Original Word: סְלִיחָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: cliychah
Pronunciation: seh-lee-KHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (sel-ee-khaw')
KJV: forgiveness, pardon
NASB: forgiveness
Word Origin: [from H5545 (סָלַח - forgive)]

1. pardon

forgiveness, pardon

From calach; pardon -- forgiveness, pardon.

see HEBREW calach

Word Origin
from salach
Definition
forgiveness
NASB Translation
forgiveness (3).

סְלִיחָה noun feminine forgiveness (late; on formative see Kö^{ii. 1, 197}); — ׳ס Psalm 130:4; plural abstract intensive abundant forgiveness, סְלִיחוֺת Nehemiah 9:17, סְלִחוֺת Daniel 9:9.

Concept and Scope

סְלִיחָה refers to the reality of pardon that flows from God’s covenant heart. It is not a mere legal cancellation, but a relational restoration in which the offender is welcomed back into fellowship. The term appears only three times, yet each setting amplifies one facet of the same jewel: the gracious readiness of the Lord to forgive persistent covenant-breakers.

Canonical Occurrences

1. Nehemiah 9:17 presents סְלִיחָה in the context of a national confession recounting Israel’s wilderness rebellion:

“But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them”.

Here forgiveness stands alongside attributes that echo Exodus 34:6–7, underscoring that pardon springs from God’s own character rather than human merit.

2. Psalm 130:4 contrasts human guilt with divine mercy:

“But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared”.

Forgiveness is the basis for reverent worship; awe grows not from terror of judgment but from amazement at grace.

3. Daniel 9:9 sets forgiveness within an eschatological prayer for restoration:

“To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him”.

Amid exile, Daniel appeals to God’s intrinsic disposition to pardon as the ground for hope beyond national failure.

Theology of Divine Forgiveness

• Rooted in Covenant Love – Each passage places סְלִיחָה within the covenant narrative. The Lord’s pledge to Abraham and the exodus generation is upheld by His own integrity, not by Israel’s fidelity.
• Paired with Compassion – Forgiveness is consistently coupled with terms for mercy and loving-kindness, revealing that pardon is not reluctant but eager, moving toward sinners in affectionate resolve.
• Produces Holy Fear – According to Psalm 130:4 the outcome of forgiveness is reverence, showing that grace, when grasped, deepens holiness rather than diminishes it.
• Anticipates Atonement – Although the Old Testament affirms divine readiness to forgive, it also anticipates a definitive provision. Isaiah 53 and Jeremiah 31 connect forgiveness with the Servant’s suffering and the new covenant, trajectories fulfilled in the cross of Jesus Christ where “through His name everyone who believes receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43).

Historical Trajectory

In Second Temple Judaism the verbal form was incorporated into penitential liturgies, preparing hearts for the Day of Atonement. By the first century, the concept informed prayers like the Eighteen Benedictions, shaping communal expectations that God would yet send a Redeemer to secure permanent forgiveness.

Ministry Implications

• Preaching – The preacher proclaims God’s unchanging readiness to pardon, confronting despair with hope and presumption with the call to repentance.
• Pastoral Care – Believers struggling with shame are directed to the character of God revealed in סְלִיחָה, assuring them that restoration is grounded in His covenant faithfulness.
• Worship – Congregational confession followed by assurances of pardon reflects the pattern of Nehemiah 9 and Psalm 130, fostering both honesty about sin and confidence in grace.
• Mission – The Church extends the promise of forgiveness to the nations (Luke 24:47), echoing Daniel’s vision of mercy reaching rebels far from Zion.

Related Vocabulary

While סְלִיחָה emphasizes the act of pardoning, the broader Hebrew field includes כָּפַר (atonement) and חֶסֶד (steadfast love). In the New Testament, ἄφεσις (aphesis, release) and ἱλασμός (propitiation) carry the motif forward, linking the Old Testament promise to its Christological fulfillment.

Summary

Though rare in appearance, סְלִיחָה is central to the biblical witness. It testifies that the God who judges sin is the same God who delights to forgive, inviting His people to live in the fear-filled freedom secured ultimately in Jesus Christ.

הַסְּלִיחָ֑ה הסליחה וְהַסְּלִח֑וֹת והסלחות סְלִיח֜וֹת סליחות has·sə·lî·ḥāh hasseliChah hassəlîḥāh sə·lî·ḥō·wṯ seliChot səlîḥōwṯ vehasseliChot wə·has·sə·li·ḥō·wṯ wəhassəliḥōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts