But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just a list of God's good qualities; it's a divine self-description directly echoing how God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus. It highlights that God's mercy, grace, patience, and steadfast love are not random, but are fundamental aspects of His very being, revealed so that we might know Him and trust Him.
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist, facing fierce enemies who threaten his very life and have no regard for God, turns from his distress to declare God's true character. He contrasts his adversaries' pride and cruelty with God's profound mercy, grace, patience, and unfailing faithfulness, recalling God's self-revelation to Moses. This declaration serves as the foundation for his plea for help, appealing to God's very nature to intervene on his behalf.
We often hear God described with comforting terms. But what do these specific descriptions reveal about His very nature?
This verse isn't just a poetic flourish; it's a theological declaration of who God is. The Hebrew words used here paint a vivid picture:
These aren't just attributes; they are the foundational pillars of God's interaction with His creation, especially with those who call on Him.
God's character isn't just for Him to have; it's meant to shape us. How does His nature call us to act?
The way God has profound implications for how we are called to . When we understand God's immense mercy, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness, it calls us to reflect these qualities:
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Reflection in Action
This isn't about mimicking God perfectly, but about allowing His divine character, revealed in Christ, to transform us from the inside out.
Understand the original words
rachum · Hebrew Adjective
God’s deep compassion and sympathetic love; it emphasizes God’s pity and tenderness toward those who are suffering or in need.
channun · Hebrew Adjective
The unmerited favor and kindness of God; it emphasizes God’s readiness to bless and provide for His people apart from any work of their own.
erek appayim · Hebrew Phrase
Patience and self-restraint; it denotes God’s longsuffering nature, showing that He does not act in haste to punish but grants time for repentance.
emunah · Hebrew Noun
Reliability, stability, and integrity. It speaks to the truthfulness of God’s words and the trustworthiness of His character in maintaining His covenant.
The phrase 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness' is a direct echo of God's self-revelation to Moses at Sinai (Exodus 34:6-7). This psalm, likely written by David, draws on this foundational understanding of God's character as Israel faced numerous historical crises, reminding the people of God's enduring nature even amidst judgment and exile.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, establishing His covenant with them at Mount Sinai.
c. 1446 BC
The Ten Commandments Given
At Mount Sinai, God gives the Israelites the Law, including the revelation of His character in Exodus 34:6-7.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King
David, the psalmist, is king over Israel. This psalm reflects his personal struggles and reliance on God amidst his reign.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom of Israel splits into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its people.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Southern Kingdom of Judah is conquered by the Babylonian Empire, and Jerusalem is destroyed, leading to the exile of its people.
This verse is a direct quotation from God's self-revelation to Moses, establishing the foundational description of His character that the Psalmist echoes here.
Numbers 14:18This passage repeats the same divine attributes, emphasizing God's mercy and graciousness in the face of rebellion, showing this isn't just a description but a consistent aspect of God's interaction with His people.
Nehemiah 9:17Nehemiah recounts God's character using these very phrases, highlighting God's enduring mercy and faithfulness throughout Israel's history, even during times of their sin and exile.
Joel 2:13The prophet Joel calls for repentance using these same divine qualities, illustrating how God's compassion, grace, and slowness to anger are reasons for His people to turn back to Him.
Jonah 4:2Jonah himself uses this description of God when he's angry that Nineveh is spared, showing how well-known and central these attributes of God's mercy and grace are.
clarkePsalms 86:15: "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."
But thou, O Lord - What a wonderful character of God is given in this verse! אדני Adonai, the Director, Judge, and Support; - but instead of אדני Adonai, thirty-four of Kennicott's MSS. have יהוה Jehovah, the self-existent and eternal Being; - אל El, the strong God; רחום rachum, tenderly compassionate; חנון channun, the Dispenser of grace or favor; ארך אפים erech…
pulpitPsalms 86:15: "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."
Verse 15. - But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion. The appeal is to God's own revelation of himself. He had declared that he was "merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Exodus 34:6, 7); he could not, therefore, desert the psalmist in his need. And gra…
This verse isn't just a list of God's good qualities; it's a divine self-description directly echoing how God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus. It highlights that God's mercy, grace, patience, and steadfast love are not random, but are fundamental aspects of His very being, revealed so that we might know Him and trust Him.
The psalmist, facing fierce enemies who threaten his very life and have no regard for God, turns from his distress to declare God's true character. He contrasts his adversaries' pride and cruelty with God's profound mercy, grace, patience, and unfailing faithfulness, recalling God's self-revelation to Moses. This declaration serves as the foundation for his plea for help, appealing to God's very nature to intervene on his behalf.
The psalmist, facing fierce enemies who threaten his very life and have no regard for God, turns from his distress to declare God's true character. He contrasts his adversaries' pride and cruelty with God's profound mercy, grace, patience, and unfailing faithfulness, recalling God's self-revelation to Moses. This declaration serves as the foundation for his plea for help, appealing to God's very nature to intervene on his behalf.
"But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." — This verse isn't just a list of God's good qualities; it's a divine self-description directly echoing how God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus. It highlights that God's mercy, grace, patience, a…
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Last reviewed October 2026