Text: Deuteronomy 7:9
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 20:5
Subject: a faithful God
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Anchor Text: Exod 20 — The Decalogue
Significance: Exodus 20:5 describes the LORD as "a jealous God" (אֵל קַנָּא, el qanna) who visits iniquity on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Him, while showing covenant loyalty (חֶסֶד, chesed) to thousands who love Him. Deuteronomy 7:9 echoes this same dual character: "the faithful God (הָאֵל הַנֶּאֱמָן, ha'el hane'eman) who keeps His covenant and His loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deuteronomy shifts emphasis from jealous punishment to faithful covenant-keeping, expanding the "thousands" of Exodus 20:6 into an explicit "thousand generations." Both texts define God's character by the same asymmetry: judgment extends to three or four generations, but faithfulness extends to a thousand.