The Popular Use of the Term Mercy

The adjective merciful refers to somebody or some event that brings someone relief from something unpleasant. It also has as its synonyms: forgiving, compassionate, clement, pitying, forbearing, lenient, humane, mild, kind, softhearted, tenderhearted, gracious, sympathetic, humanitarian, liberal, tolerant, indulgent, generous, magnanimous, benign, benevolent, and more.

First of all, we should know that the term mercy is a freelance usage of the French word merci from 1066, referring to the spirit and action of compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. When we apply it to God with the light of scriptures and Christian tradition, we name it grace to denote the fact that God is blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy. And when God is not punishing us as our sins deserve, we call it "mercy" (Ref. Online Blog 'Got Questions? org).

So many centuries, millions of us have been accustomed to using this term in our private and liturgical prayers. Undoubtedly, the origin of it is our scriptures, which were sharpened and shaped by Christian traditions. From the second century, as Arrian writes in Diatribæ Epicteti, II, 7, the Greek Kyrie Eleison, translated in English "Lord have mercy," has been used by Christians in invoking God. This Christian use was based on the scriptural usages of the same, both in OT (for example, Psa. 4:2, 6:3, 9:14, 25:11, 121:3; Isa. 33:2; Tob. 8:10) and NT (Matt. 9:27, 20:30, 15:22; Mark 10:47; Luke 16:24, 17:13).

This formula of prayer or litany most of the time in the liturgies is used by us as a parrot's rattling, not fully grasping its meaning and background. While all the Eastern rites use the form Kyrie Eleison constantly, Roman Catholic rites, especially in the Mass, this is recited or sung before important parts of the Eucharist, for example, at its beginning and before Holy Communion.

Surely the only time most of us recite it from the depths of our soul is when we feel guilty of our sinfulness and when we think of our final hours. And that too many times is handled as a source of getting a cathartic experience to release my emotional disturbances. But as any other strategies offered to us by the Church, the recitation of "Lord have mercy" contains in it some amazing spiritual in-depth treasure that will assist us in attaining our jubilee year goal. To benefit the most out of the application of "mercy" in our life this jubilee year and the years to come, we should first get into mercy's real meaning and its scriptural background.

Viewing Mercy through Biblical Spectrum

The Hebrew word [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], HESED or CHESED used in the Hebrew Bible, is one of the richest, most powerful words in the Old Testament. Our beloved authors of scriptural books, due to their human ability or inability and being enamored of their close encounter with God's HESED, tried their best to explain it by many nouns and verbs available at their times, using allegorical or metaphoric poetic styles to personify the divine activities contained in the Hebrew word HESED.

Historically, the Hebrew term CHESED has proved itself a very challenging one to be translated in its full meaning. Biblical scholars have often complained about this difficulty, especially in translating it into English, because it really has no precise equivalent in our language. However, over the years, many tried their best to represent it with all its fullness. English versions usually try to represent it with such words as "loving kindness," "enduring mercy," "steadfast love," "goodness," "favor," "great love without end" and sometimes "faithfulness," "loyalty," but the full meaning of the word cannot be conveyed without an explanation.

As the development of biblical translations in the pursuit of right and relevance, not only to original manuscripts, but also to easier application in particular age and culture, we can see that the original term CHESED has been handled differently both in OT and NT. Just one example: While the OT translation upheld CHESED as covenantal loyalty — "For it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6) — in NT, to emphasize the humans' response to the covenant, translators use mercy for CHESED "Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners" (Matt. 9:13) and "If you knew what this meant, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned these innocent men" (Matt. 12:7). All these translated words are taken from NABRE.

As the Biblical Translation History testifies, the first translators of the OT (third century BC) in Greek Septuagint version pervasively used the word ELEOS, meaning CHESED as "mercy" and "pity." When Christianity was established and spread to the world from the banks of the Thames River in fourth century AD, Jerome, in his Vulgate Latin translation of the entire Bible — OT and NT — used MISERICORDIA (mercy) to translate the Greek term ELEOS (ref. to the article by Norman H. Snaith, reproduced from A Theological Word Book of the Bible, edited by Alan Richardson (New York: MacMillan, 1951). From those years onward, translators, keeping always the Hebrew CHESED in mind, began coining variety of terms to bring out its deeper meaning.

