Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionBut there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GBut with You is the forgiveness—so that You may be held in awe.
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageBut with You there is forgiveness, that You alone might be revered.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleBut with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.
Footnotes
Ha-selichah (הַסְּלִיחָה) bears the definite article—'the forgiveness'—as if it is a specific, weighty reality residing in the divine character itself. Strikingly, this word for pardon (selichah) appears in the Hebrew Bible almost exclusively of divine, never human, forgiveness (cf. Dan. 9:9; Neh. 9:17). The purpose clause lema'an tivare' (לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא, 'so that You may be feared/revered') is theologically arresting: forgiveness does not breed presumption but deeper awe—grace produces reverence more powerfully than judgment does. F.O.G. renders the paradox plainly; F.O.G.M. draws out the exclusivity with 'You alone.'
