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“to have pity or mercy on, to show mercy” to, e.g., Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 18:33;
20:30, 31 (three times in Mark, four in Luke); Rom. 9:15, 16, 18; 11:32; 12:8; Phil. 2:27;
Jude 22, 23; (b) in the passive voice, “to have pity or mercy shown one, to obtain mercy,”
Matt. 5:7; Rom. 11:30, 31; 1 Cor. 7:25; 2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:13, 16; 1 Pet. 2:10.
2.
(
*
&$
, 3627), akin to A, No. 2, “to have pity on” (from
, “pity”:
, an exclamation, = oh!), occurs in Rom. 9:15 (twice), where it follows No. 1 (twice);
the point established there and in Exod. 33:19, from the Sept. of which it is quoted, is that
the “mercy” and compassion shown by God are determined by nothing external to His
attributes. Speaking generally
is a stronger term than
.¶
3.
(
, 1
, 2433) in profane Greek meant “to conciliate, appease,
propitiate, cause the gods to be reconciled”; their goodwill was not regarded as their
natural condition, but as something to be earned. The heathen believed their gods to be
naturally alienated in feeling from man. In the NT the word never means to conciliate
God; it signifies (a) “to be propitious, merciful,” Luke 18:13, in the prayer of the
publican; (b) “to expiate, make propitiation for,” Heb. 2:17, “make propitiation.”
That God is not of Himself already alienated from man, see John 3:16. His attitude
toward the sinner does not need to be changed by his efforts. With regard to his sin, an
expiation is necessary, consistently with God’s holiness and for His righteousness’ sake,
and that expiation His grace and love have provided in the atoning sacrifice of His Son;
man, himself a sinner, justly exposed to God’s wrath (John 3:36), could never find an
expiation. As Lightfoot says, “when the NT writers speak at length on the subject of
Divine wrath, the hostility is represented, not as on the part of God, but of men.” Through
that which God has accomplished in Christ, by His death, man, on becoming regenerate,
escapes the merited wrath of God. The making of this expiation [(b) above], with its
effect in the mercy of God (a) is what is expressed in
.¶ The Sept. uses the
compound verb
@
, e.g., Gen. 32:20; Exod. 30:10, 15, 16; 32:30, and frequently
in Lev. and Num. See
PROPITIATION
.
C. Adjectives.
1.
(
# )
, 1655), “merciful,” akin to A, No. 1, not simply possessed of
pity but actively compassionate, is used of Christ as a High Priest, Heb. 2:17, and of
those who are like God, Matt. 5:7 (cf. Luke 6:35, 36, where the
RV
, “sons” is to be read,
as representing characteristics resembling those of their Father).¶
2.
(
*
&$
, 3629) “pitiful, compassionate for the ills of others,” a
stronger term than No. 1 (akin to A, No. 2), is used twice in Luke 6:36, “merciful” (of the
character of God, to be expressed in His people); Jas. 5:11,
RV
, “merciful,”
KJV
, “of
tender mercy.Ӧ
3.
(
(
, 2436), “propitious, merciful” (akin to B, No. 3), was used in profane
Greek just as in the case of the verb (which see). There is nothing of this in the use of the
word in Scripture. The quality expressed by it there essentially appertains to God, though
man is undeserving of it. It is used only of God, Heb. 8:12; in Matt. 16:22, “Be it far from
Thee” (Peter’s word to Christ) may have the meaning given in the
RV
marg., “(God) have
mercy on Thee,” lit., “propitious to Thee” (
KJV
marg., “Pity Thyself”)¶ Cf. the Sept., 2
Sam. 20:20; 23:17.