How Long Is A Thousand Generations?

[Rollo Tamasi]

Is the Book of Deuteronomy to be taken literally?
That's the question.

Deuteronomy 7:9;
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments".

How long is a thousand generations?
Are we even close to the end?
How can we take this passage anything but literal?

 

[for_his_glory]

1000 generations here is just genetic of all generations up to the time of Christ return. Just as God gave the promise of Canaan to those he chose as His people,not because they were more in number, but that they were the few that believed in God, vs 7. Just as we today that are few that believe in Christ and has taken part in his death and resurrection we have the same promises of God.

 

[reba]

Could mean a bunch does it mean exactly 1000 ? not always

reading this verse in context it implies God owns all the cattle on all the hills... is it a word like we might say" i always _____" or sure wish i had a million?

 

[TOG]

I think this is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as referring to a very long time. But if we do take it literally, 1000 years is about 30 generations, so 1,000 generations is over 33,000 years.

The TOG​

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

This has never come up before that I know of.
Deuteronomy is often considered the 2nd Law to Leviticus.
I've always taken every word of it literally.
But now I wonder.
How can the whole book be literal except this one verse, that throws our way of thinking out of whack?

I think it is good that we cannot know everything and that we cannot explain everything, but we need to keep our hope in Jesus and not get caught up in controversial verses.

However, if someone has a viable answer, I'm all ears.

 

[reba]

Deu 10:22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Using terms that are general in nature like ...stars of heaven for multitude. .... does not detract from the value of the Scripture not one bit..
If some one asked me where are you? and i answered CFnet. there is an understanding of the truth of that statement.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

[quote="reba, post: 909751, member: 1160"
If some one asked me where are you? and i answered CFnet. there is an understanding of the truth of that statement.[/quote]
Lol! How can you be at........aaaaah, I get it.

 

[Deborah13]

Is the Book of Deuteronomy to be taken literally?
That's the question.

Deuteronomy 7:9;
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments".

How long is a thousand generations?
Are we even close to the end?
How can we take this passage anything but literal?

How long will God be God? forever
How long will God be faithful? forever
Therefore, how long will He keep His covenant of love.....? forever

 

[Jethro Bodine]

How long is a thousand generations?
Are we even close to the end?
How can we take this passage anything but literal?

Let the Bible interpret itself:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His loving kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting..." (Psalm 136:1-3 NASB)

A 'thousand generations' is idiomatic (if that's the right word to use) for a whole lotta generations, just as 'seventy times seventy' means a whole lotta times, even unending.

 

[reba]

id·i·o·mat·ic
ˌidēəˈmatik/
adjective
adjective: idiomatic

1. 1.
   using, containing, or denoting expressions that are natural to a native speaker.
   "distinctive idiomatic dialogue"
   synonyms:vernacular, colloquial, everyday, conversational;More
   natural, grammatical, correct
   "the president lacks an ear for idiomatic English"
2. 2.
   appropriate to the style of art or music associated with a particular period, individual, or group.
   "a short Bach piece containing lots of idiomatic motifs"

 

[Sinthesis]

I'd rather not take that verse literally because to do so would suggest God will eventually break His covenant of love, and that would mean something about God's character that I wouldn't believe in a million years.