Matthew Poole and continuators on Exodus 34:7

7 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 childrens children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

The Chaldee and some others render it, for a thousand generations.

Sins of all sorts and sizes, secret or open, infirmities or presumptions, against God or men, as the heap of various words here put together signifies.

This is commonly esteemed a title of Justice or Vengeance, which is here added by way of correction, least men should mistake or abuse Gods mercy. God is most gracious indeed, but so as he is also just and will not pity nor spare impudent and impenitent transgressours, but will severely punish them. And the Jewish Doctors hereupon observe, that the mercy of God doth far exceed his justice, here being as they number them, thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and but one of Justice. But this translation and interpretation is rejected by some late Learned interpreters, who make this an attribute of Gods goodness or Clemency, and render the words thus, in destroying he will not utterly destroy, though visiting, &c. q. d. He is so gracious that though he will severely punish the iniquity of the fathers, and especially their Idolatry, upon themselves, and upon their Children, &c. as he hath said Exod. 20. 5. yet in judgment he will remember mercy, and will not utterly destroy his people for their sins. There are many things which favour this interpretation. 1. This suits most with Moses his solicitude and prayer for the people of Israel, which was, that God would not utterly destroy them, as he threatened to do. 2. This sense best agrees with Gods promise. chap. 33. 19. I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, which general promise is particularly explained and performed in these 2. verses. 3. This place doth not speak of Gods disposition and carriage towards his enemies, against whom he proceeds with great severity and commands the Israelites to do so in the verses here following, but towards his people, whose cause Moses is all along pleading with God. See chap. 32. 11, 12, 13, 31, 32. and 33. 13, 15. and 34. 9. 4. The Hebrew verb here used frequently signifies to make empty or desolate, to empty men of their goods, or places of men. See Isa. 3. 26. Amos 4. 6. So here he will not utterly empty or destroy. Though he will leave the marks of his vengeance for this sin upon thy people even to their third and fourth generation, or, it may be further, yet he will not utterly root them out, which is the great thing thou fearest and labourest to prevent. And this very phrase here used we have in Ier. 30. 11. and repeated, Ier. 46. 28. where though interpreters generally render it, I will not leave thee altogether unpunished, which may make a good sense, yet it seems much better to be rendred, I will not utterly destroy thee, 1. Because hereby these words exactly answer to the foregoing clause, yet will I not make a full end of thee, and so the samething is elegantly repeated in other words, which is very frequent in Scripture. 2. Because here is an opposition between the severity God useth to other people, and the kindness he useth to his own people, which is manifest in the former member of the verse, and therefore most probable and agreeable in this. 5. This is much confirmed from Numb. 14. 18. where Moses, pleading with God for the pardon of his peoples sin, useth this very phrase and argument, as taken out of Gods mouth, which in this sense is very proper and prevalent, Thou hast said, that even when thou dost visit iniquity, &c. thou wilt not utterly destroy them. And God answers him, verse 20. I have pardoned, according to thy word, i. e. so as not utterly to destroy them. But truly as I live, &c. verse 21, 22, 23. i. e. But I will severely punish them. But if this had been the meaning, Lord thou hast said,—thou wilt by no means clear the guilty, as we render it, it was a most improper argument and put a sword into the Lords hand to slay them even by vertue of this consideration.

Marginal references: Deut. [illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters]. Jer. 32. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].; chap. 33. 21. Josh[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ Job 10. [illegible: 1+ letters]4▪ Nah. 1. 3.