Deuteronomy 5:9

KJV1611 – Modern English

You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָב֧וֹת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים וְעַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י

Transliteration

Not-tištaḥăweh to-them and-not tāʿobdēm kî ʾānōkî YHWH ʾĕlōhêkā ʾēl qannāʾ pōqēd ʿăwōn ʾābôt upon-bānîm and-upon-šillēšîm and-upon-ribbēʿîm to-śōnəʾāy

Grammar Details

• *tištaḥăweh*: Hishtaphel imperfect 2ms - you shall bow down
• *tāʿobdēm*: Qal imperfect 2ms + 3mp suffix - you shall serve them
• *kî*: conjunction - for/because
• *ʾānōkî*: personal pronoun 1cs - I
• *YHWH*: proper noun, divine name
• *ʾĕlōhêkā*: common noun, masculine plural construct + 2ms suffix - your God
• *ʾēl*: common noun, masculine singular - God/deity
• *qannāʾ*: adjective masculine singular - jealous
• *pōqēd*: Qal participle masculine singular - visiting
• *ʿăwōn*: common noun, masculine singular construct - iniquity of
• *ʾābôt*: common noun, masculine plural - fathers
• *bānîm*: common noun, masculine plural - children/sons
• *šillēšîm*: common noun, masculine plural - third generation
• *ribbēʿîm*: common noun, masculine plural - fourth generation
• *śōnəʾāy*: Qal participle masculine plural construct + 1cs suffix - those hating me

Word Meanings

• *tištaḥăweh*: you shall bow down/you shall prostrate yourself/you shall worship
• *tāʿobdēm*: you shall serve them/you shall worship them/you shall be enslaved to them
• *ʾēl*: God/deity/divine being
• *qannāʾ*: jealous/zealous/passionate
• *pōqēd*: visiting/punishing/attending to
• *ʿăwōn*: iniquity/guilt/punishment
• *śōnəʾāy*: those hating me/my enemies/those rejecting me

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  thou shalt not bow down{H7812} thyself unto them, nor serve{H5647} them; for I, Jehovah,{H3068} thy God,{H430} am a jealous{H7067} God,{H430} visiting{H6485} the iniquity{H5771} of the fathers{H1} upon the children,{H1121} and upon the third{H8029} and upon the fourth{H7256} generation of them that hate{H8130} me;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Thou shalt not bow down{H7812}{(H8691)} thyself unto them, nor serve{H5647}{(H8714)} them: for I the LORD{H3068} thy God{H430} am a jealous{H7067} God{H410}, visiting{H6485}{(H8802)} the iniquity{H5771} of the fathers{H1} upon the children{H1121} unto the third{H8029} and fourth{H7256} generation of them that hate{H8130}{(H8802)} me,

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Thou shalt nether bowe thy self vnto them nor serue them, for I the Lorde thy God, am a gelouse God, visettinge the wikednesse of the fathers vppon the childern, euen in the thyrde and the fourth generacion, amonge them that hate me:

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Thou shalt not honor them, ner serue the. For I ye LORDE yi God am a gelous God, vysitinge the synne of the fathers vpo the children, vnto the thirde and fourth generacion, of the yt hate me:

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Thou shalt neither bowe thy selfe vnto them, nor serue them: for I the Lord thy God am a ielous God, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, euen vnto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me:

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Thou shalt neither bowe thy selfe vnto them, nor serue them: for I the Lord thy God, am a ielouse God, visityng the wickednesse of the fathers vpon the children, euen vnto the third and fourth generation among them that hate me:

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me,

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  you shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them; for I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  thou dost not bow thyself to them nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God `am' a zealous God, charging iniquity of fathers on children, and on a third `generation', and on a fourth, to those hating Me;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  You may not go down on your faces before them or give them worship: for I, the Lord your God, am a God who will not give his honour to another; and I will send punishment on the children for the wrongdoing of their fathers, to the third and fourth generation of my haters;

• World English Bible (2000)

  you shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them; for I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  You must not worship or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. I punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject me,

Referenced Verses

• Exod 34:7 : 7 "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."
• Exod 34:14 : 14 For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
• Num 14:18 : 18 The LORD is longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
• Jer 32:18 : 18 You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
• Dan 9:4-9 : 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 5 We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and from Your judgments: 6 Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us belongs confusion of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those near and those far off, through all the countries where You have driven them, because of their trespass which they have trespassed against You. 8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him;
• Matt 23:35-36 : 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
• Rom 11:28-29 : 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
• Exod 20:4-6 : 4 You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me. 6 But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.