ὅτι ἵλεως ἔσομαι ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι. (Hebrews 8:12)
Mercy and Memory in the New Covenant
Hebrews 8:12 delivers the climax of the New Covenant promise — divine mercy and the complete removal of remembered guilt. The Greek is elegant and emphatic, relying on future tense verbs, the strongest negation in Greek, and parallel clauses to highlight both God’s mercy and His deliberate choice to forget.
Let’s walk through the grammar that anchors this promise in certainty.
1. The Conjunction of Reason: ὅτι
- ὅτι – “because” or “for,” introducing the basis for the covenant blessings previously described
This marks the reason for confidence: God will be merciful, and He will remember sin no more. Everything hinges on what follows this conjunction.
2. Future Middle Indicative: ἵλεως ἔσομαι
- ἵλεως – adjective used predicatively, “merciful,” “propitious,” “gracious”
- ἔσομαι – Future Middle Indicative, 1st Person Singular of εἰμί, “I will be”
The phrase ἵλεως ἔσομαι is a solemn covenantal expression, echoing the Septuagint’s rendering of divine forgiveness (cf. Jeremiah 31:34 LXX).
Together, they mean:
“I will be merciful…” — a voluntary divine attitude.
Indirect Object: ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν
- ταῖς ἀδικίαις – “to their injustices/wrongs,” dative plural
- αὐτῶν – “their,” genitive pronoun modifying ἀδικίαις
Though mercy is usually shown to persons, here it is shown with respect to their wrongdoings, highlighting divine engagement with the root problem — sin.
Parallel Clause: τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν
This begins a parallel construction to the first clause, using the genitive plural:
- τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν – “their sins,” the second category of transgression listed
The parallelism is intentional — ἀδικίαι (injustices) and ἁμαρτίαι (sins) together represent the full scope of moral failure.
Strongest Negation in Greek: οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι
- οὐ μή – double negation used with subjunctive or future to express absolute denial
- μνησθῶ – Aorist Passive Subjunctive, 1st Person Singular of μιμνῄσκομαι, “to remember”
- ἔτι – “anymore,” “still,” an adverb marking finality
The verb μνησθῶ in the subjunctive with οὐ μή forms the strongest way to say “I will never remember” in Greek. It is an emphatic future denial:
“I will absolutely never remember their sins again.”
Divine Amnesia and Covenant Grammar
The entire structure forms a beautifully balanced theological statement:
| Mercy Statement | Forgetfulness Statement |
|---|---|
| ἵλεως ἔσομαι ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν I will be merciful to their injustices |
τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι I will never again remember their sins |
The use of future verbs reflects divine intent, while οὐ μή guarantees its finality. This is not human forgetfulness, but divine decision to remove guilt completely.
The Final Word is Mercy
Hebrews 8:12 closes the New Covenant promise with grammatical power: mercy expressed through the future middle, and forgiveness sealed by the aorist subjunctive with οὐ μή. This is not temporary or conditional — it’s eternal.
God will be merciful. And He will never again remember our sins.
That’s not just theology. That’s grammar proclaiming grace.
