586 BCE (2)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23  ESV

Mercies – As we discovered, God’s ḥesed is without an end.  And because it never comes to an end, because God never gives up on His promise, other things follow.  One of those other things is rāḥam, the root of the English translation “mercies.”  But just like ḥesed, there’s a bit more to this word than a single English word translation.  We need some theological education.

The depth of this love is shown by the connection of this word with reḥem/raḥam. Compare, Isaiah (49:15) who uses it of a mother’s love toward her nursing baby. It can also refer to a father’s love (Ps 103:13). Apparently, this verb connotes the feeling of mercy which men have for each other by virtue of the fact that they are human beings (Jer 50:42) and which is most easily prompted by small babies (Isa 13:18) or other helpless people.  It is this natural mercy for the helpless that Israel’s and Babylon’s enemies will lack in their cruelty (Isa 13:18; Jer 6:23), although God may give Israel’s enemies such feeling (compassion) (I Kgs 8:50; Jer 42:12). Indeed, the prophets (Isa 13:18) conjoin ḥûs (the feeling which flows from one to another), ḥāmal (the strength of feeling which leads one to action in behalf of another, i.e. to spare them some difficulty), and rāḥam (the deep inner feeling based on some “natural” bond) when describing what Babylon (Jer 21:7) and God (Jer 13:14) will lack toward Israel.

This root is frequently used of God. It incorporates two concepts: first, the strong tie God has with those whom he has called as his children (Ps 103:13). God looks upon his own as a father looks upon his children; he has pity on them (cf. Mic 7:19). The second concept is that of God’s unconditioned choice (ḥānēn, grace). God tells Moses that he is gracious and merciful to whomever he chooses (Ex 33:19).

There are several ideas attached to God’s deep, tender love: first, the unconditional election of God (Ex 33:19); next, his mercy and forgiveness toward his people in the face of deserved judgment and upon the condition of their repentance (Deut 13:17 [H 18]); also, God’s continuing mercy and grace in preserving his unrepentant people from judgment (II Kgs 13:23). Thus this attribute becomes the basis in part of an eschatological hope (cf. Isa 14:1; 49:13; 54:7; Jer 12:15; 33:26; Ezk 34:25; Mic 7:19; Zech 1:16).^[1]

In that great self-definition, God tells Moses that He is raḥûm.  In fact, this is the first thing God says about Himself (Exodus 34:6).  Of all the actions toward men, raḥûm is the top of the list.  When the author of Lamentations uses the term, he isn’t just telling us that God is merciful.  He’s telling us that by God’s own disclosure, raḥûm is first and foremost.  If you only knew one thing about God, it would be this.  How important is that!?

Lamentations is a collection of poems about a great tragedy.  More than that, it is a cry to God about feelings of helplessness, abandonment, and rejection.  But now, in the midst of this mourning, a ray of hope appears.  God is raḥûm.  He is the mother who cannot forget the dependent child.  He is bonded in ways that cannot be broken.  He forgives.  The world may be cruel, uncaring, savage . . . but God cares for us.  Enough said.

Topical Index: raḥûm, mercies, Exodus 34:6, Lamentations 3:22-23