In most of our scriptural books, Hesed is translated as "mercy" or "compassion." According to Rabbi Harold M. Kamsler, a biblical scholar and writer, the English term mercy or compassion for the translation of the Hebrew word CHESED' used in the Bible is not correct (Ref. Nelson Glueck, Hesed in the Bible [Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1967]). Rabbi Kamsler's contention is that most of those translations use CHESED' to point out only the singular attitude and actions of God; however, in reality, the Hebrew term CHESED' describes a mutual relationship between man and God. Rabbi Kamsler suggests that the best English word to use as a translation for CHESED' would be "loyalty."

Though we may agreeably disagree with half of such statement, as we go deeper into it, we discover the complete meaning of hesed. In the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon we find that "hesed of man" is described as kindness of men toward men in doing favors and benefits; kindness extended to the lowly, needy, and miserable; mercy, and (rarely) affection or love of Israel to God, piety; lovely appearance. As for the hesed of God, the lexicon notes it denoting God's redemption from enemies and troubles; in preservation of life from death; in quickening of spiritual life; in redemption from sin; in keeping the covenants, with Abraham, with Moses and Israel.

The Hebrew CHESED' is charis (grace), as Luther realized when he used the German Gnade for both words. However, agreeing with the rabbi Harold M. Kamsler's findings, some translators of the Bible, particularly the OT books, they have utilized "loyalty" or "faithfulness" to represent CHESED'.

Let us deeply go into some biblical verses where the Hebrew term HESED or CHESED was used and later how the translators have decoded it. For this purpose, I prefer the book of Psalms in OT, mainly because King David was never wearied to repeat in most of his Psalms the presence and importance of God's HESED, which is an embodiment of the virtues of mercy, justice, and faithfulness. Let me quote a few passages where David is overwhelmed with this titillating truth.

Psalm 86

In the Orthodox Jewish Bible, we read in this Psalm many times the term CHESED (HESED), for instance,

For Thou, Adonoi, art tov, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in chesed unto all them that call upon Thee.

The NABRE version translation of the Psalm looks this way:

Lord, you are good and forgiving, most merciful to all who call on you ... Your mercy to me is great ... But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and truth. Turn to me, be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the son of your handmaid.

In the King James Version we find the following:

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

Psalm 143

Psalm 143 contains a prayer of an oppressed person pleading support from God out of his CHESED:

Cause me to hear Thy chesed in the boker ... And in Thy "CHESED" silence mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my nefesh. (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

In the morning let me hear of your mercy, for in you I trust ... In your mercy put an end to my foes and all those who are oppressing my soul. (NABRE)

Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning ... In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries. (NRSV)

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul. (King James Version)

Psalm 98:3, 9

In the Orthodox Jewish Bible, we read the following:

He hath remembered His "CHESED" and His emes toward the Bais Yisroel; all the ends of ha'aretz have seen the Yeshu'at Eloheinu (salvation of our G-d). Before Hashem; for He cometh to judge ha'aretz; with tzedek shall He judge the tevel, and the people with meisharim (uprightness).

NABRE translates the verses in the following manner:

God has remembered his mercy and faithfulness toward the house of Israel ... Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, to govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.

In the King James Bible, it is encoded:

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Psalm 63: 4(3)

Because Thy "CHESED is better than chayyim. (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

For your love is better than life. (NABRE)

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life. (King James Version)

Because your gracious love is better than life itself. (International Standard Version)

Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself. (New English Translation)

Psalm 92:3

We are told that this Psalm is a hymn of praise and thanks for God's faithful deeds. It is usually sung on the Sabbath. In its third verse, while the Hebrew term Hesed (Chesed) is preserved in its original form in a Jewish Bible version, all other English-version translators have employed mercy and other terms containing a wider meaning of mercy:

To proclaim Thy "CHESED" in the boker, and Thy emunah baleilot. (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

To show forth thy mercy in the morning and thy faithfulness every night. (Jubilee Bible Version)

To proclaim your gracious love in the morning and your faithfulness at night (International Standard Version)

To declare your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night. (New King James Version)

To proclaim your love at daybreak, your faithfulness in the night. (NABRE and NIV)

Psalm 119:149

This verse is translated in the following ways by many translators:

Hear my voice according unto Thy "CHESED"; Hashem, revive me according to Thy mishpat. (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

