1:50

His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation: In the Greek text, this verse is more literally, “And his mercy (is) into generations and generations to/for those who fear him.”

This clause indicates that God shows mercy forever to people who fear him. He shows his mercy to each generation. English versions translate this in different ways, but the meaning is the same. For example:

from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him (Good News Translation)
-or-
his mercy is on those who fear him in each generation
-or-
from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him (NET Bible)

You should translate this in the way that is most natural in your language.

mercy: The word mercy means compassion for those who suffer or are in need. Some ways to translate this are:

compassion
-or-
pity

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this word with a verb phrase or a descriptive phrase. For example:

is kind
-or-
graciously helps

In some languages there may be an idiom that expresses this. For example, two English idioms are:

his heart is touched by those who fear him
-or-
he feels for those who fear him

to those who fear Him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fear here means to respect or to revere. People who fear God know that he is great, and they are afraid to offend him. They have an attitude of submission and awe toward him.

Some other ways to translate to those who fear Him are:

to those who honor him (Good News Translation)
-or-
to those who revere him

from generation to generation: The phrase from generation to generation is a poetic phrase. In this context it indicates that God continues to show mercy to each generation of his people forever. He is merciful to all people who fear him in each generation. This means that he shows mercy to parents, and he also shows this mercy to their children and to their grandchildren. This continues for many generations. This verse is a general statement about what God is like, so the phrase includes generations before and after Mary’s time.

If this poetic phrase is very long and complicated to translate in your language, you may want to simplify it. Some models to follow are:

He always shows mercy (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
God will show his mercy forever and ever (New Century Version)
-or-
His mercy never stops/changes

See the note on the similar expression “all generations” in 1:48b.

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