רָחַם
to love
also: love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘of God’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H7355 appears in the Book of 2 Kings — 1 distinct verse. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Kings
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
רחם (râcham) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to love.” Translators differ — “have mercy” in the King James Version, then “compassion” (Berean Standard Bible), as the renderings breakdown shows. With 43 verses in 14 books, it is a moderately common word in the Hebrew Bible. It concentrates in Isaiah, which alone accounts for 28% of its uses. Read the stem: it spans 3 stems, including Qal and Piel. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7355 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 43
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 43 distinct verses.
- 14 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 14 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #783
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 783 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 43 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 43 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 34 verses · 79%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 6 verses · 14%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 3 verses · 7%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Have mercy 8×, Have compassion 3×, I will have mercy 2×
- American Standard Version: Have compassion 6×, Have mercy 3×, Have no mercy 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Compassion 5×, Have compassion 3×, Has compassion 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Have compassion 4×, Have compassion on you 3×, Has compassion 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7355 across 47 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 28 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7355 across 47 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 26 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7355 across 45 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7355 across 48 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 25 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Impf. 1 s. sf. אֶרְחָֽמְךָ ψ 18:2 I love thee (perhaps gloss; v. not in ‖ 2 S 22:2; Hi Ch SS Gerber read אֲרֹמִמְךָ). e.g. Psalms 18:2
Piel
- Pf. 3 ms. רִחַם ψ 103:13 +; sf. וְרִחַמְךָ consec. Dt 13:18, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יְרַחֵם Is 9:16 +; sf. יְרַחֲמֵהוּ Is 55:7, etc.; Inf. abs. רַחֵם Je 31:20; Hb 3:2; cstr. רַחֵם Is 49:15 ψ 103:13; sf. רַחֶמְכֶם Is 30:18; Pt. מְרַחֵם ψ 116:5, etc.;—have compassion, be compassionate;— e.g. Psalms 103:13
- 1. usually of God: c. acc. of his people, Ex 33:19(×2) (J) Dt 13:18; 30:3; 2 K 13:23; Is 9:16; 14:1; 27:11; 30:18; 49:10, 13; 54:8, 10; 55:7; 60:10; Je 12:15; 30:18; 31:20(×2); 33:26; Ez 39:25; Ho 1:6, 7; 2:6, 25; Mi 7:19; Zc 1:12; 10:6 ψ 102:14; c. עַל 103:13; abs. Je 13:14; Hb 3:2 ψ 116:5 La 3:32. e.g. Exodus 33:19
- 2. of man, usually a conqueror: c. acc. 1 K 8:50; Je 42:12; abs. 6:23; 21:7; 50:42; elsewhere of children, c. acc. Is 13:18; 49:15; c. עַל ψ 103:13. e.g. 1 Kings 8:50
Pual
- Pf. 3 fs. רֻחָ֑מָה Ho 2:3, 25 (Ges§ 152 a. n. Köi, 270);—Impf. 3 ms. יְרֻחַם Ho 14:4; יְרֻחָ֑ם Pr 28:13; be shewn compassion, compassionated: of orphans Ho 14:4; children, of Israel wife of Yahweh 2:3, 25 (cf. לא־ר׳ 1:6, 8, p. 520); penitent sinner Pr 28:13. e.g. Hosea 2:3
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb.denom. love Pi. have compassion;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
רָחַם
- (b. h.) to love.
- 1. (with (with על) to have compassion on, pity; to befriend. Ber. 33ᵃ כל מי … אסור לרַחֵם עליו you must not befriend him who has no sense (ref. to Is. XXVII, 11). Sabb. 151ᵇ כל המְרַחֵם … מְרַחֲמִין עליו וכ׳ he who shows mercy to creatures (men), will be shown mercy in heaven (ref. to Deut. XIII, 18), v. רַחֲמָן. Ab. Zar. 18ᵃ מן השמים יְרַחֵמוּ heaven will have mercy (protect me); Nidd. 45ᵃ. Sot. VIII, 1 יְרַחֲמוּ עליכם they will have mercy on you (spare your lives); a. fr.—Trnsf. to give suck to a strange animal. Bekh. 24ᵃ אינה מְרַחֶמֶת אלא וכ׳ no dam gives suck to a stranger, unless she has had a child of her own. Ib. מרחמת אע"פ וכ׳ she may give suck, even if she has never given birth. e.g. Isaiah 27:11
- 2. to stimulate the maternal instinct (v. רֶחֶם) of an animal after confinement by inserting a lump of salt into the womb. Tosef. Sabb. XV (XVI), 2 מְרַחֲמִין היינו בהמה טהורה ביו"ט ed. Zuck. (Var. על בהמה) we (in my father’s house) used to stimulate &c. on a Holy Day; Sabb. 128ᵇ על בהמה; Y. ib. XVIII, end, 16ᶜ על הבהמה.
- to have pity. Num. R. s. 924 אם נופלים אנו … מִתְרַחֵם עלינו אין אנו מִתְרַחֲמִים עליו if we fall into David’s hands, he will have pity on us, but if David fall into our hands, we shall have no pity on him; Y. Sot. I, 17ᵇ bot. הוא מרחם … אנו מרחמין).
