Hebrew word · H2551
חֶמְלָה
bechemlat
compassion
Compassion that spares: the feeling that holds back destruction or pulls someone out of it. The related verb chamal means 'to spare, have pity on' (Exod 2:6, Pharaoh's daughter pitying the baby Moses; 1 Sam 15:3, 9).
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
mercy, pity, compassion
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Compassion that spares: the feeling that holds back destruction or pulls someone out of it. The related verb chamal means 'to spare, have pity on' (Exod 2:6, Pharaoh's daughter pitying the baby Moses; 1 Sam 15:3, 9).
- Against the English
KJV and WEB say "pity", which now often sounds condescending. BSB says "compassion". Neither fully conveys the sense of sparing.
- How it drifted
In modern English 'pity' has picked up a sense of looking down on someone ('I pity you'). In 1611 it still carried warm compassion.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The noun occurs only here and in Gen 19:16, where the angels seize Lot's hand 'in the LORD's chemlah' and drag him out of doomed Sodom.
From the study of Genesis 19:16
- Range of meaning
Pity or compassion understood as sparing: holding back harm or destruction that would otherwise fall. It comes from the verb ḥamal, “spare, have pity,” as in Exod 2:6 (Pharaoh’s daughter pities the baby), 1 Sam 15:3, 9 (Saul “spared” Agag), and 2 Sam 12:4, 6 (the rich man “spared” his own flock). The noun appears only here and in Isa 63:9 (“in his love and in his pity he redeemed them”).
- Against the English
KJV, ESV and WEB: “merciful”; BSB: “compassion”; NASB: “compassion.” Both are acceptable, but neither English word clearly carries the sense of being spared from a fate that is already on its way.
- How it drifted
In church use, “mercy” has largely come to mean pardon for sin. Ḥemlah here is not a verdict about Lot’s guilt or innocence. It is God choosing to spare a man from a destruction that is about to fall.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Septuagint renders it “in the Lord’s sparing (pheisasthai) him,” and the Vulgate has “because the Lord spared (parceret) him.” Both ancient translators read it as sparing. Isa 63:9 sets ḥemlah alongside “love” and “redeemed,” in a context of God rescuing his people.
Where it appears
Genesis · 1
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Genesis 19:16 בְּחֶמְלַ֥ת in [the] mercy of
But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.
Here: “In the pity of.” This noun is very rare: it appears only here and in Isa 63:9. It comes from the verb ḥamal, “to spare, to have pity and hold back from destroying.” The preposition gives the reason and the setting of the rescue: it happens inside God’s sparing pity.
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 63:9 וּבְחֶמְלָת֖וֹ and in mercy his
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Here: "And in his compassion": a rare noun (elsewhere only Gen 19:16, where the LORD's chemlah pulls Lot out of Sodom). It is the pity that spares someone from destruction.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.