Psalms 103:8
What does Psalms 103:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 103:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 103:8 means
This verse beautifully summarizes God's fundamental character, revealing Him as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness. These attributes emphasize His benevolent nature: He is moved by compassion (merciful), bestows unearned favor (gracious), exercises patience (slow to anger), and His loyal covenant love is vast and overflowing (abundant in lovingkindness). This description forms a foundational understanding of God's disposition toward humanity, particularly His covenant people.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The Lord is kind and full of pity, not quickly made angry, but ever ready to have mercy.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Merciful and gracious <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah, Slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Jehovah is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness.
Context
Building upon the historical examples of God's ways with Israel in verse 7, this verse centralizes the psalm's theological declaration by succinctly defining God's essential character. It introduces the profound attributes of mercy, grace, patience, and lovingkindness, which are then further elaborated upon in verses 9 and 10, demonstrating the practical implications of such a divine nature in His dealings with humanity.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Deuteronomy 5:10
and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
- Exodus 34:6
And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth;
- Numbers 14:18
Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
- Jonah 4:2
And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
- Psalms 130:7
O Israel, hope in Jehovah; For with Jehovah there is lovingkindness, And with him is plenteous redemption.
- Jeremiah 32:18
who showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, Jehovah of hosts is his name;
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