Case Study: The Divine Attributive of Exodus 34:6-7
Ariesa Griffin
THEO 360: Biblical Theology (D07)
26 October 2024
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Understanding the Divine Attributive
A. Confirmation of Reading All Passages
Answer:
Yes
B. Confirmation of Reading in Two Translations
Chosen Translations
1. Formal / Word-for-word: King James Version (KJV)
2. Functional / Thought-for-thought: New International Version (NIV)
Answer:
Yes
C. Initial Observations Chart
Table 1. Observations Chart
Verse(s) KJV (Formal Translation)
Observations
NIV (Functional Translation)
Observations
Exodus
34:6
The KJV uses the phrase "merciful and
gracious" to describe God’s character.
The word "longsuffering" emphasizes
God's patience. "Abundant in goodness
and truth" reflects God's faithful nature.
The NIV translates "longsuffering" as
"slow to anger, making it easier to
understand. Instead of "goodness and
truth," it uses "love and faithfulness,"
highlighting relational qualities.
Exodus
34:7
The KJV says God keeps "mercy for
thousands" and "forgiving iniquity,
transgression, and sin." The phrase "will
The NIV also emphasizes forgiveness,
but the phrase "maintaining love to
thousands" brings out the idea of
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by no means clear the guilty" suggests
justice without compromise. It
emphasizes punishing sin across
generations, reflecting both divine justice
and the consequences of disobedience.
ongoing love. The language around
punishment is smoother: "He punishes
the children for the sin of the parents,"
making it more understandable than the
KJV's phrasing.
Repetition "The LORD, the LORD God" repeats
God's name for emphasis, stressing His
involvement in revealing His nature.
The repetition remains the same in the
NIV, reinforcing the importance of
God's identity and attributes.
Balance There is tension between God's mercy
and justice—He forgives and holds
people accountable.
The NIV brings out this same balance,
focusing on both compassion and
judgment in more modern terms.
D. Major Facts of the Passage
I. Who (main characters in the narrative)
Primary character: The LORD: Describing His nature and attributes.
Secondary character: Moses - recipient of the revelation
Implied audience: The people of Israel (context)
II. What are the circumstances
God reveals His character to Moses after the Israelites sinned by worshipping the golden
calf. This moment follows Moses' request to see God’s glory, making it a divine self-
revelation. Despite Israel’s idolatry, God uses this proclamation to renew His covenant with
them, demonstrating His mercy and justice. This statement serves as a foundational
description of God's character. He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in
love and faithfulness, yet also just in holding the guilty accountable. The context is
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restoration and renewal as God re-establishes His relationship with His people after their
rebellion.
III. Where (Setting)
This encounter occurs on Mount Sinai (also known as Horeb), a significant location
where God meets with Moses and gives the law to Israel. Specifically, God places Moses in
the cleft of a rock to protect him as His presence passes by, symbolizing the closeness yet
separateness between God and humanity. This setting is outside the camp of Israel,
emphasizing that the revelation occurs away from the people, highlighting the gravity and
sanctity of the moment. It takes place in the wilderness during Israel’s journey from Egypt to
Canaan, where the Israelites learn to trust and obey God as part of their transformation into
His covenant people.
IV. When (Historical Context)
This event occurs during the time of the Torah/Pentateuch, specifically in the Book of
Exodus. The historical context is the wilderness wandering period following Israel’s Exodus
from Egypt. It takes place after the giving of the Ten Commandments but is marked by the
people's rebellion in the Golden Calf incident when they broke their covenant with God by
worshipping an idol. This encounter is part of the covenant renewal process, where God
reaffirms His commitment to Israel despite their disobedience, revealing both His justice and
mercy.
E. Passage Comparison Analysis: Divine Attributive Reiterations
Psalms 86 and 103
In Psalm 86, David's plea emerges from a context of personal distress, where he faces
persecution from proud and violent men who seek his life. The psalmist grounds his appeal
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for divine intervention in God's established character as revealed in Exod. 34:6-7 NIV,
declaring, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding
in love and faithfulness.” As Goldsworthy notes, “The saving acts of God have a profound
meaning for the everyday life of ordinary people,”1 which is exemplified in how David
applies this theological truth to his immediate circumstances. Similarly, Ps.103 NIV expands
this personal application into a comprehensive celebration of God's character, with David
proclaiming, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
demonstrating how the Divine Attributive serves as a foundation for individual and corporate
worship.
Jonah 4:2
The reiteration of the Divine Attributive in Jonah 4:2 NIV occurs in a dramatically
different context - one of prophetic frustration rather than faithful petition. Jonah quotes the
Exod. 34:6-7 formula not in praise but in complaint, saying, “He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t
this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to
Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and
abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” In What Is Biblical Theology?
A Guide to the Bible's Story, Symbolism, and Patterns, Hamilton (2014) observes that “The
biblical authors are drawing attention to people, events, and institutions where the divine
author has caused actual resemblance,”2 which is particularly evident in how God's mercy
toward Nineveh reflects His established character. Through Jonah's reluctant
1 Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the
Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991), 119.
2 James M. Hamilton, What Is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible's Story,
Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 28.
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acknowledgment, we see how God's attributes remain consistent even when they frustrate
human expectations about divine judgment.
