רַחֲמִים

Mercy

ra-kha-MEEM

Meanings

MercyCompassionPity

About “Mercy” in Hebrew

Rachamim shares its root with rechem (womb), beautifully linking compassion to the nurturing, unconditional love of a mother. God's thirteen attributes of mercy, recited on the High Holidays and fast days, emphasize rachamim as a defining divine quality. The concept teaches that mercy and justice must be balanced in human relationships and governance.

Example

הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מָלֵא רַחֲמִים.
The Holy One, blessed be He, is full of mercy.

Gematria of “Mercy” (רחמים)

In Hebrew numerology (gematria), each letter has a numerical value. The word רחמים (ra-kha-MEEM) has a gematria value of 858.

200ר+
8ח+
40מ+
10י+
600ם
 =
total858

Mercy” in the Bible

Verses from the Torah and Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) mentioning “mercy”.

Daniel 9:9דניאל 9:9

לאדני אלהינו הרחמים והסלחות כי מרדנו בו

To our Sovereign God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we were rebellious,

Deuteronomy 28:50דברים 28:50

גוי עז פנים אשר לא ישא פנים לזקן ונער לא יחן

A ruthless nation, that will show the old no regard and the young no mercy.

Genesis 19:16בראשית 19:16

ויתמהמה ויחזיקו האנשים בידו וביד אשתו וביד שתי בנתיו בחמלת יהוה עליו ויצאהו וינחהו מחוץ לעיר

Still he delayed. So the agents seized his hand, and the hands of his wife and his two daughters—in GOD’s mercy on him—and brought him out and left him outside the city.

English translation: THE JPS TANAKH, Revised Edition (2023) © Jewish Publication Society, via Sefaria. CC BY-NC 4.0

This word starts with the Hebrew letter resh.

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