
Complete Bible Study Guide
What Does the Bible Say About Mercy?
51 Scripture references with full text and commentary
Understanding Mercy in the Bible
What does the Bible say about mercy? Browse 11 carefully selected verses that illuminate this biblical theme.
Top 10 Verses About Mercy
- 1Genesis 39:21
“But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison . shewed: Heb. extended kindness unto him”
KJV - 2Joshua 6:25
“And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”
KJV - 3Judges 1:23
“And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)”
KJV - 42 Samuel 22:26
“With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.”
KJV - 52 Kings 6:21
“And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?”
KJV - 62 Kings 6:22
“And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.”
KJV - 72 Kings 6:23
“And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”
KJV - 8Psalms 18:25
“With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;”
KJV - 9Psalms 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever . for ever: Heb. to length of days”
KJV - 10Psalms 37:25
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
KJV
Subtopics of Mercy
Old Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Mercy? (30 Verses)
“But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison . shewed: Heb. extended kindness unto him”
“And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”
“And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)”
“With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.”
“And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?”
“And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.”
“And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”
“With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;”
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever . for ever: Heb. to length of days”
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
“He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. ever: Heb. all the day”
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
“A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:”
“So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. good: or, good success”
“The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.”
“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. tender: or, bowels”
“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor , happy is he.”
“Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.”
“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.”
“Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.”
“He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.”
“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. merciful: Heb. men of kindness, or, godliness from: or, from that which is evil”
“It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
“Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. a lengthening: or, an healing of thine error”
“Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.”
“Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.”
“Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.”
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? walk: Heb. humble thyself to walk”
“Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: Execute: Heb. Judge judgment of truth”
New Testament: What Does the Bible Say About Mercy? (21 Verses)
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.”
“And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. talents: a talent is 750.ounces of silver, which after five shillings the ounce is 187.li. 10.s.”
“But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.”
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. anise: Gr. dill”
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
“And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”
“And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
“Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. giveth: or, imparteth with simplicity: or, liberally”
“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.”
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. punishment: or, censure”
“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.”
“Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.”
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. quarrel: or, complaint”
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. rejoiceth: or, glorieth”
How to Study What the Bible Says About Mercy
- 1
Begin by reading through every verse listed on this page, noting which ones speak most directly to your current season of life. Write them down and revisit them throughout the week.
- 2
Use a concordance or the search tools on this site to find additional passages about mercy. Look for patterns across both the Old and New Testaments to gain a complete picture of what God reveals on this subject.
- 3
Study the context of each verse. Read the surrounding chapter to understand who was speaking, who the audience was, and what circumstances prompted the passage. Context prevents misapplication.
- 4
Memorise at least one key verse about mercy and meditate on it daily. Scripture memory transforms thinking and equips you to apply God's Word in real-time situations.
Practical Application
Studying what the Bible says about mercy is only the beginning. Scripture is meant to be lived out in daily obedience and faith. Here are practical steps to apply these truths:
Identify one area of your life where the biblical teaching on mercy needs to be applied more consistently. Write a specific, actionable step you can take this week.
Share what you have learned about mercy with a fellow believer or in a small group setting. Teaching others solidifies your own understanding and encourages mutual growth.
Pray through the key verses about mercy, asking God to reveal how His Word applies to your relationships, decisions, and daily habits.
How Well Do You Know What the Bible Says About Mercy?
You have studied 51 verses about mercy. Now test your knowledge with chapter-by-chapter quizzes covering the books where these verses appear.
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Topics Included
This page consolidates Bible verses from 2 related topics: