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רְחֵם

𐤓𐤇𐤌

rᵉchêm

H7359 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רחם to have compassion, to show mercy, to feel tender affection

Definition

Compassion, mercy, or pity—an emotional disposition of care or empathy towards others, often implying a response to suffering or need. Used especially in reference to the display of kindness, tenderness, or forbearance by a person or (in texts concerning the divine) by God. The word denotes both the feeling and the action prompted by compassion.

Semantic Range

compassion, mercy, pity, tender feeling, forbearance, emotional empathy, kindness in response to suffering

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ר-ח-ם (רָחַם), which in Hebrew means 'to have compassion, to show mercy, to have tender affection.' In this Aramaic form, רְחֵם serves as the noun form, paralleling Hebrew רַחַם. The noun forms in both languages are cognate.

Historical & Contextual Notes

רְחֵם appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, such as in Daniel and Ezra, and functions as the standard Aramaic noun for 'mercy' or 'compassion.' Its usage reflects the broader Near Eastern idiom of compassion as a visceral emotion felt in the inner parts (literally, in the 'womb'), but over time the noun came to mean compassion or mercy in general contexts. The word is not found in the Hebrew narrative portions; compare the related Hebrew noun רַחַם and the plural רַחֲמִים. In English translation, frequently rendered as 'mercy' or 'compassion,' though the underlying sense may be broader and more deeply emotional than English 'pity.' The word was not used as an ethnic or religious marker, but purely as an ethical/emotional quality. In later periods and outside the biblical text, its root becomes central to expressions of mercy or pity in both Jewish and Aramaic liturgical language. The English translation 'pity' may capture one aspect, but can be inadequate for the rich connotations of emotional identification and active kindness.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to רַחַם; (plural) pity; mercy.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רחם (r-ḥ-m) — to have compassion, to show mercy, to feel tender affection

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3395 יְרֹחָם He-will-be-shown-compassion
H3396 יְרַחְמְאֵל to El-will-show-compassion
H3819 לֹא רֻחָמָה Not-shown-compassion
H7348 רְחוּם Rechum
H7349 רַחוּם compassionate

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7359-01 וְ/רַחֲמִ֗ין verachamin AC/Ncmpa mercies and compassions 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7359-01 Daniel 2:18 וְ/רַחֲמִ֗ין verachamin AC/Ncmpa mercies and compassions
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