Psalms 103:8

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, etc.] So he made himself known to Moses, (<023406>Exodus 34:6), and so David found him to be, and therefore calls upon his soul to bless his name. God is “merciful” in the most tender and affectionate manner; he has bowels of mercy, which yearn towards his people, as those of a tender parent to its child, as the word signifies; his mercy is free, without any motive or merit in men to engage it; he delights in showing it; he constantly bestows it; it is the source of all good things; it is communicated through Christ; all mercies temporal and spiritual come by him; and this lays a foundation for faith and hope: and he is gracious, as appears in the eternal…”

“The Lord is merciful and gracious - See the notes at Psalms 78:38. The idea here is derived evidently from Exodus 34:6-7 - that great and glorious statement of God himself in regard to his own character. Our world is a different world under that statement from what it would be if that and kindred declarations had not been made. There is here a “progression” of thought; an “advance” on the previous statements. At first the psalmist referred to his own individual experience Psalms 103:3-5; then he referred to the dealings of God toward the Hebrew people Psalms 103:6-7; and now he rises to the general contemplation of his character as it relates to all mankind. It was a characteristic of God in…”

“merciful: Psa 86:5, Psa 86:15, Psa 130:7, Psa 145:8; Exo 34:6, Exo 34:7; Num 14:18; Deu 5:10; Neh 9:17; Isa 55:7; Jer 32:18; Rom 5:20, Rom 5:21; Eph 1:7, Eph 1:8 slow: Joe 2:13; Jon 4:2; Nah 1:3 plenteous in mercy: Heb. great of mercy Psalms 103:9”