Lexical Summary ribbea: To lie down, to rest, to settle Original Word: רִבֵּעַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fourth From raba'; a descendant of the fourth generation, i.e. Great great grandchild -- fourth. see HEBREW raba' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as arba Definition pertaining to the fourth NASB Translation fourth (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רִבֵּעַ] adjective pertaining to the fourth (in a series); — plural in phrase עַלֹשִֿׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַלרִֿבֵּעִים i.e. those belonging to the 3rd and 4th Generations, Exodus 20:5 (E) = Deuteronomy 5:9; Exodus 34:17 (J), Numbers 14:18 (JE), compare 1 above Topical Lexicon Occurrences and Immediate ContextThe term appears four times, each within covenantal declarations that frame Israel’s relationship with the LORD (Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9). In every instance it completes the formula “to the third and fourth generation,” underscoring the durability of divine justice when fathers persist in idolatry or rebellion. The word therefore functions less as a statistic and more as a rhetorical marker: judgment endures, but it is still strictly limited and far outweighed by mercy “to a thousand generations” (Exodus 34:7). Theological Themes 1. Divine Jealousy and Holiness Each passage places the word in proximity to God’s jealousy and holiness. Idolatry provokes covenant wrath extending to the “fourth generation,” affirming that Yahweh cannot be domesticated or set alongside rivals. 2. Generational Accountability Israel’s communal life means children experience the outcomes of parental sin. The text does not teach fatalism; it portrays societal realities in which entrenched rebellion affects descendants. Ezekiel 18 later balances this with personal responsibility, showing harmony rather than contradiction in Scripture. 3. Mercy Outweighing Judgment Exodus 34:7 and Numbers 14:18 juxtapose “fourth generation” judgment with “a thousand generations” of covenant love. The ratio (1,000: 4) signals that mercy is God’s dominant posture toward His people. Historical Patterns in Israel’s Narrative Four-generation arcs recur in Israel’s story. The house of Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:2; 15:29) and the dynasty of Jehu (2 Kings 10:30; 15:12) both end in the fourth generation, illustrating that prolonged, unrepentant sin eventually reaches the divine limit implied by the term. Pastoral and Ministry Significance • Call to Repentance: Parents are warned that habitual sin affects more than themselves; therefore genuine repentance interrupts destructive cycles. Christological and Eschatological Insights Jesus fulfills the covenant by taking upon Himself the full weight of generational guilt, inaugurating the new covenant where sins are “remembered no more” (Hebrews 8:12). Revelation 21:5’s proclamation, “Behold, I make all things new,” signals the end of every lingering curse, including those extending to the “fourth generation.” Key Quotation “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18) Summary The term serves as a sober reminder of the reach, yet also the restraint, of divine justice within covenant history. It cautions against complacency in sin, underscores intergenerational responsibility, and ultimately magnifies the surpassing mercy revealed fully in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations רִבֵּעִ֖ים רִבֵּעִֽים׃ רבעים רבעים׃ rib·bê·‘îm ribbê‘îm ribbeImLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 20:5 HEB: שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־ רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃ NAS: on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate KJV: unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate INT: the third and and the fourth hate Exodus 34:7 Numbers 14:18 Deuteronomy 5:9 4 Occurrences |
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