Psalm 78:38
New International Version
Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

New Living Translation
Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!

English Standard Version
Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

Berean Standard Bible
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.

King James Bible
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

New King James Version
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath;

New American Standard Bible
But He, being compassionate, forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not stir up all His wrath.

NASB 1995
But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.

NASB 1977
But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger, And did not arouse all His wrath.

Legacy Standard Bible
But He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; And He abounded in turning back His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.

Amplified Bible
But He, the source of compassion and lovingkindness, forgave their wickedness and did not destroy them; Many times He restrained His anger And did not stir up all His wrath.

Christian Standard Bible
Yet he was compassionate; he atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often turned his anger aside and did not unleash all his wrath.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Yet He was compassionate; He atoned for their guilt and did not destroy them. He often turned His anger aside and did not unleash all His wrath.

American Standard Version
But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he is merciful and he forgives sin and does not destroy; he proceeded to turn away his wrath and did not arouse all his anger.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy them: yea, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.

Contemporary English Version
Yet God was kind. He kept forgiving their sins and didn't destroy them. He often became angry, but never lost his temper.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.

English Revised Version
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But he is compassionate. He forgave their sin. He did not destroy them. He restrained his anger many times. He did not display all of his fury.

Good News Translation
But God was merciful to his people. He forgave their sin and did not destroy them. Many times he held back his anger and restrained his fury.

International Standard Version
But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and didn't destroy them; He restrained his anger and didn't vent all his wrath.

JPS Tanakh 1917
But He, being full of compassion, forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not; Yea, many a time doth He turn His anger away, And doth not stir up all His wrath.

Literal Standard Version
And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, | And has often turned back His anger, | And does not awaken all His fury.

Majority Standard Bible
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.

New American Bible
But God being compassionate forgave their sin; he did not utterly destroy them. Time and again he turned back his anger, unwilling to unleash all his rage.

NET Bible
Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.

New Revised Standard Version
Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.

New Heart English Bible
But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

Webster's Bible Translation
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yes, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

World English Bible
But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.

Young's Literal Translation
And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
37Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant. 38And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath. 39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.…

Cross References
Exodus 34:6
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

Numbers 14:18
The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.'

2 Chronicles 12:7
When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon grant them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.

Psalm 85:2
You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah

Psalm 85:3
You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.

Psalm 99:8
O LORD our God, You answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

Isaiah 48:9
For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.


Treasury of Scripture

But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yes, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

but he

Psalm 106:43-45
Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity…

Exodus 34:6-9
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, …

Numbers 14:18-20
The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation

many

Isaiah 48:9
For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.

Ezekiel 20:8,9,13,14,17,21,22
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt…

did not

2 Kings 21:20
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.

Jump to Previous
Anger Angry Compassion Compassionate Destroy Destroyed Destroyeth End Forgave Forgiveness Forgiveth Frequently Full Fury Iniquities Iniquity Merciful Often Pity Restrained Sin Stir Time Times Turn Turned Turning Violently Waketh Wrath
Jump to Next
Anger Angry Compassion Compassionate Destroy Destroyed Destroyeth End Forgave Forgiveness Forgiveth Frequently Full Fury Iniquities Iniquity Merciful Often Pity Restrained Sin Stir Time Times Turn Turned Turning Violently Waketh Wrath
Psalm 78
1. An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67. The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.














(38) The verbs in the first clause should be in the present, But he, the compassionate, forgives iniquity, and doth not destroy, and many a time he turned away, &c.

Verse 38. - But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity. (On God's compassion, see Exodus 34:6, 7; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8.) And destroyed them not. The allusion is to such occasions as are noted in Exodus 32:10-14; Numbers 14:12-20; Numbers 16:21, 45-50, when God was on the point of destroying the whole people, but relented at the intercession of Moses. Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath (comp. Judges 2:11-16; Judges 3:8, 9; Judges 4:2, 15; Judges 6:1-8, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Yet He
וְה֤וּא (wə·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

was compassionate;
רַח֨וּם ׀ (ra·ḥūm)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7349: Compassionate

He forgave
יְכַפֵּ֥ר (yə·ḵap·pêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3722: To cover, to expiate, condone, to placate, cancel

[their] iniquity
עָוֺן֮ (‘ā·wōn)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

and did not
וְֽלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

destroy them.
יַ֫שְׁחִ֥ית (yaš·ḥîṯ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

He often
וְ֭הִרְבָּה (wə·hir·bāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

restrained His anger
אַפּ֑וֹ (’ap·pōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

and did not
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

unleash
יָ֝עִיר (yā·‘îr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5782: To rouse oneself, awake

His full wrath.
חֲמָתֽוֹ׃ (ḥă·mā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2534: Heat, anger, poison


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OT Poetry: Psalm 78:38 But he being merciful forgave iniquity (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:37
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