Rahamim
/raχaˈmim/noun
A Hebrew term meaning compassion, mercy, or tender loving-kindness.
Did you know?Rahamim comes from the same Hebrew root associated with *reḥem*, “womb,” linking mercy with the visceral protection and tenderness of gestation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*raḥim-
“A reconstructed root associated with womb, inner tenderness, and compassion”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רַחֲמִים (raḥămîm)
“Mercies, compassion, or profound tender feeling”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רֶחֶם (reḥem)
“Womb; a related form expressing the bodily source of compassion imagery”
Late Antique Hebrew and Aramaic
Hebrew/Aramaic
raḥamīn
“Mercies, compassion, or pity, used in Jewish liturgical and religious language”
Modern Hebrew
Hebrew
רַחֲמִים (raḥamim)
“Mercy, compassion, or pity”
Modern English
English
rahamim
“A transliterated Hebrew religious term for compassion or mercy”