The Divine Attributes: Does Mercy Erase the Consequences of Sin?

After the sin of the golden calf, YHWH summons Moses alone to ascend Mount Sinai, where He passes before Moses and announces His ways. As readers have long noted, YHWH’s statement can be broken into two distinct parts. The first half of what is traditionally known as God’s “thirteen attributes” describes the merciful side of God’s character:

‏^{שׁמות לד:ו} וַיַּעֲבֹר יְ־הוָה עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְ־הוָה יְ־הוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת ^לד:ז נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה...

^{Exod 34:6} YHWH passed before him and proclaimed: “YHWH! YHWH! a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, ^34:7a extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin....”^[1]

The second half articulates His just nature:

^{שׁמות לד:ז} ...וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְעַל בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים.

^{Exod 34:7b} “Yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”^[2]

How do we understand the relationship between these two parts?

Citing Only God’s Merciful Attributes

Yohanan Muffs (1932–2009), professor of Bible and religion at the Jewish Theological Seminary, notes that many other biblical texts recycle these attributes.^[3] Psalm 103 serves as a primary example. The psalmist alludes to the revelation Moses receives in Exodus:

^{תהלים קג:ז} יוֹדִיעַ דְּרָכָיו לְמֹשֶׁה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלִילוֹתָיו.

^{Ps 103:7} He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the children of Israel.

The next verse then provides a brief paraphrase of the thirteen attributes (though the sentiment expands through verse 13):

^{תהלים קג:ח} רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן יְ־הוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חָסֶד.

^{Ps 103:8} YHWH is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

The psalmist, however, cites only the first half of God’s thirteen attributes. In place of פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְעַל בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים, “He visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations” (Exod 34:7), we read:

^{תהלים קג:ט} לֹא לָנֶצַח יָרִיב וְלֹא לְעוֹלָם יִטּוֹר.

^{Ps 103:9} He will not contend forever, or nurse His anger for all time.

This selective citation of the attributes makes sense in the context of intercessory and petitionary prayer. When a sinner appeals for divine mercy, the cost of their transgression is ever-present; what they seek is a specific display of grace.

Recalling God’s Mercy and Justice: Psalm 99

Most “recyclings” of the thirteen attributes employ the strategy of Psalm 103: God’s merciful character is highlighted whereas his justice is passed over in silence.^[4] But there are some surprising exceptions. For example, Psalm 99, which is part of the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday night services, opens with praise of YHWH,^[5] but the second half of the psalm reflects on prophetic intercession and YHWH’s response. There, the psalmist highlights YHWH favorably answering the prayers of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel:^[6]

‏^{תהלים צט:ו} מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן בְּכֹהֲנָיו וּשְׁמוּאֵל בְּקֹרְאֵי שְׁמוֹ קֹרִאים אֶל יְ־הוָה וְהוּא יַעֲנֵם. ^צט:ז בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן יְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם שָׁמְרוּ עֵדֹתָיו וְחֹק נָתַן לָמוֹ.

^{Ps 99:6} Moses and Aaron among His priests, Samuel, among those who call on His name—when they called to YHWH, He answered them. ^99:7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they obeyed His decrees, the law He gave them.

The next verse, however, presents a significant challenge for translators and commentators, as it begins with YHWH’s forgiveness but ends with His retribution:

^{תהלים צט:ח} יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אַתָּה עֲנִיתָם אֵל נֹשֵׂא הָיִיתָ לָהֶם וְנֹקֵם עַל עֲלִילוֹתָם.

^{Ps 99:8} O YHWH our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God for them, but You exacted retribution for their misdeeds.

German theologian Erich Zenger (1939–2010) observes: “The statement in v[erse] 8 about YHWH as [“exacting revenge”] is judged to be contrary to the overall tenor of the Psalm.”^[7] To resolve this perceived dissonance, scholars have suggested several emendations to correct the text:

Negation: Inserting the word לא (“not”) to read: “You did not exact retribution for their misdeeds.”

Vocalization: Re-vocalizing the Hebrew word נקם , so that instead of a Qal participle from the root נ.ק.ם, “to avenge,” it becomes a Qal participle from the root נ.ק.ה/י , “to cleanse or exempt,” with a third-person masculine plural pronominal suffix, resulting in: “You exempted them from punishment for their misdeeds.”

