'Tenderly' in the Bible
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,And call out to her, that her time of compulsory service in warfare is finished,That her wickedness has been taken away [since her punishment is sufficient],That she has received from the Lord’s handDouble [punishment] for all her sins.”
“Therefore, behold, I will allure IsraelAnd bring her into the wilderness,And I will speak tenderly to her [to reconcile her to Me].
Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”
“Get up! Take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”
Then Joseph got up, and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet.
So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him [as a close friend]!”
for the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple (John), whom Jesus loved (esteemed), and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!”
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Having such a deep affection for you, we were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.
Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].