Tune: St Clement
('The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended')
Psalm 103 v.8-14
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The Lord is merciful and gracious
Slow to anger, and plenteous
In mercy, he will not always chide
Anger not always with Him reside
He has not dealt with us according
To our sins, so we praises sing
To Him who forgives, not rewarding
Us punishment for each wrong thing
For as the heaven is high above
The earth, so great His mercy, love
Is toward them that fear Him, who do
Honour, revere, praise Him anew
As far as the east is from the west
To such an extent He has blessed
Us, has removed our sins form us, we
Now His forgiven people be
Like as a father pities his children
So the Lord, he does pity then
They that fear Him, for He man's frame knows
That man for short earthly time shows*
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* i.e. mankind for short earthly time appears,
with 70 or 80 years being a 'short life'.
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Author:
orchidee (
Offline) - Published: February 12th, 2026 12:56
- Comment from author about the poem: A hymn-poem in 9.8.9.8. with the perhaps surprising view of the concept of forgiveness coming in the OLD Testament.
- Category: Spiritual
- Views: 17
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange

Offline)
Comments5
Your poem revolves around the theme of divine mercy and forgiveness. It emphasizes the compassionate nature of God, who is portrayed as gracious, slow to anger, and willing to forgive human shortcomings. The poem conveys a message of hope and gratitude for the divine love that transcends human failings.
Thank you F.
I like this one Orchi the idea of a god that has pity and doesn't chide us. Well done Orchi
Thank you SB. Do we use \'chide\' much these days?! I nearly put in an explanatory note there.
You are most welcome Orchi yes it is funny how rapidly language changes.
Very good poem, my friend! And we who know…know that forgiveness is very much built into the Hebrew Scripture. Well done, my friend. P, you see, he says G…you knows the rest! 🤣
Thank you T. Shall we chide certain ones for glugging?! It won't stop them though. lol.
Never will it ever...but it's chide or hide, no? LOL!
Or it's chide...then hide...who knows anymore! 🤷♂️🤣
Good one Orchi.
Thank you Gold.
Wonderful, Orchi! I love how you are focusing on forgiveness in the Old Testament, as most people think that it is all about doom, gloom, fire and brimstone, but there is much forgiveness in the OT, and there is fire and brimstone in the NT. The God of both is the same and the forgiveness is God's MO (though sometimes it is hard to see that) throughout. People are the ones who keep rejecting it, if one follows the Bible closely. Anywho, love this focus my friend.
Now, the question is, can one be forgiven for endless glugs? Does the Bible even cover this? Jesus did say the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the spirit, but what about glugging on the spirit? Time will tell, I suppose! LOL! 😂
Thank you T.
Meanwhile - yep, Biblical scholars have been unable to trace the word 'glug' in the Bible, though it's probably a cause of, as some older versions put it, gnashing of teeth! Btu we can't say why - we can't answer that! heehee.
LOL! Indeed...and nope the main reason cannot be revealed, though I hear it helps protect the tooth enamel during the gnashing! LOL!
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