Lexical Substitution: Reading נחם instead of נקם to translate the phrase as: “You were content [i.e., left them unpunished] for their misdeeds.”^[8]

Yet I would stand with Zenger in maintaining that verse 8 is correct as it stands and is a deliberate recycling of both halves of the thirteen attributes. For Zenger, God’s mercy cannot entail the complete erasure of the need for justice. In this sense, Psalm 99 and the full listing of the attributes in Exodus 34 are not in conflict. As Muffs concludes, their relationship can be viewed as a formal equation:

נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה, “forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin” (Exod 34:7a) = אֵל נֹשֵׂא הָיִיתָ לָהֶם, “You were a forgiving God for them” (Ps 99:8a); and

וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה, “yet He does not remit all punishment” (Exod 34:7b) = וְנֹקֵם עַל עֲלִילוֹתָם, “but You exacted retribution for their misdeeds (Ps 99:8b).^[9]

Yet the psalm’s closing refrain in the next verse may still give one pause: how can an assertion of YHWH’s will to punish serve as a reason to praise Him?

^{תהלים צט:ט} רוֹמְמוּ יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ.

^{Ps 99:9} Exalt YHWH our God, and bow toward His holy hill, for YHWH our God is holy.

Mercy and Justice after the Spies Incident

A similar question arises from the account of the aftermath of the spies’ incident (Num 14). In the narrative, the scouts who were tasked with spying out the land of Canaan return with dire predictions of failure should the Israelites invade:

^{במדבר יג:לא} וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר עָלוּ עִמּוֹ אָמְרוּ לֹא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת אֶל הָעָם כִּי חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ.

^{Num 13:31} But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we.”

Their words incite the people’s fear, and they rebel against YHWH and begin speaking about returning to Egypt, angering YHWH so much that He declares to Moses:

^{במדבר יד:יב} אַכֶּנּוּ בַדֶּבֶר וְאוֹרִשֶׁנּוּ וְאֶעֱשֶׂה אֹתְךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם מִמֶּנּוּ.

^{Num 14:12} “I will strike them with pestilence and disown them, and I will make of you a nation far more numerous than they!”

Moses intercedes on the people’s behalf, first telling YHWH that His reputation will be damaged in the eyes of the nations if He fails to bring them successfully to the promised land (vv. 13–16). Moses then prays for YHWH’s כֹּחַ, “power,” to be great,^[10] citing both halves of the thirteen attributes:

‏^{במדבר יד:יז} וְעַתָּה יִגְדַּל נָא כֹּחַ אֲדֹנָי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ לֵאמֹר. ^יד:יח יְ־הוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפָשַׁע וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים.

^{Num 14:17} “Therefore, I pray, let my Lord’s power be great, as You have declared, saying, ^14:18 ‘YHWH! slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children, upon the third and fourth generations.’”

Finally, Moses asks YHWH to pardon His people:

^{במדבר יד:יט} סְלַח נָא לַעֲוֹן הָעָם הַזֶּה כְּגֹדֶל חַסְדֶּךָ וְכַאֲשֶׁר נָשָׂאתָה לָעָם הַזֶּה מִמִּצְרַיִם וְעַד הֵנָּה.

^{Num 14:19} “Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people ever since Egypt.”

Muffs asks how a plea for divine justice can be understood within a prayer appealing for mercy. He offers a plausible solution: given the gravity of the sin that necessitated the intercession, Moses knows that he cannot eliminate punishment entirely. However, he can perhaps limit its scope.

The force of his appeal proves remarkably effective. Though the disobedient generation cannot enter the promised land, they are not consigned to immediate death:

‏^{במדבר יד:כב} כִּי כָל הָאֲנָשִׁים הָרֹאִים אֶת כְּבֹדִי וְאֶת אֹתֹתַי אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי בְמִצְרַיִם וּבַמִּדְבָּר וַיְנַסּוּ אֹתִי זֶה עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹלִי. ^יד:כג אִם יִרְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבֹתָם וְכָל מְנַאֲצַי לֹא יִרְאוּהָ.

^{Num 14:22} None of the men who have seen My Presence and the signs that I have performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tried Me these many times and have disobeyed Me, ^14:23 shall see the land that I promised on oath to their fathers; none of those who spurn Me shall see it.

