Exodus 34:7 (WEB)
keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”
Catechism · 1
“The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands".” — Catechism footnote: Ex 34:7
Fathers and councils · 4
Irenaeus of Lyons
“…and long-suffering, and of great commiseration, and true, and keeps justice and mercy for thousands, forgiving unrighteousness, and transgressions, and sins.”” — editor's note: Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7.
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Cyril of Jerusalem
“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, both keeping righteousness and shewing mercy unto thousands, taking away iniquities, and transgressions, and sins.” — editor's note: Ex. xxxiv. 5–7. For “keeping righteousness and shewing mercy,” the Hebrew has only “keeping mercy.”
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Tertullian
“…though fatter than he, could not constantly contemplate even Moses himself, fed as he had been upon God, nor his leanness, sated as it had been with His glory!” — editor's note: See Ex. xxxiii. 18, 19, with xxxiv. 4–9, 29–35.
Read the whole comment““But,” say they, “God is ‘good,’ and ‘most good,’ and ‘pitiful-hearted,’ and ‘a pitier,’ and ‘abundant in pitiful-heartedness,’ which He holds ‘dearer than all sacrifice,’ ‘not thinking the sinner’s death of so much worth as his repentance’, ‘a Saviour of all men, most of all of believers.’” — editor's note: See Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7.
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Cross-references · 4
Parallel passages
Exodus 34:7 and Numbers 14:18 share the same wording (30 words).
Exodus 34:7 and Deuteronomy 5:9 share the same wording (20 words).
Cited together with
Cited together in Catechism §211.
Cited together in Catechism §211.