Psalms 145:8
in Psalms 145The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.
KJV
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
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This verse in Psalms 145
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe Lord is gracious. Was it not in some such terms that the Lord revealed himself to Moses? Is not this Jehovah's glory? To all living men his aspect: he is gracious, or full of goodness and generosity. He treats creatures with kindness, his subjects with consideration, and his saints favour. His words and ways, his promises and his gifts, his plans and his poses all manifest his grace, or free favour. There is nothing suspicious, diced, morose, tyrannical, or unapproachable in Jehovah, —he is condescending and kind. And full of compassion.
This site's exposition
The LORD is gracious and compassionate
on Psalms 145:8-9
Verse 8 repeats what the LORD said of Himself at Exodus 34:6, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. Spurgeon heard the words the LORD used with Moses in it. Verse 9 widens it to all, with compassion resting on everything He has made.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Merciful and pitiful is the Lord; long-suffering, and very merciful" (ver. 8). Were He not such as this, there would be no seeking to recover us. Consider thyself: what didst thou deserve, O sinner? Despiser of God, what didst thou deserve? See if aught occur to thee but penalty, if aught occur to thee but punishment. Thou seest then what was due to thee, and what He hath given, who gave gratis. There was given pardon to the sinner; there was given the spirit of justification; there was given charity and love, wherein thou mayest do all good works; and beyond this, He will give thee also life everlasting, and fellowship with the angels: all of His mercy.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): The Lord is gracious to those that serve him; he is full of compassion to those that need him, slow to anger to those that have offended him, and of great mercy to all that seek him and sue to him. He is ready to give, and ready to forgive, more ready than we are to ask, than we are to repent.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Lord is gracious,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The Lord is gracious. Was it not in some such terms that the Lord revealed himself to Moses? Is not this Jehovah's glory? To all living men his aspect: he is gracious, or full of goodness and generosity. He treats creatures with kindness, his subjects with consideration, and his saints favour. His words and ways, his promises and his gifts, his plans and his poses all manifest his grace, or free favour. There is nothing suspicious, diced, morose, tyrannical, or unapproachable in Jehovah, —he is condescending and kind. And full of compassion. To the suffering, the weak, the despondent, he is very pitiful: he feels for them, he feels with them: he this heartily, and in a practical manner. Of this pitifulness he is full, so the compassionates freely, constantly, deeply, divinely, and effectually. In fulness in a sense not known among men, and this fulness is all fragrant sympathy for human misery. If the Lord be full of compassion there is no in him for forgetfulness or harshness, and none should suspect him What an ocean of compassion there must be since the Infinite God is full of Slow to anger. Even those who refuse his grace yet share in long suffering. When men do not repent, but, on the contrary, go from bad to worse, averse to let his wrath flame forth against them. Greatly patient and anxious that the sinner may live, he "lets the lifted thunder drop", and still bears. "Love suffereth long and is kind", and God is love. And of great mercy. This is his attitude towards the guilty. When men at last repent, find pardon awaiting them. Great is their sin, and great is God's mercy, need great help, and they have it though they deserve it not; for he is good to the greatly guilty.
The Lord is gracious - His holy nature is ever disposed to show favor. Full of compassion - Wherever he sees misery, his eye affects his heart. Slow to anger - When there is even the greatest provocation. Of great mercy - Great in his abundant mercy. These four things give us a wonderful display of the goodness of the Divine nature.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The Lord is gracious - His holy nature is ever disposed to show favor. Full of compassion - Wherever he sees misery, his eye affects his heart. Slow to anger - When there is even the greatest provocation. Of great mercy - Great in his abundant mercy. These four things give us a wonderful display of the goodness of the Divine nature.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869) (1832)
proposed
The Lord is gracious - See Psa 86:5, note; Psa 86:15, note. And full of compassion - Kind; compassionate; ready to do good. See the notes at Psa 103:8. Slow to anger - See Psa 103:8, where the same expression occurs. And of great mercy - Margin, great in mercy. His greatness is shown in his mercy; and the manifestation of that mercy is great: great, as on a large scale; great, as manifested toward great sinners; great, in the sacrifice made that it may be displayed; great, in the completeness with which sin is pardoned - pardoned so as to be remembered no more.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The Lord is gracious - See Psa 86:5, note; Psa 86:15, note. And full of compassion - Kind; compassionate; ready to do good. See the notes at Psa 103:8. Slow to anger - See Psa 103:8, where the same expression occurs. And of great mercy - Margin, great in mercy. His greatness is shown in his mercy; and the manifestation of that mercy is great: great, as on a large scale; great, as manifested toward great sinners; great, in the sacrifice made that it may be displayed; great, in the completeness with which sin is pardoned - pardoned so as to be remembered no more.
Modern Voices1 voice
I crawled across those colossal contours that express the best quality of England, because they are at the same time soft and strong. The smoothness of them has the same meaning as the smoothness of great cart-horses, or the smoothness of the beech-tree; it declares …
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חַנּ֣וּן | chanun | [is] gracious | H2587 → | 13 times |
| וְרַח֣וּם | verachum | and compassionate | H7349 → | 13 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶ֥רֶךְ | ʾerekh | long of | H750 → | 15 times |
| אַ֝פַּ֗יִם | ʾapayim | anger<s> | H639 → | 276 times |
| וּגְדָל־ | ugedol- | and great of | H1419 → | 526 times |
| חָֽסֶד׃ | chased | covenant loyalty | H2617 → | 247 times |
חַנּ֣וּן[is] gracious
chanunH2587 →13 times
וְרַח֣וּםand compassionate
verachumH7349 →13 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶ֥רֶךְlong of
ʾerekhH750 →15 times
אַ֝פַּ֗יִםanger<s>
ʾapayimH639 →276 times
וּגְדָל־and great of
ugedol-H1419 →526 times
חָֽסֶד׃covenant loyalty
chasedH2617 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 103:8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
it leads to
- Joel 2:13
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 34:6–7
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Joel 2:13
Through
Psalms 100:5For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.
it leads to
- Psalms 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 106:1
Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Psalms 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Psalms 86:5
Through
Psalms 86:5For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
it leads to
- Psalms 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 103:8
Where this verse is studied
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About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 145; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; GK Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles, A Piece of Chalk (1909); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.