Mercy; Merciful

MERCY, MERCIFUL

Mercy (French merci) is traced, through ecclesiastical Latin, to merces (reward); it seems to have got its meaning from the exclamation of the alms-receiver, ‘Merci!’ i.e. ‘Reward to you (in heaven)!’ ‘May God reward you!’—the expression passing from the acknowledgment made to the bounty given, and then to the spirit prompting it. Thus mercy is by derivation allied to merit, merchant, mercenary, amerce.

1. In the OT, noun and adjective render two quite different Hebrew terms. (1) meaning primarily bowels (see Gen 43:30, 1Ki 3:26), then compassion or yearning, occurs as noun, adjective, or verb (‘have mercy,’ ‘show mercy’), with the tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘mercy’ over 60 times (Gen 43:14, Exo 34:6, Hab 3:2, are typical examples),—often ‘mercies’ or ‘tender mercies’ for the noun, imitating the Hebrew plural. In 5 instances the EV [Note: English Version.] translates by ‘pity,’ ‘pitiful’ (see Psa 103:13, Lam 4:10), in 17 by ‘compassion.’ In Gen 19:16 ‘merciful’ renders a synonym of the above, which appears elsewhere (2Sa 12:8, Isa 63:9 etc.) as ‘pity.’

(2) is a familiar OT word, occurring passim in the Psalms, denoting kindness or benignity, almost confined to the noun-form in this sense. It is rendered 43 times by kindness (often on the part of men), and 30 times by ‘lovingkindness’ (always of God, and mostly in Ps.), by mercy some 150 times in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ; other renderings—‘goodness,’ ‘favour,’ and ‘pity’—are occasional RV [Note: Revised Version.] frequently, the American Revisers uniformly, substitute ‘lovingkindness’ (wh. see) for ‘mercy’ where God is the subject. This attribute of J″ [Note: Jahweh.] lies nearer to the ‘grace’ (wh. see) than the ‘mercy’ of the NT, without implying necessarily, like the former, ill-desert in the object. It is associated frequently with ‘truth’ (wh. see) in J″ [Note: Jahweh.] —‘lovingkindness (mercy) and truth’ being the regnant qualities of His dealings with Israel—and with ‘covenant’ (Deu 7:9, 1Ki 8:23, Neh 1:6; Neh 9:32, Psa 89:28, Isa 55:8, Dan 9:4), as well as with ‘goodness’ and ‘compassion’ (above); while it is contrasted with ‘anger,’ ‘judgment,’ and ‘sacrifice’ (Mic 7:18, Psa 101:1, Hos 6:6). The word describes what one may call the characteristic temper of J″ [Note: Jahweh.] , His gracious disposition towards His chosen regarded in their dependence and necessities, His readiness to help, bless, relieve, forgive them—J″ [Note: Jahweh.] ’s ‘leal love’ (G. A. Smith).

(3) A third root, the noun of which is translated ‘grace’ (wh. see) and its adjective ‘gracious,’ appears in the verb 16 times as ‘be gracious’ or the like, and 16 times as ‘have’ or ‘show mercy’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] (Deu 7:2, Psa 4:1 etc.), thrice as ‘pity.’ This term seems to imply more of inclination, and (2) more of active disposition.

(4) The expression ‘be merciful’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] of Deu 21:8; Deu 32:43 is corrected by RV [Note: Revised Version.] to ‘forgive’ and ‘make expiation.’

2. Mercy in NT plays a part subordinate to that of love (wh. see). It represents a pair of Greek synonyms, both chiefly, but not exclusively, applied (in Scripture) to God. (a) As used in the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] , the ordinary term (noun, adjective, and verb) in its noun-form reproduced commonly (2) of the Hebrew words above indicated; but in adjective and verb more often (3), less frequently (1). It denotes compassion as a temper and motive of action rather than a sentiment—eleçmosynç (alms) is one of its derivatives; like ‘mercy,’ the Greek eleos regards its objects as weak or suffering, and is therefore narrower in range than the Hebrew (2) above defined. Out of the 27 examples of this noun in NT, 9 occur in OT allusions, 7 in salutations or benedictions; other examples are Mat 5:7, Luk 16:24, Rom 9:23, 2Co 4:1, Jas 3:17. The verb is more frequent. (b) The second of the Greek synonyms—verb, noun, and adjective—is more pathetic, and corresponds to (1) of the OT terms; hence the Hebraizing combinations of Php 2:1, Col 3:12, Jas 5:11 (Hebraistic equivalents replace the regular Greek terms in Eph 4:32, 1Pe 3:8). This tenderer significance ‘mercy’ hears in Luk 6:36, Rom 12:1, 2Co 1:3, Heb 10:28, also in Mat 18:33 (RV [Note: Revised Version.] , where AV [Note: Authorized Version.] reads ‘pity’). (c) ‘Of tender mercies’ in Jas 5:11 (AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ; RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘merciful’) represents a Hebraistic compound nearly the same as that rendered ‘tender-hearted’ in Eph 4:32 and 1Pe 3:8 (RV [Note: Revised Version.] ; AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘pitiful’). Akin to these adjectives is the verb occurring 12 times in the Synoptic Gospels, which is rendered ‘moved with compassion’ (moved to mercy), describing the emotion stirred in the breast of Jesus—e.g. by the cry, ‘Have mercy on us,’ of Mat 20:31-34.

