I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart. Psalm 119:32 NASB Enlarge – The Hebrew verb rāḥab has two completely different sematic contexts. The first is used with open spaces like broad plains. The second, as we find here, is about the physical body. “ . . its most frequent…
Answer me, LORD, for Your kindness is good, in Your great compassion turn to me. Psalm 69:17 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Great compassion – God cares. If we learn nothing else from Scripture, this is enough. We might not know how He demonstrates that care. We may think He has forgotten all about us. We…
And He will judge between the nations, and will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. Isaiah 2:4 NASB Learn war – “Giving birth to one child is…
A merciful person does himself good, but the cruel person does himself harm. Proverbs 11:17 NASB Cruel – Who is the cruel person? The torturer? The egotistic dictator? Men like Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin? When we think of the antonym of “cruel” these days, what term comes to mind? Kind? Forgiving? Merriam-Webster lists “tender, warm, warmhearted, charitable, clement, lenient, merciful, pitying, pacific, peaceable, peaceful.” The…
You will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come. Psalm 102:13 NASB Have compassion – The first description of God’s character in Exodus 34:6 is raḥûm. It comes from the Hebrew verb rāḥam, a verb that means “to love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate.” The importance of this…
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;” Exodus 34:6 NASB Compassionate – Exodus 34:6-7 is God’s personally endorsed self-description. As such, it is vitally important, perhaps one of the most important parts of the entire Bible. If you want to…
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’” Isaiah 58:9a Then– When does God guarantee He will answer our prayers? The prophet Isaiah provides the answers. The people voice their concern: “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?” God replies:…
Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. Psalm 112:4 NASB Compassionate – The consonant structure of raḥûm, the Hebrew word for “compassionate,” offers an interesting linguistic insight into its meaning and application. You see, raḥûm, can be slightly altered by changing the vowels. Then it becomes raḥam, the word…
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Habakkuk 1:2 ANSB Violence! – You know the aphorism. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It seems that two thousand seven hundred years haven’t made much…
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6 NASB Compassionate – Consider the last twenty-four hours. Oh, not the ones that have just gone by, although after the coming investigation you might want…
