Lexical Summary
racham: To have compassion, to show mercy, to love deeply
Original Word:רָחַם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:racham
Pronunciation:rah-KHAM
Phonetic Spelling:(raw-kham')
KJV: have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy(-iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, X surely
NASB:have compassion, has compassion, have mercy
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to fondle
2. (by implication) to love
3. (especially) to compassionate
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
have compassion on, upon, love, find, have, obtain, show merciful, on,
A primitive root; to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate -- have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy(-iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, X surely.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origindenominative verb from
rachamDefinitionto love, have compassion
NASB Translationcompassion (1), compassionate (1), find compassion (1), finds mercy (1), had (2), had compassion (2), has compassion (4), have compassion (20), have had compassion (1), have mercy (2), have pity (1), have...compassion (3), have...mercy (2), love (1), mercy (1), obtained compassion (1), Ruhamah (1), show compassion (2), surely have mercy (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] .
; —
Imperfect 1 singular suffixPsalm 18:2I love thee (perhaps gloss; see not in ""2 Samuel 22:2; Hi Ch SS Gerber read ).
Perfect3masculine singularPsalm 103:13 +; suffix consecutiveDeuteronomy 13:18, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 9:16 +; suffixIsaiah 55:7, etc.;Infinitive absoluteJeremiah 31:20;Habakkuk 3:2; constructIsaiah 49:15;Psalm 103:13; suffixIsaiah 30:18;ParticiplePsalm 116:5, etc.; —have compassion, compassionate; —
,Exodus 33:19 (twice in verse) (J)Deuteronomy 13:18;Deuteronomy 30:3;2 Kings 13:23;Isaiah 9:16;Isaiah 14:1;Isaiah 27:11;Isaiah 30:18;Isaiah 49:10,13;Isaiah 54:8,10;Isaiah 55:7;Isaiah 60:10;Jeremiah 12:15;Jeremiah 30:18;Jeremiah 31:20 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 33:26;Ezekiel 39:25;Hosea 1:6,7;Hosea 2:6;Hosea 2:25;Micah 7:19;Zechariah 1:12;Zechariah 10:6;Psalm 102:14; withPsalm 103:13; absoluteJeremiah 13:14;Habakkuk 3:2;Psalm 116:5;Lamentations 3:32.
1 Kings 8:50;Jeremiah 42:12; absoluteJeremiah 6:23;Jeremiah 21:7;Jeremiah 50:42; elsewhere of children, with accusativeIsaiah 13:18;Isaiah 49:15; withPsalm 103:13.
Perfect3feminine singularHosea 2:3;Hosea 2:25 (Ges§ 152a N. Köi. 270); —Imperfect3masculine singularHosea 14:4;Proverbs 28:13;be shewn compassion, compassionated: of orphansHosea 14:4; children of Israel wife of YahwehHosea 2:3;Hosea 2:25 (compareHosea 1:6,8, p. 520); penitent sinnerProverbs 28:13.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Imageryרָחַם (racham) expresses deep, tender affection that issues in concrete acts of kindness. Etymologically linked to רֶחֶם (rechem, “womb”), the verb paints a picture of the protective, nurturing compassion a mother has for an infant (compareIsaiah 49:15). Hence the term denotes far more than momentary pity; it conveys steadfast, covenant-grounded mercy that moves the heart to intervene for the helpless.
Canonical Distribution
The verb occurs forty-seven times, scattered throughout the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets. It appears eight times in the Pentateuch (chiefly in Exodus and Deuteronomy), five times in the Historical Books, eleven times in the Psalms and Wisdom literature, and twenty-three times in the Prophets. The concentration in prophetic oracles of judgment and restoration underscores racham as a decisive divine response in moments of crisis.
Racham as a Divine Attribute
1. Yahweh’s self-revelation: “I will show mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Exodus 33:19). The verb stands beside חָנַן (chanan, “be gracious”), showing that compassion and grace work in tandem within God’s character.
2. Covenantal loyalty: “Then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you” (Deuteronomy 30:3). Even after severe covenant curses, racham guarantees the possibility of restoration.
3. Fatherly kindness: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13). Divine racham is personal and relational, springing from a parent-child bond created by the covenant.
4. Unfailing in affliction: “Though He causes grief, He will have compassion according to His abundant loving devotion” (Lamentations 3:32). Jeremiah highlights racham as the final word over judgment.
5. Hope for the nations: “I will show compassion to them and bring them back to their own land” (Jeremiah 12:15). Post-exilic oracles extend racham beyond Israel, foreshadowing universal mercy fulfilled in the Gospel.
Human Participation in Compassion
Scripture calls God’s people to mirror His racham.
• “Whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy” (Proverbs 28:13) links divine compassion to repentance and ethical transformation.
• In royal administration, “The LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and turned toward them” (2 Kings 13:23), modeling the ideal of compassionate leadership.
• Joseph’s yearning for Benjamin and “his compassion burned within him” (Genesis 43:30, noun derived) illustrates racham flowing from family bonds; God expects the same tenderness among covenant brothers and sisters.
Covenantal and Redemptive Themes
Racham frames the drama of exile and return. Prophets repeatedly anchor restoration in Yahweh’s compassion:
• “I will restore Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings” (Jeremiah 30:18).
• “My heart churns within Me… I will not destroy Ephraim, for I am God… I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:8-9; verb implied).
