H7356b H7356b
Compassion, tender mercies — deep visceral feeling of mercy, often as a divine attribute (plurale intensivum).
Always plural in form (rachamim), this noun expresses compassion so deep it was etymologically linked to the womb (rechem) — a mother's fierce tenderness for her child. When applied to God, it becomes one of the defining attributes of the divine character: His mercies are 'great' (2 Sam 24:14), 'new every morning' (Lam 3:22-23), and paired with chesed (covenant love) as the twin pillars of divine faithfulness (Ps 103:4; Hos 2:21). Spanish 'entranas' (bowels) for the visceral sense and German 'Erbarmen' (mercy) for the theological sense reveal how translations navigate between the physical root and the spiritual meaning.
Senses
1. compassion, mercy — Compassion or mercies as a moral-theological quality, especially of God toward His people. The dominant sense (38 of 40 occurrences), used in prayers and praise: 'Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great' (2 Sam 24:14), and 'according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions' (Ps 51:1, alluding to this word family). Paired with chesed in Hos 2:21 and Ps 40:12, confirming its place in the covenant-love vocabulary. French 'compassion' and Spanish 'compasiones' render the abstract theological force, while Neh 9:19-31 uses it repeatedly to describe God's patience through Israel's rebellions. 38×
AR["بِ-رَحْمَتِكَ", "رَأفَتِكَ", "رَحْمَةً", "رَحْمَتِهِ", "كَ-رَحْمَتِكَ", "لِـ-رَحْمَةٍ", "مَراحِمَكَ", "مَرَاحِمَكَ", "مَرَاحِمُكَ", "مَرَاحِمُهُ", "وَ-بِـ-رَحْمَةٍ", "وَ-رَأفَةً"]·ben["-আমার-কাছে-তোমার-করুণা", "-করুণা", "-কিন্তু-করুণায়", "[তাঁর-করুণা]", "আপনার-করুণা", "এবং-করুণাতে", "করুণা", "করুণা-পাবে", "করুণায়", "তাঁর-করুণা", "তোমার-করুণা", "তোমার-করুণায়", "তোমার-করুণার"]·DE["Erbarmen", "[k]", "[ברחמיך]", "[וברחמים]", "[כרחמיך]", "[לרחמים]", "[רחמיו]", "dein-Erbarmen", "dein-Gnade", "fuer-compassion", "und-mercies"]·EN["His-mercies", "Your-compassion", "Your-compassions", "[k]", "according-to-your-mercies", "and-mercies", "and-with-compassion", "compassion", "for-compassion", "in-your-mercies", "mercy", "to-mercies", "your-mercy"]·FR["[k]", "compassion", "et-compassion", "et-compassions", "pour-compassion", "tes-compassions"]·heb["ב-רחמיך-ך", "ו-ב-רחמים", "ו-רחמים", "כ-רחמיך-ך", "ל-רחמים", "רחמ-ו", "רחמי-ך", "רחמיו", "רחמיו-ו", "רחמיך", "רחמים"]·HI["अपनी-दया-के-अनुसार", "अपनी-दया-में", "उसकी-दया", "और-दया", "और-दयाओंसे", "तेरी-दया", "दया", "दया-के-लिए", "दया-को", "दया-तेरी"]·ID["Belas-kasihan-Mu", "[belas-kasihan-Nya]", "belas-kasihan", "belas-kasihan-Mu", "belas-kasihan-Nya", "dalam-belas-kasihan-Mu", "dan-rahmat", "sesuai-belas-kasihan-Mu", "tetapi-dengan-belas-kasihan", "untuk-belas-kasihan"]·IT["[k]", "compassion", "compassione", "e-compassione", "e-in-compassione", "per-compassione"]·jav["Welas-asih-Paduka", "[K]", "ing-kawelasan-Paduka", "kanggé-kawelasan", "kawelasan", "kawelasan-Panjenengan", "kawelasanipun", "lan-kawelasan", "miturut-kawelasan-Paduka", "nanging-mawi-welas-asih", "sih-rahmat-ipun", "welas-asih-Paduka"]·KO["[그의-자비]", "궍플들-을", "그-긍휴들-이", "그리고-궍휴함-으로", "그리고-자비로-", "긍휴을", "긍휼히-여기도록", "긍흈을", "꺍휴함을", "꺍히-여김을", "당신-의-긍휼-이", "당신-의-꺍휴함들-이", "로-자비", "자비들-그의", "주-의-긍휴함-을", "주-의-긍휼-의", "주의-자비-대로", "주의-자비-안에서"]·PT["As-tuas-misericórdias