Character of God Word Studies

The list of God’s character traits found in Exodus 34:6-7 is the most repeated and re-quoted text in the Bible. But what does it mean when God describes himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and overflowing with loyal love and faithfulness? Understanding the significance of these Hebrew words will bring God’s character into clearer focus.

In the Bible, “compassion” is a deeply emotional word used to convey the strong bond between a parent and their child. It’s also the first word God uses to describe himself in Exodus 34:6-7. God is portrayed as a compassionate parent throughout Scripture—both as a mother and a father—and his compassion is embodied in the person of Jesus.

Grace is a word we hear a lot in Christian circles, but the deeper meaning of this rich Hebrew word, especially how it relates to God's character, can get lost. In this video we look at what means for God to be gracious.

In Exodus 34, God describes himself as being "slow to anger," but what does this mean? The literal translation is a Hebrew idiom that has the potential to make this description even more confusing to modern readers. Something about a long nose? What? Learn more in this video.

The Hebrew word “khesed” is one of the most common descriptions of God in the Hebrew Bible, and it’s almost impossible to translate into any other language! This word combines the ideas of love, loyalty, and generosity. Meditating on the meaning of this word can shape our understanding of God’s character.

The word emet is a common word used to describe God in the Bible. It can be translated as “faithfulness” or “truth.” So when the authors say that God is “full of emet,” they are saying that he is trustworthy—we can trust him. But trusting isn’t always an easy thing. In this video, we look at why we can trust that God is full of emet.