Hear my voice in your mercy, O LORD; by your judgment give me life. (NABRE)

In your love hear my voice, O Lord; give me life by your decrees. (Grail)

Hear my voice in your love, O Lord; by your edict give me life. (NAB)

In keeping with Your faithful love, hear my voice. LORD, give me life in keeping with Your justice. (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Hear my voice according to your gracious love. LORD, revive me in keeping with your justice. (International Standard Version)

Listen to me because of your loyal love! O LORD, revive me, as you typically do! (NET Bible)

In your faithful love, Yahweh, listen to my voice, let your judgements give me life. (New Jerusalem Bible)

Psalm 117:2

This is the shortest of Psalms that invites all people to acknowledge God's supremacy. It sounds like the constant heartbeat of Israelites who vividly understood that their secure existence was indebted entirely to God's condescending fidelity:

For His "CHESED is mighty toward us; and the Emes Hashem endureth l'olam (forever). (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

His mercy for us is strong; the faithfulness of the LORD is forever. (NABRE)

Strong is his love for us; he is faithful forever. (Grail)

The Lord's love for us is strong; the Lord is faithful forever. (NAB)

For his faithful love is strong and his constancy never-ending (New Jerusalem Bible)

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. (Gateway)

For he loves us with unfailing love; the LORD's faithfulness endures forever. (New Living Translation)

For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. (English Standard Version)

For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. (New American Standard Version)

For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth forever. (King James Bible)

For his loyal love towers over us, and the LORD's faithfulness endures. (NET Bible)

Because his grace has prevailed upon us! Truly, Lord Jehovah is to eternity! (Aramaic Bible in plain English)

His mercy toward us is powerful. The LORD's faithfulness endures forever. (God's Word Translation)

For His mercy is great toward us; and the truth of the LORD endureth forever. (JPS Tanakh 1917)

Psalm 63, for instance, is a hymn of David, who composed it according to biblical scholars while he was in the wilderness of Judah. While there are many other Psalms, like Psalm 23, which portray the connections and interactions happening between God and humans, Psalm 63 splendidly expresses the intimate relationship existing between God and his devotees. David seeks his God day and night, with his body yearning and with his soul thirsting as if in a parched, lifeless land. It is because he believes that God is his savior, living joyfully in the shadow of his wings; his soul clings fast to God who mutually upholds him with his right hand.

For our purpose, let us take one verse from this Psalm: "God's love is better than life." It surely demonstrates David's resilient conviction about God's favorable and loving interaction with him. What kind of interaction is he talking about? The Aramaic word Chasdecha, found in the original manuscript, has been translated in many interpreted ways. What I am quoting here is "God's love" from my usually used NABRE translation. But if we browse some other translations, we will come to understand the full content of this Spirit-revealed term: "steadfast love" (ESV); "loving kindness" (KJV and ASV); "mercy" (BBE); "faithful love" (CEB); "grace (TCJB); "constant love" (GNT); "loyal love" (LEB). We can derive from all these various translations that the terms love, mercy, kindness, grace, and so on are only the exposition of various dimensions of God's CHESED'.

Psalm 100 is a hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them. We can observe in this Psalm how the Psalmist has been preoccupied with the HESED of God as he includes it to be in many of his Psalms as this so that God's people cannot but forget the covenantal deal they and God have made when they said "Amen" to his thunderous but sweet voice. We too can see in verse 100:5 how the original Hebrew word HESED (CHESED) has been handled by different translators:

For Hashem is good; His "CHESED" is l'olam; and His emunah (faithfulness) endureth dor vador. (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

Good indeed is the LORD, his mercy endures forever, his faithfulness lasts through every generation. (NABRE)

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (King James Version)

For the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations. (NET)

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (New International Translation)

In addition to the two meanings contained in CHESED, if we begin to read many of the biblical verses, adding loyalty wherever "CHESED comes, especially the Psalms, we would be amazed to get a deeper insight on "HESED." Let us take for an example Psalm 136 and add the word loyalty. We would not only hear the Psalm sounding better, but it would also make more sense to the revelation of God to us:

Praise the LORD, for he is good; because forever is His loyalty (for his mercy endures forever) Praise the God of gods; because forever is His loyalty (for his mercy endures forever) Praise the Lord of lords; because forever is His loyalty (for his mercy endures forever)