How was Mercy understood in the Old Testament?
The fact that God is merciful should not surprise us. The Holy Bible has over 400 direct references to the Mercy of God. There are many more indirect references. Fifty-five of the Psalms praise God's Mercy. Belief in a Merciful God became one of the characteristics of the Jewish religion. We could almost call the Holy Bible the DIARY OF GOD'S MERCY toward mankind.
The Hebrew language knows five terms for mercy. They are: Hesed, Rahamim, Hanan, Hamal and Hus. Each of these terms indicates a slightly different meaning associated with mercy.
The most common Old Testament term specifying friendly feeling expressed in helpingis the word Hesed. It describes the attitude of kindness that characterizes relation between two people. In interpersonal relations, this expression means mutual kindness, to which relatives, loved ones and friends are obligated to, and in relation to God - filial love. Hesed also means grace and love, but on the basis of a commitment to faithfulness, therefore, if hesed refers to God, it always connects to the Covenant that He made with his people. For people, this covenant is a gift and grace, for God - a legal obligation. God in this Covenant, unlike in the case of man, is changeless, just as His faithfulness is immutable and irrevocable. Therefore, hesed turns into a giving and forgiving love. Someone who has the attribute of hesed is someone you can always count on, someone who never lets you down.
In a remarkable endnote to his encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), Pope John Paul II teaches that hesed contains the meaning of faithfulness to oneself, to one's own promises and commitments to others.
When in the Old Testament the word hesed is used of the Lord, this always occurs in connection with the covenant that God established with Israel.
This covenant was, on God's part, a gift and a grace for Israel God had made a commitment to respect it ... [this divine hesed] showed itself as what it was at the beginning, that is, as a love that gives, love more powerful than betrayal, grace stronger than sin (cf. DM no. 52).
Another word for expressing mercy is Rahamim. It comes from a root word rechem, which means a mother's womb. The word literally means the guts, the heart as the seat of the most delicate feelings of love and mercy. At the same time, this term also includes the readiness to forgive sins, the fulfillment of hope, a promise, and liberation from all dangers. Rachamim - tender, compassionate love, a love that springs from pity. Rahamim includes a certain compulsion of the heart to love and to forgive sins. It is a mercy that will later be rendered in Latin using the word misericordia. Someone who has rahamim is someone who feels for your plight and is moved with compassion to help you. Rachamim is often used in conjunction with hesed. Thus, there is a special intimacy and responsiveness about this kind of love, and a special concern for the sufferings of others.
The Holy Father Saint John Paul II sees hesed as, in a sense, a masculine form of love (steadfast, dependable, righteous, being true to oneself and to one's promises), while rachamim is more feminine (tender, responsive, compassionate, like a mother responding in love to the sufferings of her child).
The term Hanan, expresses God's kind and gracious disposition towards man and it is synonymous with the word mercy.
Another term containing the content of mercy is the Hebrew Hamal, which has two aspects. It means sparing the enemy - a gesture of mercy in a negative sense, for the sake of saving from evil, as well as an act of mercy - pardon and forgiving him the guilt, that is, acting positive, for his benefit. These two aspects are interconnected in different cases, but to a different extent.
The last term for mercy in the Old Testament is Hus, a word that expresses pity and compassion, primarily in an emotional sense. It occurs very rare in the Scriptures.
These terms in the Old Testament make it clear that mercy was not reserved only for the chosen people but was universal. Such an Old Testament approach to mercy exceeded the framework of Jewish nationalism, opening at the same time to the entire pagan world. We can see that in the Old Testament there is a continual clash between God's justice and His mercy, and yet mercy always prevails over the justice, as long as people are converted. Old Testament mercy refers to the forgiveness of sins, preserving from suffering, caring for people, saving from enemies. The main object of this mercy is temporal goods, both spiritual and material. Eternal goods are not excluded, but they are not emphasized so significantly.
Divine Mercy is the heart of the Bible. If we really look at how God has revealed Himself in, we discover afresh how mercy is essential to understanding His message of love and salvation.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george