Psalm 145:8 kjv
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psalm 145:8 nkjv
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
Psalm 145:8 niv
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145:8 esv
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:8 nlt
The LORD is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
Psalm 145 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 34:6 | "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger..." | Primary source of divine attributes. |
| Num 14:18 | "The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving..." | Echoes divine patience and faithfulness. |
| Neh 9:17 | "...but You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger... Your great love." | God's steadfast mercy in the face of rebellion. |
| Psa 86:15 | "But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love..." | Direct parallel of God's compassionate nature. |
| Psa 103:8 | "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." | Highlights God's tenderness and patience. |
| Psa 111:4 | "He has caused His wonderful deeds to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate." | Links God's character to His works. |
| Psa 130:7 | "For with the LORD is unfailing love, and with Him is full redemption." | Abundant love linked to redemption. |
| Joe 2:13 | "For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love..." | Call to repentance based on God's character. |
| Jon 4:2 | "I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love..." | Jonah's accurate, if resentful, understanding. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end..." | God's unfailing hesed as basis for hope. |
| Rom 2:4 | "Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience?" | God's forbearance leading to repentance. |
| Rom 9:15-16 | "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." | God's sovereign right to extend mercy. |
| Eph 2:4-5 | "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive..." | Salvation rooted in God's rich mercy and love. |
| Tit 3:4-5 | "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared... He saved us..." | Salvation based on God's grace and love. |
| Jas 5:11 | "...the Lord is full of compassion and mercy." | Echoes God's tender-heartedness. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise... Instead He is patient with you..." | God's patience allowing for salvation. |
| Psa 30:5 | "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime..." | God's patience vs. His enduring favor. |
| Psa 36:5 | "Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens..." | Magnifies the vastness of God's love. |
| Hos 11:8 | "How can I give you up, Ephraim?... My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is aroused." | God's inner struggle showcasing His mercy. |
| 1 John 4:8 | "God is love." | Simple, profound statement of God's essence. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence..." | Access to God based on His graciousness. |
| Deut 4:31 | "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God..." | God's compassionate nature assured. |
Psalm 145 verses
Psalm 145 8 Meaning
Psalm 145:8 declares foundational attributes of God's character, revealing His essence as one who consistently extends unearned favor and deep empathy towards His creation. He is characterized by incredible patience, restraining His wrath, and His primary disposition is an overflowing, loyal, and unfailing commitment to love and kindness, especially within His covenant relationship with His people. This verse paints a picture of a benevolent and enduringly merciful Deity.
Psalm 145 8 Context
Psalm 145 is the final Davidic psalm in the Book of Psalms, positioned as a climactic declaration of praise and testimony to God's character. It is an acrostic psalm, meaning each verse (or pairs of verses in some ancient traditions) begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This literary device emphasizes the comprehensive and complete nature of the praise directed towards God, suggesting that every facet of existence points to Him.
Verse 8, beginning with the Hebrew letter 'Chet' (ח), comes after verses extolling God's greatness, power, and marvelous works (vv. 3-7). It transitions to focusing directly on God's personal attributes, His inherent character. This verse does not merely describe what God does but who God is. Historically, this phrasing ("gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love") echoes the quintessential revelation of God's character to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, often referred to as the "credo" of God's nature. This recurrence across centuries and texts signifies its fundamental importance in Israelite theology, contrasting the consistent, benevolent nature of Yahweh with the capricious, unpredictable, and often malevolent deities of surrounding pagan cultures whose worship often relied on appeasement and fear. It reaffirms Yahweh as a God of relational fidelity and enduring mercy.
Psalm 145 8 Word analysis
The LORD: Representing YHWH (יהוה), the personal, covenant name of God revealed to Moses. It speaks to God's self-existence and His specific, redemptive relationship with His people, not just a generic deity.
is gracious (channun - חַנּוּן): Rooted in chen (grace/favor). It denotes an active, unearned kindness, a spontaneous benevolent inclination towards the undeserving, often in situations of distress or need. It's favor freely extended, not merited.
and compassionate (rachum - רַחוּם): Derived from rechem (womb). This word signifies a deep, tender, instinctive, and heartfelt pity or mercy, similar to a parent's profound care for their child. It speaks to an emotional empathy and profound loving-kindness emanating from the very core of God's being.
slow to anger ('erekh 'appayim - אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם): Literally "long of nostrils" or "long of face." In ancient Semitic thought, anger was often depicted as hot breath or flaring nostrils. "Long of nostrils" signifies holding back breath, thus deferring anger, enduring patiently before judgment. It implies immense forbearance and patience, allowing opportunity for repentance rather than immediate punishment.
and abounding in steadfast love (ve-rav chesed - וְרַב־חֶסֶד):
- abounding (rav - רַב): Meaning great, much, plentiful, numerous. It denotes an overflow, a superabundance.
- in steadfast love (chesed - חֶסֶד): One of the richest and most complex terms in the Hebrew Bible. It encompasses covenant loyalty, faithfulness, loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, and active devotion. It is not just an emotion but an unwavering commitment that translates into action, especially within a relationship. It signifies God's unwavering faithfulness to His promises and His chosen people, an unfailing love that endures even when humanity fails.
Words-group analysis: The coupling of channun and rachum emphasizes both God's free grace and His tender empathy. The phrase "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" often appears together, painting a holistic picture of God's patient nature and the profound depth of His enduring covenant faithfulness. This divine quartet of attributes – graciousness, compassion, patience, and unfailing loyal love – forms the very bedrock of God's interaction with humanity.
Psalm 145 8 Bonus section
This verse functions as a doxology and an anchor of theological truth within the psalm. Its inclusion is vital as it provides the "why" behind much of the praise in Psalm 145. We praise God not just for what He does, but for who He is. This core statement about God's character is echoed and exemplified throughout biblical narrative, from His forgiveness of Israel after the Golden Calf (Exo 32-34) to the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodies these attributes (John 3:16). The understanding of God as "slow to anger" is crucial for spiritual growth, fostering repentance rooted in hope of forgiveness, rather than fear of immediate retribution.
Psalm 145 8 Commentary
Psalm 145:8 articulates the unchanging essence of God, drawn from His self-revelation at Sinai. These are not merely admirable traits but fundamental characteristics defining how He relates to His creation. His "graciousness" is His undeserved favor; His "compassion" is His tender, empathetic heart. Being "slow to anger" means He exercises incredible patience, providing space for repentance and redemption before judgment. This patience is further undergirded by His "abounding steadfast love" (hesed), a boundless, faithful love that commits to His covenant people despite their shortcomings. This quartet of attributes forms the bedrock of our hope, assuring us that God desires restoration over condemnation, mercy over judgment, and enduring relationship over abandonment. It encourages trust, invites repentance, and calls for praise because His fundamental nature ensures His enduring faithfulness towards those who call upon Him.