What is hesed, God’s lovingkindess?

by Krisan Marotta | Jul 26, 2022 | 02 Library, What is

What is hesed?

The Hebrew word hesed is an important word in the Old Testament. If you picture hesed as a recipe, it would have three ingredients. More often than not, it describes God. It is usually translated “lovingkindness.”

All three ingredients are present in every passage, but the flavor depends on how much emphasis is given to each ingredient in the context. Some passages emphasize the first ingredient, others the second, and others the third. In some passages all three may be balanced or two of the three emphasized. But all 3 ingredients are present each time.

Active love

The first ingredient is active love. Hesed is the idea of faithful love in action. Because God has hesed, He acts for the good of His people. The Bible often talks of God “doing”, “showing” or “keeping” hesed. To show hesed is to act in a loyal, loving way toward another person. Hesed can be found in human relationships, but is most often used of the compassion God shows His people. Translations which emphasize this active love ingredient translate this word “lovingkindness.”

Steadfast loyalty

The second ingredient is steadfast loyalty or faithfulness. Hesed is the devoted faithful love promised within a covenant. God has hesed because He can be counted on to be steadfast and faithful in acting for the good of His people. He will do what He has promised to do. We can count on it. He is loyal, steadfast and faithful to His covenant with His people. To emphasize this aspect, this word is often translated “steadfast love.”

Mercy

The third ingredient is mercy in the sense of acting in spite of obstacles. Sometimes the obstacle being overcome is the sin or unworthiness of the other person, but not always.

For example, when doctors travel to an area hit by an epidemic we call that a “mercy mission.” We don’t mean that these doctors need to forgive the people they are helping. They are going to help in an area where obstacles must be overcome. In an act of compassion, they act for the other person’s good, even though the problem is big and costly to tackle.

This ingredient is often captured by the translating this word “mercy.”

Covenant

I understand hesed to have those three flavors: active love, steadfast love and merciful love. Usually this word describes God’s steadfast, faithful, merciful compassionate acts of love, especially in fulfillment of His covenant promises, as opposed to a general love for all humanity.

Ralph Davis writes: “hesed is the devoted love promised within a covenant; hesed is love that is willing to commit itself to another by making its promise a matter of solemn record (Ralph Davis, D. Focus on the Bible: 2 Samuel).”

Here are the 14 verses which use hesed and covenent (beriyth) as synyonyms: Dt 7:9; Dt 7:12; 1Sa 20:8; 1Ki 8:23; 2Chr 6:14; Neh 1:5; Neh 9:32; Psa 25:10; Psa 89:28; Psa 106:45; Isa 54:10; Isa 55:3; Dan 9:4.

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hesed

Strong’s number: H2617 from H2626

Hebrew Lexical Dictionary: Strong’s #2617

Part of Speech: noun, masculine

Transliteration: hesed; chesed; heced

Quick Definition: goodness, kindness

NASB Translation: deeds of devotion (2), devotion (1), devout (1), faithfulness (1), favor (2), good (1), kindly (7), kindness (32), kindnesses (1), loveliness (1), lovingkindness (176), lovingkindnesses (7), loyal deeds (1), loyalty (6), mercies (1), merciful (2), mercy (1), righteousness (1), unchanging love (2).

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Old Testament usage

Used 247 times in 241 verses.

Gen 19:19; Gen 20:13; Gen 21:23; Gen 24:12; Gen 24:14; Gen 24:27; Gen 24:49; Gen 32:11; Gen 39:21; Gen 40:14; Gen 47:29;

Exo 15:13; Exo 20:6; Exo 34:6; Exo 34:7; Lev 20:17; Num 14:18; Num 14:19; Dt 5:10; Dt 7:9; Dt 7:12;

Jos 2:12; Jos 2:14; Jdg 1:24; Jdg 8:35; Rth 1:8; Rth 2:20; Rth 3:10;

1Sa 15:6; 1Sa 20:8; 1Sa 20:14; 1Sa 20:15; 2Sa 2:5; 2Sa 2:6; 2Sa 3:8; 2Sa 7:15; 2Sa 9:1; 2Sa 9:3; 2Sa 9:7; 2Sa 10:2; 2Sa 15:20; 2Sa 16:17; 2Sa 22:51;

1Ki 2:7; 1Ki 3:6; 1Ki 8:23; 1Ki 20:31; 1Ch 16:34; 1Ch 16:41; 1Ch 17:13; 1Ch 19:2; 2Ch 1:8; 2Ch 5:13; 2Ch 6:14; 2Ch 6:42; 2Ch 7:3; 2Ch 7:6; 2Ch 20:21; 2Ch 24:22; 2Ch 32:32; 2Ch 35:26;

