands, ¹  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression ²  of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

Jeremiah 32:18

32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands. ³  But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. ⁴  You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all. ⁵ 

Daniel 9:4-9

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁶  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁷  with those who love him and keep his commandments, 9:5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁸  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁹  and to all the inhabitants ¹⁰  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ¹¹  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ¹²  – the people ¹³  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated ¹⁴  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ¹⁵  even though we have rebelled against him.

Matthew 23:35-36

23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ¹⁶  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, ¹⁷  this generation will be held responsible for all these things! ¹⁸ 

Romans 11:28-29

11:28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

[34:7]  ¹ tn That is, “for thousands of generations.”

[34:7]  ² sn As in the ten commandments (20:5-6), this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment will continue in the family if left unchecked. This does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited to those who hate God.

[32:18]  ³ tn Or “to thousands of generations.” The contrast of showing steadfast love to “thousands” to the limitation of punishing the third and fourth generation of children for their parents’ sins in Exod 20:5-6; Deut 5:9-10; Exod 34:7 has suggested to many commentators and translators (cf., e.g., NRSV, TEV, NJPS) that reference here is to “thousands of generations.” The statement is, of course, rhetorical emphasizing God’s great desire to bless as opposed to the reluctant necessity to punish. It is part of the attributes of God spelled out in Exod 34:6-7.

[32:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “pays back into the bosom of their children the sin of their parents.”

[32:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “Nothing is too hard for you who show…and who punishes…the great [and] powerful God whose name is Yahweh of armies, [you who are] great in counsel…whose eyes are open…who did signs…” Jer 32:18-22 is a long series of relative clauses introduced by participles or relative pronouns in vv. 18-20a followed by second person vav consecutive imperfects carrying on the last of these relative clauses in vv. 20b-22. This is typical of hymnic introductions to hymns of praise (cf., e.g., Ps 136) but it is hard to sustain the relative subordination which all goes back to the suffix on “hard for you.” The sentences have been broken up but the connection with the end of v. 17 has been sacrificed for conformity to contemporary English style.

[9:4]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[23:35]  ¹⁶ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:36]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:36]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”