Texts in Conversation
Exodus 34 describes God as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and full of loyal love. Psalm 111 uses this language in a hymn, applying the same qualities to the memory of God’s deeds.
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Exodus 34:6
Hebrew Bible
4 So Moses cut out two tablets of stone like the first; early in the morning he went up to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name. 6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” 8 Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalm 111:4
Hebrew Bible
2 The Lord’s deeds are great, eagerly awaited by all who desire them. 3 His work is majestic and glorious, and his faithfulness endures forever. 4 He does amazing things that will be remembered; the Lord is merciful and compassionate. 5 He gives food to his faithful followers; he always remembers his covenant. 6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land that belonged to other nations.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Similarly, the singular noun םֶחֶר ("hesed") differs in its meaning from the plural form םיִמֲחַר ("heshedim", sometimes translated "acts of compassion"). A humble or weak person requests םיִמֲחַר when needing help from a stronger person. The humble person may appeal to the emotions of the stronger one (e.g., Isaiah 63:15), and it was expected that such an emotional response would lead to action (Jeremiah 42:12; Psalm 51:3). The םחר ("hesed") word group denotes a positive, emotional, and active response to a person in a weak or penitent state. This suggests that the adjective םוּחַר ("rahum") should be translated "compassionate." ןוּנַּח ("racham") also appears 13 times, 12 of which refer to YHWH. (They appear together in Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Nehamiah 9:17; and 2 Chronicles 30:9 ... In Psalm 112:4 both adjectives refer, seemingly, to a righteous person. This exception must stand even though many LXX manuscripts specify God as the subject) ..."
Surls, Austin
Making Sense of the Divine Name in the Book of Exodus: From Etymology to Literary Onomastics
(p. 145) Eisenbrauns, 2017
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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