Ezr 3:11; Ezr 7:28; Ezr 9:9; Neh 1:5; Neh 9:17; Neh 9:32; Neh 13:14; Neh 13:22; Est 2:9; Est 2:17; Job 6:14; Job 10:12; Job 37:13;

Psa 5:8; Psa 6:5; Psa 13:6; Psa 17:7; Psa 18:51; Psa 21:8; Psa 23:6; Psa 25:6; Psa 25:7; Psa 25:10; Psa 26:3; Psa 31:8; Psa 31:17; Psa 31:22; Psa 32:10; Psa 33:5; Psa 33:18; Psa 33:22; Psa 36:6; Psa 36:8; Psa 36:11; Psa 40:11; Psa 40:12; Psa 42:9; Psa 44:27; Psa 48:10; Psa 51:3; Psa 52:3; Psa 52:10; Psa 57:4; Psa 57:11; Psa 59:11; Psa 59:17; Psa 59:18; Psa 61:8; Psa 62:13; Psa 63:4; Psa 66:20; Psa 69:14; Psa 69:17; Psa 77:9; Psa 85:8; Psa 85:11; Psa 86:5; Psa 86:13; Psa 86:15; Psa 88:12; Psa 89:2; Psa 89:3; Psa 89:15; Psa 89:25; Psa 89:29; Psa 89:34; Psa 89:50; Psa 90:14; Psa 92:3; Psa 94:18; Psa 98:3; Psa 100:5; Psa 101:1; Psa 103:4; Psa 103:8; Psa 103:11; Psa 103:17; Psa 106:1; Psa 106:7; Psa 106:45; Psa 107:1; Psa 107:8; Psa 107:15; Psa 107:21; Psa 107:31; Psa 107:43; Psa 108:5; Psa 109:12; Psa 109:16; Psa 109:21; Psa 109:26; Psa 115:1; Psa 117:2; Psa 118:1; Psa 118:2; Psa 118:3; Psa 118:4; Psa 118:29; Psa 119:41; Psa 119:64; Psa 119:76; Psa 119:88; Psa 119:124; Psa 119:149; Psa 119:159; Psa 130:7; Psa 136:1; Psa 136:2; Psa 136:3; Psa 136:4; Psa 136:5; Psa 136:6; Psa 136:7; Psa 136:8; Psa 136:9; Psa 136:10; Psa 136:11; Psa 136:12; Psa 136:13; Psa 136:14; Psa 136:15; Psa 136:16; Psa 136:17; Psa 136:18; Psa 136:19; Psa 136:20; Psa 136:21; Psa 136:22; Psa 136:23; Psa 136:24; Psa 136:25; Psa 136:26; Psa 138:2; Psa 138:8; Psa 141:5; Psa 143:8; Psa 143:12; Psa 144:2; Psa 145:8; Psa 147:11;

Pro 3:3; Pro 11:17; Pro 14:22; Pro 14:34; Pro 16:6; Pro 19:22; Pro 20:6; Pro 20:28; Pro 21:21; Pro 31:26;

Isa 16:5; Isa 40:6; Isa 54:8; Isa 54:10; Isa 55:3; Isa 57:1; Isa 63:7;

Jer 2:2; Jer 9:23; Jer 16:5; Jer 31:3; Jer 32:18; Jer 33:11; Lam 3:22; Lam 3:32;

Dan 1:9; Dan 9:4; Hos 2:21; Hos 4:1; Hos 6:4; Hos 6:6; Hos 10:12; Hos 12:7; Joe 2:13; Jon 2:9; Jon 4:2; Mic 6:8; Mic 7:18; Mic 7:20; Zec 7:9.

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Strong’s H2617: From chacad; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety: rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) Beauty — favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-)kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs H2617: goodness, kindness, faithfulness

Greek Equivalent Words: Strong #: 1342 ‑ δίκαιος; 1343 ‑ δικαιοσύνη; 1391 ‑ δόξα; 1654 ‑ ἐλεημοσύνη; 1655 ‑ ἐλεήμων; 1656 ‑ ἔλεος; 1680 ‑ ἐλπίς; 2222 ‑ ζωή; 3681 ‑ ὄνειδος; 3741 ‑ ὅσιος; 5485 ‑ χάρις.