Instead, they are given an additional 40 years to accompany their offspring and, presumably, prepare them to carry out their sacred task.^[11]

Muffs’ explanation remains cogent. I wonder, however, if Psalm 99 and Numbers 14 and, by extension, the thirteen attributes of God themselves, are not patient of another explanation. I use the term patient intentionally, to suggest that the texts are capable of bearing more than one explanation. Thus, my claim is not that my solution constitutes the way to understand these texts, but rather a way, albeit an important way.

David Accepts the Justice of God’s Punishment

In order to look at this from a slightly different angle, consider David’s confession after he had been rebuked by the prophet Nathan over David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba and subsequent elimination of Uriah, her husband (2 Sam 12). What is striking is the nature of Nathan’s rebuke.

Delivering a message from YHWH, he first reminds David of all that YHWH has done for him (vv. 7–8). Then he charges David:

^{שׁמואל ב יב:ט} מַדּוּעַ בָּזִיתָ אֶת דְּבַר יְ־הוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בעינו [בְּעֵינַי] אֵת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי הִכִּיתָ בַחֶרֶב וְאֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָקַחְתָּ לְּךָ לְאִשָּׁה וְאֹתוֹ הָרַגְתָּ בְּחֶרֶב בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן.

^{2 Sam 12:9} Why then have you flouted the command of YHWH and done what displeases Him? You have put Uriah the Hittite to the sword; you took his wife and made her your wife and had him killed by the sword of the Ammonites.

Nathan combines this charge with the punishments that will follow:

‏^{שׁמואל ב יב:י} וְעַתָּה לֹא תָסוּר חֶרֶב מִבֵּיתְךָ עַד עוֹלָם עֵקֶב כִּי בְזִתָנִי וַתִּקַּח אֶת אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לְאִשָּׁה.

^{2 Sam 12:10} “Therefore the sword shall never depart from your House—because you spurned Me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite and making her your wife.’

He continues:

^{שׁמואל ב יב:יא} כֹּה אָמַר יְ־הוָה הִנְנִי מֵקִים עָלֶיךָ רָעָה מִבֵּיתֶךָ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֶיךָ וְנָתַתִּי לְרֵעֶיךָ וְשָׁכַב עִם נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֵי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַזֹּאת. ^יב:יב כִּי אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ בַסָּתֶר וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ.

^{2 Sam 12:11} Thus said YHWH: ‘I will make a calamity rise against you from within your own house; I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes and he shall sleep with your wives under this very sun. ^12:12 You acted in secret, but I will make this happen in the sight of all Israel and in broad daylight.’”

Thus, when David’s confesses his guilt in the next verse, he is not merely admitting a moral failing, he is accepting the specific punishments that Nathan had just described:

^{שׁמואל ב יב:יג} וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל נָתָן חָטָאתִי לַי־הוָה וַיֹּאמֶר נָתָן אֶל דָּוִד גַּם יְ־הוָה הֶעֱבִיר חַטָּאתְךָ לֹא תָמוּת.

^{2 Sam 12:13} David said to Nathan, “I stand guilty before YHWH!” And Nathan replied to David, “YHWH has remitted your sin; you shall not die.

Israeli scholar Uriel Simon (Bar-Ilan University) concludes: “In the wake of this full contrition, the prophet can inform him that his repentance has been accepted.”^[12] David is released from the capital punishment his sins entail, but other consequences remain.^[13] In this way, David’s words comport well with the penitential Psalm that, according to its superscription, is associated with this moment:

^{תהלים נא:א} לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד. ^נא:ב בְּבוֹא אֵלָיו נָתָן הַנָּבִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא אֶל בַּת שָׁבַע.

^{Ps 51:1} For the leader. A psalm of David, ^51:2 when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had come to Bathsheba.

Thus, in the psalm, David says to God:

^{תהלים נא:ו} לְךָ לְבַדְּךָ חָטָאתִי וְהָרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ עָשִׂיתִי לְמַעַן תִּצְדַּק בְּדָבְרֶךָ תִּזְכֶּה בְשָׁפְטֶךָ.

^{Ps 51:6} Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in your sentence, and right in your judgment.