• “I will sow her for Myself in the land; I will have compassion on Lo-Ruhamah” (Hosea 2:23), turning a name that once meant “No Compassion” into a living testimony of divine mercy.
Christological and Eschatological Trajectory
The Septuagint consistently renders racham with ἐλεέω (eleeō), the verb later used of Jesus Christ: “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes” (Matthew 20:34). The Gospel writers therefore present Christ as the embodied racham of Yahweh. New-covenant believers experiencing divine mercy (1 Peter 1:3) fulfill prophetic expectations such asZechariah 10:6, “I will strengthen the house of Judah… for I have compassion on them.”
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Racham offers a vocabulary for proclaiming the balance of holiness and mercy. Sermons onExodus 33 orPsalm 103 can highlight God’s willingness to forgive without compromising justice.
• Counseling: The womb-imagery encourages believers to rest in God’s nurturing care, especially those wounded by abandonment or shame.
• Worship: Songs and prayers that celebrate covenant mercy (e.g.,Lamentations 3:22-23) cultivate gratitude and humility.
• Missions and social action: The prophetic linkage of racham to restoration calls the church to practical compassion for the oppressed, refugees, and the unborn—mirroring the “womb-love” of God in tangible service.
Key Passages for Meditation and Teaching
Exodus 33:19;Deuteronomy 30:3;2 Kings 13:23;Psalm 103:13;Proverbs 28:13;Lamentations 3:32;Jeremiah 31:20;Hosea 2:23;Micah 7:19;Zechariah 10:6.
Racham thus threads through Scripture as a golden cord binding God’s holiness to His love, summoning His people to receive and reflect the same steadfast compassion in every sphere of life and ministry.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲֽרַחֲמֶ֖נּוּ אֲרַחֵ֑ם אֲרַחֵ֔ם אֲרַחֵ֖ם אֲרַחֵֽם׃ אֲרַחֵם֙ אֶרְחָמְךָ֖ ארחם ארחם׃ ארחמך ארחמנו וְרִֽחֲמֽוּם׃ וְרִֽחַמְךָ֣ וְרִֽחַמְתִּ֑ים וְרִֽחַמְתִּ֖י וְרִחֲמֶ֑ךָ וְרִחַ֖ם וְרִחַ֣ם וְרִחַמְתִּ֖י וְרִחַמְתִּֽים׃ וִֽירַחֲמֵ֔הוּ וַֽיְרַחֲמֵם֙ וירחמהו וירחמם ורחם ורחמום׃ ורחמך ורחמתי ורחמתים ורחמתים׃ יְרַֽחֲמֵ֔נוּ יְרַחֲמֶ֣נּוּ יְרַחֵ֔ם יְרַחֵ֔מוּ יְרַחֵ֨ם יְרַחֵֽם׃ יְרֻחַ֥ם יְרֻחָֽם׃ ירחם ירחם׃ ירחמו ירחמנו כְּרַחֵ֣ם כרחם לְרַֽחֶמְכֶ֑ם לרחמכם מְרַחֲמֵ֖ךְ מְרַחֲמָ֣ם מְרַחֵֽם׃ מֵרַחֵ֖ם מרחם מרחם׃ מרחמך מרחמם רִֽחַמְתִּ֑יךְ רִֽחַמְתִּ֔ים רִֽחַמְתִּֽיךְ׃ רִחַ֥ם רַחֵ֥ם רֻחָ֑מָה רֻחָֽמָה׃ רחם רחמה רחמה׃ רחמתיך רחמתיך׃ רחמתים תְּרַחֵ֣ם תְרַחֵ֣ם תרחם ’ă·ra·ḥêm ’ăra·ḥă·men·nū ’ăraḥămennū ’ăraḥêm ’er·ḥā·mə·ḵā ’erḥāməḵā arachaMennu araChem erchameCha kə·ra·ḥêm keraChem kəraḥêm lə·ra·ḥem·ḵem lerachemChem ləraḥemḵem mə·ra·ḥă·mām mə·ra·ḥă·mêḵ mê·ra·ḥêm mə·ra·ḥêm merachaMam merachaMech meraChem məraḥămām məraḥămêḵ mêraḥêm məraḥêm ra·ḥêm raChem raḥêm ri·ḥam ri·ḥam·tîḵ ri·ḥam·tîm riCham richamTich richamTim riḥam riḥamtîḵ riḥamtîm ru·ḥā·māh ruChamah ruḥāmāh tə·ra·ḥêm ṯə·ra·ḥêm teraChem təraḥêm ṯəraḥêm vayrachaMem veriCham verichamCha verichaMecha verichamTi verichamTim veRichaMum virachaMehu way·ra·ḥă·mêm wayraḥămêm wə·ri·ḥă·me·ḵā wə·ri·ḥă·mūm wə·ri·ḥam wə·ri·ḥam·ḵā wə·ri·ḥam·tî wə·ri·ḥam·tîm wəriḥam wəriḥămeḵā wəriḥamḵā wəriḥamtî wəriḥamtîm wəriḥămūm wî·ra·ḥă·mê·hū wîraḥămêhū yə·ra·ḥă·mê·nū yə·ra·ḥă·men·nū yə·ra·ḥê·mū yə·ra·ḥêm yə·ru·ḥam yə·ru·ḥām yerachaMennu yerachaMenu yeraChem yeraChemu yəraḥămennū yəraḥămênū yəraḥêm yəraḥêmū yeruCham yəruḥam yəruḥām
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