Long of Nose

At 6'6", I'm accustomed to the frequent exclamations of, "Wow! You're tall!" that greets me when I meet people. While I’m tempted to respond with a touch of sarcasm—“Thank you for telling me, I had no idea!”—I usually just offer a smile in return. But you know what's funny? I often summarize myself by that same feature. I often default to describing myself as “tall”.

That reminds me of a powerful moment from the Bible, where God introduces Himself to Moses not by His might or splendor but with a deeply personal self-description. In Exodus 34:6, we read, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Here, the Hebrew phrase “erek apayim” is used for “slow to anger”. It literally means “long of nose.” (Strongs #750; #639) But rather than referring to physical traits, this expression signifies patience, as taking a long, deep breath to temper frustration with calmness.

Don’t miss the beauty of the imagery of this Divine self-declaration: God leads with compassion and mercy, characteristics embodied in His "unfailing love and faithfulness." I don’t know about you, but I find immense comfort in looking up to a Father who is metaphorically “long of nose.”

Duke Stone
After 40 years in full-time ministry, I try to see how the little things in life speak big things about God. This blog is an attempt to share with you the many ways I see the love of God in the ordinary things of life.