Romans 9:15
New International Version
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

New Living Translation
For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

English Standard Version
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Berean Standard Bible
For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Berean Literal Bible
For He says to Moses: "I will show mercy to whom I may show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I may have compassion."

King James Bible
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

New King James Version
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

New American Standard Bible
For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL SHOW COMPASSION TO WHOMEVER I SHOW COMPASSION.”

NASB 1995
For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”

NASB 1977
For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”

Legacy Standard Bible
For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”

Amplified Bible
For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOMEVER I HAVE COMPASSION.”

Christian Standard Bible
For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For He tells Moses: I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

American Standard Version
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to.

English Revised Version
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
For example, God said to Moses, "I will be kind to anyone I want to. I will be merciful to anyone I want to."

Good News Translation
For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on anyone I wish; I will take pity on anyone I wish."

International Standard Version
For he says to Moses, "I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to."

Majority Standard Bible
For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

NET Bible
For he says to Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

New Heart English Bible
For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

Webster's Bible Translation
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Weymouth New Testament
No, indeed; the solution is found in His words to Moses, "Wherever I show mercy it shall be nothing but mercy, and wherever I show compassion it shall be simply compassion."

World English Bible
For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For to Moses He says, “I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion”;

Berean Literal Bible
For He says to Moses: "I will show mercy to whom I may show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I may have compassion."

Young's Literal Translation
for to Moses He saith, 'I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion;'

Smith's Literal Translation
I will commiserate whomsoever I commiserate, and I will have compassion upon whomsoever I have compassion.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For he saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For to Moses he says: “I will pity whomever I pity. And I will offer mercy to whomever I will pity.”

New American Bible
For he says to Moses: “I will show mercy to whom I will, I will take pity on whom I will.”

New Revised Standard Version
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For he said to Moses also, I will have mercy on him whom I love, and I will have compassion on him whom I favor.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Behold, he said also to Moses, “I shall show love on whomever I love, and I shall take pity on whomever I pity.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For he says to Moses: I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy; and I will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.

Godbey New Testament
For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I do have mercy, and I will commiserate whom I do commiserate.

Haweis New Testament
For he saith to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Mace New Testament
God forbid, for he saith to Moses, "I will show favour to whom I will show favour, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Weymouth New Testament
No, indeed; the solution is found in His words to Moses, "Wherever I show mercy it shall be nothing but mercy, and wherever I show compassion it shall be simply compassion."

Worrell New Testament
For He saith to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomsoever I have mercy; and I will have compassion on whomsoever I have compassion."

Worsley New Testament
God forbid! For He saith to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Sovereign Choice
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.…

Cross References
Exodus 33:19
“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Exodus 34:6-7
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, / maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Deuteronomy 7:6-8
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth. / The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. / But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

Psalm 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

Psalm 115:3
Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.

Psalm 135:6
The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.

Isaiah 46:10
I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 18:6
“O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

Matthew 20:15
Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

Matthew 11:25-26
At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. / Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

John 5:21
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.


Treasury of Scripture

For he said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

I will have.

Romans 9:16,18,19
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy…

Exodus 33:19
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Exodus 34:6,7
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, …

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Compassion Feel Found Indeed Kindness Mercy Moses Pity Shew Show Simply Wherever Words
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Compassion Feel Found Indeed Kindness Mercy Moses Pity Shew Show Simply Wherever Words
Romans 9
1. Paul is sorry for the Jews.
7. All of Abraham not of the promise.
18. God's sovereignty.
25. The calling of the Gentiles and rejecting of the Jews, foretold.
32. The cause of their stumbling.














For He says to Moses
This phrase introduces a direct quotation from God to Moses, found in Exodus 33:19. The context here is crucial; Moses is interceding for Israel after the golden calf incident, seeking assurance of God's continued presence. The use of "He says" underscores the authority and timelessness of God's word. In the original Hebrew, the verb "says" (אָמַר, 'amar) conveys not just a spoken word but a declaration of divine will. This sets the stage for understanding God's sovereign choice as an eternal principle.

I will have mercy
The Greek word for "mercy" here is ἐλεέω (eleeo), which implies a deep, compassionate response to human need. In the biblical context, mercy is not merely a feeling but an action that God takes towards those He chooses. Historically, God's mercy is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, often linked to His covenant faithfulness. This phrase emphasizes that mercy is an attribute of God, exercised according to His divine prerogative, not human merit.

on whom I have mercy
This repetition underscores the personal and selective nature of God's mercy. The phrase "on whom" (ὃν, hon) indicates specificity and particularity. It highlights the doctrine of election, where God's mercy is not distributed universally but is directed towards specific individuals or groups according to His sovereign will. This is consistent with the biblical narrative where God chooses Israel, not because of their righteousness, but because of His love and promise to the patriarchs.

and I will have compassion
The Greek term for "compassion" is οἰκτίρω (oiktirō), which conveys a sense of deep empathy and pity. Compassion, like mercy, is an active expression of God's love. In the Hebrew context, the root word רָחַם (racham) is often used, which is related to the womb, suggesting a nurturing, protective love. This phrase assures believers of God's tender care and concern, reinforcing the idea that His actions are motivated by love and not obligation.

on whom I have compassion
Again, the repetition serves to emphasize God's sovereign choice. The phrase "on whom" reiterates the selective nature of divine compassion. This is a profound reminder that God's ways are higher than human ways (Isaiah 55:9). It challenges believers to trust in God's wisdom and goodness, even when His choices are beyond human understanding. The historical context of Israel's election serves as a backdrop, illustrating that God's compassion is part of His redemptive plan for humanity.

(15) For he saith to Moses.--In the most characteristic period of the Old Testament the divine favour was promised in this way to Moses and denied to Pharaoh. The original of the first quotation has reference to the special revelation vouchsafed to Moses on Sinai, "I will show grace to whom I will show grace."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

He says
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

to
τῷ (tō)
Article - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Moses:
Μωϋσεῖ (Mōusei)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3475: Or Moses, or Mouses of Hebrew origin; Moseus, Moses, or Mouses, the Hebrew lawgiver.

“I will have mercy on
Ἐλεήσω (Eleēsō)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1653: To pity, have mercy on. From eleos; to compassionate.

whom
ὃν (hon)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

I have mercy,
ἐλεῶ (eleō)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1653: To pity, have mercy on. From eleos; to compassionate.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

I will have compassion on
οἰκτιρήσω (oiktirēsō)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3627: To pity, have compassion on. Also prolonged oiktereo oyk-ter-eh'-o from oiktos; to exercise pity.

whom
ὃν (hon)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

I have compassion.”
οἰκτίρω (oiktirō)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3627: To pity, have compassion on. Also prolonged oiktereo oyk-ter-eh'-o from oiktos; to exercise pity.


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