Notes on Biblical Mercy: God’s Womb-Like Love

This purpose of this article is to expand a Christian theology of mercy by offering a detailed analysis of raḥamim in the Hebrew Bible. First, I will detail the womb-like character of raḥamim and its importance for a theology of mercy. Second, I will distinguish raḥamim from ḥesed . Third, I will show how the aftermath of the Golden Calf incident in Exodus 32–34 exemplifies the power of divine mercy to reconcile and restore covenantal relationship.