God’s Longsuffering
Herman Hoeksema provides a theological exposition of God's longsuffering (makrothumia/makrothymein) as an attribute closely related to God's love, grace, and mercy. Through careful exegesis of Old Testament Hebrew terminology and New Testament Greek vocabulary, along with key passages from Exodus, Numbers, and the Psalms, Hoeksema demonstrates how longsuffering operates as God's patient, merciful attitude toward His covenant people. This concise article offers a Reformed analysis of a divine attribute that is essential to understanding God's character and His dealings with believers.
Herman Hoeksema Closely related to God’s virtues of love, grace and mercy is the attribute of longsuffering. In fact, it may be viewed as an aspect or operation of these virtues. In the New Testament, we have the terms μακροθυμεῖν (makrothumein—to be longsuffering) and μακροθυμία (makrothumia—longsuffering) to denote the idea of longsuffering. In the Old Testament, the term that most nearly approaches this idea is אֶ֥רֶך אַפַּ֖יִםְ (e-rek appa-yim—long or slow of anger, patient). אֶ֥רֶך...