David Accepts Absalom’s Rebellion as Just

It is vital to note that David expresses this conviction not only in words—which can be cheap—but in deeds that cost him dearly. As David flees Jerusalem in fear for his life after his son Absalom’s revolt (2 Sam 15–19), Zadok and Abiathar bring the Ark of the Covenant to accompany him (2 Sam 15:24), operating under the assumption that God’s presence will ensure the beleaguered king of a victory (cf. Num 10:35–36).

But David—presumably aware that his son’s rebellion is the just consequence of his sin with Bathsheba—orders the priests to return the ark to the city:

‏^{שׁמואל ב טו:כה} וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְצָדוֹק הָשֵׁב אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים הָעִיר אִם אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי יְ־הוָה וֶהֱשִׁבַנִי וְהִרְאַנִי אֹתוֹ וְאֶת נָוֵהוּ. ^טו:כו וְאִם כֹּה יֹאמַר לֹא חָפַצְתִּי בָּךְ הִנְנִי יַעֲשֶׂה לִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר טוֹב בְּעֵינָיו.

^{2 Sam 15:25} But the king said to Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back to the city. If I find favor with YHWH, He will bring me back and let me see it and its abode. ^15:26 And if He should say, ‘I do not want you,’ I am ready; let Him do with me as He pleases.”

In these remarkable words, David expresses a willingness to endure lifelong exile as the price of his sin. Should he return to the throne, it will be solely because YHWH has heard his admission of guilt and has graciously delivered him.

Ironically this is precisely what occurs: because David accepts the terms of his punishment with a contrite heart, he becomes worthy of divine favor. What began as a moment of humiliation ends in exaltation upon his return to the throne (2 Sam 19:10–41).^[14]

We Did Not Spurn Your Afflictions: 4Q504

We find a similar spiritual transformation in one of the daily prayers in the collection known as דברי המארות, “Words of the Luminaries,” used at Qumran. (Notably, these prayers were not sectarian compositions but reflect a broader form of Jewish piety.)^[15]

ועתה כיום הזה אשר נכנע לבנו רצינו את עווננו ואת עוון אבותינו במעלנו ואשר הלכנו בקרי ולוא מאסנו בנסוייכה ובננועיכה לוא נעלה נפשנו להפר את בריתכה בכול צרת נפשנו.

^{4Q504 vi 5} And now, at this day, when our hearts have been humbled we have paid off our sins and those of our fathers that accrued when we erred and walked in rebellion. We have not rejected your trials, nor did we spurn your afflictions of our bodies such that we broke your covenant during our time of trial.

The prayer introduces a subtle transformation of the description in Leviticus of the punishments Israel must endure during her exile:^[16]

^{ויקרא כו:מג} וְהָאָרֶץ תֵּעָזֵב מֵהֶם וְתִרֶץ אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ בָּהְשַׁמָּה מֵהֶם וְהֵם יִרְצוּ אֶת עֲוֹנָם יַעַן וּבְיַעַן בְּמִשְׁפָּטַי מָאָסוּ וְאֶת חֻקֹּתַי גָּעֲלָה נַפְשָׁם.

^{Lev 26:43} For the land shall be forsaken of them, making up for its sabbath years by being desolate of them, while they atone for their iniquity; for the abundant reason that they rejected My rules and spurned My laws.”

The prayer of contrition instead confesses that Israel has ולוא מאסנו בנסוייכה, “not rejected God’s trials,” ובננועיכה לוא נעלה נפשנו “nor spurned the afflictions” she had to endure.

In sum, what were listed as punishments befitting a crime in Leviticus have become the means of spiritual repair in this prayer. This reflects the logic of Psalm 51: true penitence—and the restoration that one hopes will follow—presumes a courageous acceptance of the consequences of one’s actions. Only through this “owning” of the penalty can a sincere plea for mercy be made.

The Relationship between Mercy and Justice

The juxtaposition of mercy and justice in the thirteen attributes (Exod 34:6–7; Num 14:18; Ps 99:8) can be negotiated in several distinct ways:

1. Punishment is merciful when its terms are significantly reduced (Muffs).
2. No expression of mercy can entirely erase the objective requirements of justice (Zenger).
3. When a penitent freely accepts a punishment as their just due, that paradoxically becomes the avenue for the sinner’s restoration.^[17]

This last perspective informs the way David accepts his son’s rebellion as a consequence for his sin with Bathsheba, and is immortalized in Psalm 51, the most profound penitential prayer in the Bible.^[18]