The missing truth.

As we will be/have been saying the 13 midot a lot (if you are sfard/edot mizrach more than usual) lately and in a few days will be reading the book of Jonah, a point of notice between the version from Exodus and Jonah’s: Jonah drops truth out of the list :אֵל-חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל-הָרָעָה, and he appears to not be the only one who does so. Moses while speaking out against the destruction of the nation in Shlach says ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֖ן וָפָ֑שַׁע וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֞ד עֲוֺ֤ן אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃, again, dropping truth from the list. Yoel drops truth in chapter 2: כִּֽי־חַנּ֤וּן וְרַחוּם֙ ה֔וּא אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה, Ezra drops it off when reading the Torah to the nation in the book of Nehemiah: אַתָּה אֱלוֹהַּ סְלִיחוֹת חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ-אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חֶסֶד וְלֹא עֲזַבְתָּם. In Psalms the phrasing appears once with truth (וְאַתָּה ה אֵל-רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת) and twice without (רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן ה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חָסֶד, and חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם ה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדָל-חָסֶד). The majority here are dropping truth as a description of God, why? Jonah, I have heard an explanation for (he was bitter, felt that God forgiving Ninveh was unjust), but why is Moses dropping it when asking God to save the nation?

A trite response that came to mind was another time when we use truth: You hear someone has passed away, the first response is ברוך דיין אמת. The true judgement is seen in death, anything else is forgiveness. Ninveh is forgiven, no truth. The nation is somewhat forgiven in shlach, no truth. In Nehemiah, they rebel, God forgives, no truth. During the period of selichot and the high holidays we are accepting that our judgement may be true, but we end with an example of forgiveness where it wasn’t. Thoughts?

גמר חתימה טובה