", "Suas-compaixões", "[Sua-misericórdia]", "as-tuas-misericórdias", "compaixões", "conforme-misericórdias-Tuas", "de-tuas-compaixões", "e-com-misericórdias", "e-compaixões", "em-misericórdias-Tuas", "misericórdia", "misericórdias", "para-compaixão", "para-misericórdias", "suas-misericórdias", "tuas-misericordias", "tuas-misericórdias"]·RU["[кетив]", "Щедроты-Твои", "и-с-милостью", "и-щедротами", "к-милости", "милосердия-Его", "милосердия-Твоего", "милости", "милости-Его", "милость", "по-милости-Твоей", "щедрот-Твоих", "щедроты-Твои"]·ES["Compasiones-de-ti", "[su-compasión]", "compasiones-de-ti", "en-misericordias-de-ti", "misericordia", "misericordias", "para-misericordias", "pero-con-misericordias", "según-misericordias-de-ti", "sus-compasiones", "sus-misericordias", "tus-misericordias", "y-compasiones"]·SW["[huruma-zake]", "huruma", "huruma-yako", "huruma-zake", "huruma-zako", "katika-huruma-yako", "kwa-huruma-yako", "lrachamiym", "na-huruma", "na-kwa-huruma", "wa-huruma-zako", "waliowachukua-mateka"]·TR["[merhameti]", "merhamet", "merhamete", "merhameti-Onun", "merhametini", "merhametinin", "merhametleri-onun", "merhametlerin", "merhametlerine-göre", "merhametlerini", "merhametlerinle", "ve-merhametle", "ve-merhametle-"]·urd["[قری]", "اور-رحم-سے", "اُس-کی-رحمانیاں", "اُس-کی-رحمتیں", "اپنی-رحمتوں-میں", "اپنی-رحمتوں-کی", "اپنی-رحمتوں-کے-مطابق", "اپنی-رحمتیں", "تیری-رحمتیں", "رحم", "رحم-کے-لیے", "رحمتوں-کا", "کو-رحمت"]
Gen 43:14, Deut 13:17, 2 Sam 24:14, 2 Sam 24:14, 1 Kgs 8:50, 1 Chr 21:13, 2 Chr 30:9, Neh 1:11, Neh 9:19, Neh 9:27, Neh 9:28, Neh 9:31 (+26 more)
2. visceral tender feelings, bowels — Deep visceral feelings physically located in the bowels or inner organs, preserving the etymological link to rechem (womb). In Gen 43:30, Joseph's rachamim 'grew hot' (nikhmeru) toward Benjamin — a bodily, uncontrollable surge of brotherly love. In 1 Kgs 3:26 the true mother's rachamim 'burned' for her son before Solomon. Spanish 'entranas-suyas' (her bowels/innards) strikingly preserves the somatic dimension that the more abstract 'compassion' translations flatten. These two passages anchor a meaning closer to 'gut-wrenching tenderness' than to theological mercy. 2×
AR["أَحْشَاؤُهَا", "أَحْشَاؤُهُ"]·ben["তাঁর-স্নেহ", "তার-অন্তরের"]·DE["ihr-compassions", "sein-Erbarmen"]·EN["her-compassions", "his-compassions"]·FR["sa-compassions", "son-compassions"]·heb["רחמי-ה", "רחמיו-ו"]·HI["उसकी-अंतर-आत्मा", "उसकी-दया"]·ID["belas-kasihannya", "hatinya"]·IT["lei-compassions", "suo-compassions"]·jav["raos-welas-asihipun", "welas-asihipun"]·KO["그녀의-자궁이", "그의-꺍히-여긴이"]·PT["entranhas-dele", "suas-entranhas"]·RU["любовь-его", "утроба-её"]·ES["entrañas-suyas", "sus-entrañas"]·SW["juu-ya", "zimo"]·TR["merhameti", "rahmi"]·urd["رحم-اس-کا", "مامتا-اس-کی"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)G2309 1. want, desire (166×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† רַחֲמִים n.m. 2 S 24:14 abs.pl.intens. compassion (according to many denom. from רֶחֶם, orig. brotherhood, brotherly feeling, of those born from same womb, v. NöZMG xl (1886), 151 (yet v. 152) WeGGN 1893, 475 Gerber 126, or motherly feeling Köii. 1, 34);—abs. ר׳ Gn 43:14 +; cstr. רַחֲמֵי Pr 12:10; sf. רַחֲמָיו La 3:22 (Baer Gi; van d. H. Qr, Kt רחמו), 2 S 24:14 Qr (> Kt רחמו), etc.;— 1.…