G. G. Findlay.

mûr´si, mûr´si-fool (חסר, ḥeṣedh, רחם, rāḥam, חנן, ḥānan; ἔλεος, éleos, ἐλεέω, eleéō, οἰκτιρμός, oiktirmós): “Mercy” is a distinctive Bible word characterizing God as revealed to men.

In the Old Testament it is most often the translation of ḥeṣedh, “kindness,” “loving-kindness” (see LOVINGKINDNESS), but raḥămı̄m, literally, “bowels” (the sympathetic region), and ḥānan, “to be inclined to,” “to be gracious,” are also frequently translated “mercy”; eleos, “kindness,” “beneficence,” and eleéō, “to show kindness,” are the chief words rendering “mercy” in the New Testament; oiktirmos, “pity,” “compassion,” occurs a few times, also oiktı́rmōn, “pitiful,” eleḗmōn, “kind,” “compassionate,” twice; hı́leōs, “forgiving,” and anı́leōs, “not forgiving,” “without mercy,” once each (Heb 8:12; Jas 2:13).

(1) Mercy is (a) an essential quality of God (Exo 34:6, Exo 34:7; Deu 4:31; Psa 62:12, etc.); it is His delight (Mic 7:18, Mic 7:20; Psa 52:8); He is “the Father of mercies” (2Co 1:3), “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4), “full of pity, and merciful” (Jas 5:11); (b) it is associated with forgiveness (Exo 34:7; Num 14:18; 1Ti 1:13, 1Ti 1:16); (c) with His forbearance (Psa 145:8, “Yahweh is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great lovingkindness”; compare Roman Psa 2:4; Psa 11:1-7:32); (d) with His covenant (1Ki 8:23; Neh 1:5), with His justice (Psa 101:1), with His faithfulness (Psa 89:24), with His truth (Psa 108:4); mercy and truth are united in Pro 3:3; Pro 14:22, etc. (in Psa 85:10 we have “Mercy and truth are met together”); (e) it goes forth to all (Psa 145:9, “Yahweh is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works”; compare Psa 145:16, “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing,” the Revised Version margin “satisfiest every living thing with favor”); (f) it shows itself in pitying help (Exo 3:7; Ezr 9:9 f), supremely in Christ and His salvation (Luk 1:50, Luk 1:54, Luk 1:58; Eph 2:4); (g) it is abundant, practically infinite (Psa 86:5, Psa 86:15; Psa 119:64); (h) it is everlasting (1Ch 16:34, 1Ch 16:41; Ezr 3:11; Psa 100:5; 136 repeatedly).

(2) “Mercy” is used of man as well as of God, and is required on man’s part toward man and beast (Deu 25:4; Psa 37:21; Psa 109:16; Pro 12:10; Dan 4:27; Mic 6:8; Mat 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy”; 25:31-46; Luk 6:36, “Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful”; Luk 10:30 f, the Good Samaritan; Luk 14:12-16; Jas 3:17).

(3) In the New Testament “mercy” (eleos, usually the Septuagint translation of ḥeṣedh) is associated with “grace” (cháris) in the apostolical greetings and elsewhere. Trench points out that the difference between them is that the freeness of God’s love is the central point of charis, while eleos has in view misery and its relief; charis is His free grace and gift displayed in the forgiveness of sins - extended to men as they are guilty; His eleos (is extended to them) as they are miserable. The lower creation may be the object of His mercy (eleos), but man alone of His grace (charis); he alone needs it and is capable of receiving it (Synonyms of the New Testament, 163 f).

(4) From all the foregoing it will be seen that mercy in God is not merely His pardon of offenders, but His attitude to man, and to the world generally, from which His pardoning mercy proceeds. The frequency with which mercy is enjoined on men is specially deserving of notice, with the exclusion of the unmerciful from sonship to the all-merciful Father and from the benefits of His mercifulness. Shakespeare’s question, “How canst thou hope for mercy rendering none?” is fully warranted by our Lord’s teaching and by Scripture in general; compare especially the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Mat 18:21-35).

(5) As the rule, the American Standard Revised Version has “lovingkindness” for “mercy” when ḥeṣedh is used of God, and “kindness” when it is used of men in relation to each other. “Compassion” (translation of rāḥam) is also in several instances substituted for “mercy” (Isa 9:17; Isa 14:1; Isa 27:11; Jer 13:14; Jer 30:18), also “goodness” (translation of ḥeṣedh referring to man) (Hos 4:1; Hos 6:6).