Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

22 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel b. Hebrew has no adjectives. c. In Hebrew there are only two tenses (verbal time forms).17 d. By contrast, the six tenses of the Greek verb are more numerous than those of other languages; and each verb also has five Moods. e. Hebrew has no subordinate clauses. (The more subordinate clauses or modifiers the narrower and more specific the meaning.) f. Hebrew is a “concrete” language, i.e., very direct, forward, and earthy. g. Greek tends to be “expansive,” definitive, and abstract. Therefore, Hebrew, a concrete, direct, earthy language with a simple grammatical structure and limited vocabulary must necessarily have more nuances to a given word than an expansive, vocabulary rich and grammatically complex language like Greek. Shalom, peace, might have as many nuances to it as Aloha does in Hawaiian. Fr. Richard Murphy in his book Background to the Bible writes: Despite its drawbacks, the Hebrew language can be highly praised and appreciated even by non-linguists. It is a concrete lan­ guage, very direct and sometimes earthy. The very poverty of the language— its relatively small vocabulary - means that some words have layers and layers of meaning. A good example of this is the word hesed, long translated “loving kindness” or “steadfast love.” Actually hesed is a covenant word, implying a relationship that is more personal than legal, a bond o f loyalty. The Jerusalem Bible translates the word as “tenderness;” it is all that, and more (see Hosea 2:21, 4:2; 6:6). Another good example is the word “knowledge." To us knowledge means information, but the Hebrew knowledge o f God was “covenant-oriented” — a “knowl­ edge” of the heart. The Hebrew “knows” God as he “knows” his wife - with a deep personal understanding and lov e ....19 Therefore, we need to take another look at the Gospel passages unique to Luke and find what is in them that helps to give depth of meaning to Divine Mercy. Mercy is not just a word for Luke, but a con­ cept with many layers of meaning, presented in many ways.