רָחַם
râcham · raw-kham'
to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate
Lexicon
Derivation: a primitive root;
to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate
- to fondle
- by implication, to love, especially to compassionate
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy(-iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, [idiom] surely.
Letters
- רResh200
Picture: a human head
- Concrete
- head · face · person
- Extended
- first · top · beginning · chief · the highest
- חHet8
Picture: courtyard wall or enclosure
- Concrete
- wall · fence · tent wall
- Extended
- to separate · protection · the inside vs. the outside · private
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
the head, the highest › to separate and protect › water, chaos, the mighty deep
The head, the highest that works to separate and protect of water, chaos, the mighty deep.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of רָחַם above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
47 occurrences · 47 OT · 0 NT · 42 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- and have mercy4 · 12%
- and have compassion3 · 9%
- pitieth2 · 6%
- nor have mercy2 · 6%
- have mercy2 · 6%
- and will shew mercy1 · 3%
- on whom i will shew mercy1 · 3%
- that they may have compassion1 · 3%
- unto them, and had compassion1 · 3%
- i will love1 · 3%
- is merciful1 · 3%
- them shall have mercy1 · 3%
- neither shall have mercy1 · 3%
- and they shall have no pity1 · 3%
- will have mercy1 · 3%
- them will not have mercy1 · 3%
- that he may have mercy1 · 3%
- them: for he that hath mercy1 · 3%
- and will have mercy1 · 3%
- that she should not have compassion1 · 3%
- will i have mercy1 · 3%
- that hath mercy1 · 3%
- and he will have mercy1 · 3%
- have i had mercy1 · 3%
- and have no mercy1 · 3%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.