Joel 2
The prophet Joel invokes the Divine Attributive in chapter two within the context of
an urgent call for national repentance amid impending judgment. Joel deliberately echoes
Exod. 34:6-7 when encouraging the people to “Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and
abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” In the Foreword, “Biblical
Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry, 9Marks,” Schreiner emphasizes
that “the Bible is not just a collection of inspired religious books... but a single story, a
coherent narrative of the redemptive acts of God.”3 In this context, the Divine Attributive
motivates repentance and assures God's consistent character in responding to genuine
contrition.
Micah 7
Micah's reference to the Divine Attributive appears in the concluding section of his
prophecy, where he transitions from judgment to hope. The prophet declares, “Who is a God
like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance.
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” Following Goldsworthy's
observation, “Biblical theology gives us the means of dealing with problematic passages in
the Bible by relating them to the one message of the Bible.”4, we see how Micah's application
of the Divine Attributive connects God's historical character to both present forgiveness and
3 Thomas R. Schreiner, "Foreword," in Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A
Guide for Ministry, 9Marks (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 17.
4 Graeme Goldsworthy. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the
Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991, 11.
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future hope.This reiteration particularly emphasizes God's incomparability and his faithful
commitment to the covenant promises made to the patriarchs, as explicitly stated in Micah
7:20 NIV.
Making Sense of the Divine Attributive
A. Divine Attributive Language in Nehemiah 9
The narrative of Nehemiah 9 presents a powerful historical recitation of God's
faithfulness, where the Divine Attributive from Exod. 34:6-7 appears in three distinct
instances, each emphasizing various aspects of God's character. The first significant echo
appears in Neh. 9:17 NIV, which directly mirrors the language of Exod. 34:6-7: “They
refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They
became stiff-necked and, in their rebellion, appointed a leader to return to their slavery. But
you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
As Hamilton notes, “The biblical authors are drawing attention to people, events, and
institutions where the divine author has caused actual resemblance,”5 and this deliberate
parallel demonstrates how Israel's historical experience confirmed God's self-revelation.
The second iteration emerges in Neh. 9:19-21, where God's sustained compassion
during the wilderness wanderings exemplifies His character as revealed at Sinai. The text
emphasizes, “Because of your great compassion, you did not abandon them in the wilderness.
By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by
night to shine on the way they were to take”, demonstrating what Goldsworthy describes as
“the saving acts of God have a profound meaning for the everyday life of ordinary people.”6
5 James M. Hamilton What Is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible's Story,
Symbolism, and Patterns. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014, 28.
6 Graeme Goldsworthy. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the
Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991, 119.
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This practical manifestation of the Divine Attributive shows how God's character traits are
not merely theoretical but find expression in His concrete historical actions.
The third appearance occurs in Neh. 9:31, where the community's confession
acknowledges God's gracious character despite their persistent rebellion: “But in your great
mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful
God.” In Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry, by Schreiner
(2010) highlights that “the Bible is not just a collection of inspired religious books written by
various prophets and apostles, but that it’s a single story, a coherent narrative of the
redemptive acts of God”7, helps understand how this application of the Divine Attributive
connects Israel's past experiences with their present circumstances.
B. God's Character Influence on History and His People
The Divine Attributive profoundly shapes our understanding of how God interacts
with both history and His people, revealing a consistent pattern of grace, justice, and
faithfulness. As demonstrated in Exod. 34:6-7, God's character combines seemingly
paradoxical attributes both "abounding in love" and "not leaving the guilty unpunished"
which creates a framework for understanding his actions throughout history. Hamilton's
assertion that "Types are not arbitrary correspondences invented by the biblical authors but
genuine accounts of what really took place"8, helps us recognize how God's character traits
consistently manifest in His historical interventions.
This pattern of divine interaction based on His revealed character significantly
influences how we interpret our personal circumstances. In the work According to Plan: The
7 Thomas R. Schreiner "Foreword." In Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A
Guide for Ministry. 9Marks, 9-12. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010, 17.
8 James M. Hamilton What Is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible's Story,
Symbolism, and Patterns. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014, 28.
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Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible, Goldsworthy (1991) observes that “Biblical
theology gives us the means of dealing with problematic passages in the Bible by relating
them to the one message of the Bible.”9 This principle applies not only to textual
interpretation but also to life interpretation we can understand our experiences through the
lens of God's revealed character. For instance, when facing difficulties, we can draw
confidence from how God's compassion and faithfulness manifested in Israel's history, as
seen in passages like Ps. 103:8-14.
The Divine Attributive also shapes how God relates to His people corporately.
Schreiner emphasizes that “doctrine cannot be separated from ethics.”10 This connection is
evident in how God's character calls forth a response from His people. The repeated pattern
in Scripture shows that God's mercy does not negate His justice but creates space for
repentance and restoration, as demonstrated in Joel 2:13: “Rend your heart and not your
garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger
and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. This understanding of God's
character continues to shape both individual and corporate spiritual formation, calling
believers to reflect these same attributes in their relationships with others.
9 Graeme Goldsworthy. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the
Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991, 119.
10 Thomas R. Schreiner "Foreword." In Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A
Guide for Ministry. 9Marks, 9-12. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010, 58.
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Bibliography
Goldsworthy, Graeme. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Hamilton, James M. What Is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible's Story, Symbolism,
and Patterns. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014.
Holy Bible: King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987.
Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
Schreiner, Thomas R. "Foreword." In Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide
for Ministry. 9Marks, 9-12. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010.