רְחֵם
- 1. to love (h. אהב). Targ. Gen. XXII, 2. Ib. XXXVII, 3. Targ. O. Deut. VI, 5. Targ. Prov. IV, 6 (ed. Wil. רָחֲמָהּ Pa.); a. fr.—Midr. Till. to Ps. XVIII, 2 (expl. ארחמך, ib.) רַחֲמִית יתך וכ׳ I love thee (ref. to Targ. Deut. l. c.); Yalk. ib. 671 רַחְמָאִי יתך. Y. Ber. IX, 14ᵇ bot. (R. Akiba speaking to his pupils before his death) רְחִמְתֵּיה בכל לבי ורחמתיה וכ׳ I loved him with all my heart, and I loved him with all I possessed, but how to love him with all my soul (life) I could not understand, and now &c. Sabb. 23ᵇ דרָחֵים רבנן וכ׳ he who loves scholars shall have children that are scholars. Y. ib. XIV, 14ᵈ bot. חד בר נש ר׳ אתתא וכ׳ a man fell in love with a woman … and grew dangerously ill; Y. Ab. Zar. II, 40ᵈ bot. Lev. R. s. 25 שמעית דמלכא רַחְמָא וכ׳ I heard that the king loves figs; Koh. R. to II, 20 רחים; ib. רחימא; ib. רחמיה (corr. acc.). Y. Ab. Zar. II, 41ᵃ bot. דהוות רַחְמָא מצוותא who loved to be charitable; Y. Ter. VIII, 45ᶜ bot. הוו רחמנא וכ׳ (corr. acc.). Keth. 105ᵇ אם מִרְחַם כולהו רַחְמוּ לי וכ׳ if there is love (among them), they all love me &c., v. סְנֵי. Snh. 89ᵇ תרוייהו רַחֲמִינִי להו I love both of them (Isaac und Ishmael); a. fr.
- 2. (with על) to have compassion on, pity. Targ. Ps. CIII, 13. Targ. Prov. XXVIII, 13; a. fr.
- 1. to love. Targ. Gen. XXIX, 32 (O. ed. Vien. Pe.). Targ. Y. Deut. VI, 5; a. e.—Keth. l. c. האי … דמְרַחְמִין ליה וכ׳ if the people of a place love a teacher, it is not because he is a good man, but because he does not reprove them on heavenly matters (for neglect of religious duties). Y. Ter. VIII, 45ᶜ אילולי דאתון מרחמין שמועתא וכ׳ but for your loving traditions (you would not ask such questions); is it not a Mishnah?; Y. Ab. Zar. II, 41ᵃ רחמין; a. e.—Trnsf. to give suck (v. preced.). Bekh. 24ᵃ or shall we say, דידה מְרַחְמָא דלא וכ׳ a dam gives suck to her own young, but not to a stranger. Ib. דילמא רַחוּמֵי רחים perhaps this is a case when one gives suck to a stranger (although having a child of her own); v. שְׁבַק.
- 2. (with על) to compassionate, pity. Targ. Jer. XXXI, 19. Targ. O. Num. VI, 25 וירחם עלך ed. Lisb. (oth. ed. ויר׳ יתך; in ed. Berl. untranslated). Targ. Deut. VII, 2; a. fr.—Macc. 23ᵇ מדהא מְרַחַמְתָּא והא לא מרחמתא (Solomon found out which was the true mother of the living child,) because the one showed compassion, and the other did not. Y. Taan. II, 65ᵇ אמרין … מִתְרַחֵם עלינן לינן מְרַחְמִין וכ׳ the men of Niniveh said, if thou wilt have no mercy on us, we shall have no mercy on them (the beasts and the children); a. fr.
- 1. to be loved, beloved. Targ. Prov. XV, 9.
- 2. (with על) to be pitied, be shown mercy. Targ. Y. Ex. XXXIII, 19. Targ. Gen. XLIII, 29. Targ. Hos. XIV, 4; a. e.
- 3. to be moved to mercy, have pity. Targ. Jer. XXXI, 18 (19) מתרחם ed. Lag. (oth. ed. מתנחם; h. text נחמתי).—Y. Taan. l. c., v. supra; a. e.
רָחָם
- (b. h.) raḥam, name of an unclean bird, giereagle or vulture. Ḥull. 63ᵃ ר׳ זו שרקרק ולמה … ר׳ כיון שבא ר׳ וכ׳ raḥam (Lev. XI, 18) is the sh’raḳraḳ, and why is it called raḥam (love)? Because when the r. comes, mercy comes upon the world (it betokens rain). e.g. Leviticus 11:18
רָחֵם
- friend, v. רַחֲמָא III.
רֶחֶם
- (b. h.) orifice of the matrix; womb. B. Bath. 16ᵇ, a. e. רַחְמָהּ צר, v. אַיָּלָה. Num. R. s. 105 קבלה הר׳ וכ׳ (fem.) the womb conceived &c. Ḥull. 70ᵃ כותלי בית הר׳ the sides of the womb; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 37; Yalk. Ps. 869 (ref. to Ps. CX, 3) מרַחְמוֹ של אולם שחרתיך לי from the womb of the world (sunrise, east) did I choose thee for me.—Pl. רְחָמִים. Ḥull. l. c. Ber. 32ᵇ פטרי ר׳ the firstborn; a. e. e.g. Psalms 110:3
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 41 distinct written forms H7355 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7355, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- רחום rachûwm H7349 compassionate
- רחם racham H7356 compassion
- רחם rechem H7358 womb
- רחם râchâm H7360 vulture
- רחמני rachmânîy H7362 compassionate
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 8 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 40 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 43 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 33:19
- Deuteronomy 13:17
- 1 Kings 8:50
- 2 Kings 13:23
- Psalms 18:1
- Proverbs 28:13
- Isaiah 9:17
- Jeremiah 6:23
- Lamentations 3:32
- Ezekiel 39:25
- Hosea 1:6
- Micah 7:19
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
