The Meaning of Hesed

DEFINITION OF HEBREW FOR LOVINGKINDNESSHesed - Chesed - Heced Lovingkindness (02617)(Hesed/Chesed/Heced) is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel (His "loyal love" to His "Wife" Israel [cp Hos 2:18, 19, 20-see note, Is 54:5, Je 31:32] = His "loyalty to covenant"). God's hesed His denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy (cp God immediately seeking man Ge 3:9, who was immediately hiding Ge 3:8 trying to cover their shame Ge 3:7 - contrast God's lovingkindness manifest by spilling blood to provide skins to cover their shame! Ge 3:21). Hesed expresses both God’s loyalty to His covenant and His love for His people along with a faithfulness to keep His promises. As you consider the Hebrew word hesed, be aware that versions other than NAS often translate hesed as "mercy". There is another Hebrew word racham (07355) which is also translated "mercy". While the English translations do not always distinguish between hesed and racham, clearly they are distinct as demonstrated by their use in the same passage (13x in NAS - Ps 25:640:11 51:1 69:16 103:4 Isa 54:8 54:10 63:7 Jer 16:5 Lam 3:22 3:32 Ho 2:19 Zec 7:9) for example... In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness (hesed) I will have compassion (racham) on you," Says the LORD your Redeemer. (Isa 54:8) For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness (hesed) will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion (racham) on you. (Isa 54:10) The LORD'S lovingkindnesses (hesed) indeed never cease, For His compassions (racham) never fail. (Lam 3:22) Comment: It is intriguing to note the frequent occurrence of hesed with "morning" - Ps 59:16, Ps 90:14 Ps 92:2, Ps 143:8, Ho 6:4 Lam 3:22, 23. What a great way to start the day - praying for (Ps 17:7) and praising God for His faithful, unfailing, steadfast love to His beloved in Christ. (See Spurgeon's sermon on Lam 3:22-23 = The Novelties of Divine Mercy) For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion (racham) according to His abundant lovingkindness (hesed). (Lam 3:32) I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His compassion, and according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. (Isa 63:7) The Septuagint (LXX) usually translates hesed with the Greek word eleos [word study]   (or the related verb eleeo) while the Latin Vulgate uses the word misericordia (mercy + heart). Vine writes that... In general, one may identify three basic meanings of hesed, and these 3 meanings always interact -- strength, steadfastness, and love. Any understanding of hesed that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. Love by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet strength or steadfastness suggests only the fulfillment of a legal (or similar) obligation. Hesed refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Jehovah and Israel). But hesed is not only a matter of obligation but is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy. Hesed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law. (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson or Wordsearch) (Bolding added) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COVENANT AND LOVINGKINDNESS Hesed is related to the Biblical of covenant (definition) and also to the idea of grace in that hesed was (is) extended by God when it was not deserved (in truth hesed is never deserved!) God'shesed is His persistent, unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which God seeks after man with love and mercy (cp God immediately seeking Adam after he had sinned -Ge 3:6, 7, 8, 9). The counterpart of human hesed is pictured in the loving bride (in the OT = Israel = Is 54:5, Je 31:32) who clings to her beloved bridegroom (Jehovah). The initial state of betrothal between God and Israel is the period from Israel's deliverance out of Egypt to the establishment of the covenant at Sinai and it will be fulfilled in the future (Ho 2:18, 19, 20). Ralph Davis in his comments on 2Sa 9:1, 2, 3, 4, 7 writes that in this chapter, hesed (three times, 2Sa 9:1, 3, 7) 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. So when David mentions hesed and ‘for Jonathan’s sake’ we know he is alluding to the sacred commitment Jonathan had asked David to make in 1Sa 20:15: ‘And you must not cut off your devoted love (hesed) from my house forever, not even when Yahweh cuts off each one of David’s enemies from the face of the ground. ’ And David had gone on oath about that. Now (2Sa 9:1-13) he is preparing to fulfil that pledge. (Ralph Davis, D. Focus on the Bible: 2 Samuel  - any commentary by Ralph Davis is highly recommended) (See notes on Mephibosheth) Comment: See also association of covenant and hesed in 1Sa 20:8,9 where David seeks hesed based on the fact that he and Jonathan had cut covenant - cp first time they cut covenant in 1Sa 18:1, 2, 3, 4 and second time [this time specifically including the descendants] in 1Sa 20:15, 16, 17. Davis commenting on 1Samuel 20 adds that hesed often has that flavor: it is not merely love, but loyal love; not merely kindness, but dependable kindness; not merely affection, but affection that has committed itself. In our passage then David appeals to Jonathan to treat him with “devoted love.” He has reason to believe Jonathan will do so because Jonathan has so promised in a “covenant of Yahweh.” Hence the covenant gives him reason to look for and depend upon hesed, devoted love. It is crucial, however, to remember that Jonathan’s covenant itself was the expression of love, initiated by love (1Sa 18:1, 3). The order is: love gives itself in covenant and gladly promises devoted love in that covenant; the covenant partner then rests in the security of that promise and may appeal to it,6  as David does here." The text is not merely describing a relation of David and Jonathan; rather, the text is extending its comfort to any Israelite who will receive it. Its message is: In confusion and trouble, you take yourself to the one person who has made a covenant with you. In David’s disintegrating world there was yet one space of sanity, one refuge still intact — Jonathan. There was covenant; there David could expect hesed. There was kindness in a raw world. We should not be surprised then when we catch believers in the Bible in the act of doing what David did in 1 Samuel 20: running to the one dependable refuge that remains, to the One who has bound himself to them by covenant and from whom they can expect hesed–like treatment (see, e.g., Neh. 1:5; Ps 13:5; 17:7; 25:6, 7). But that hesed ultimately flows not from a formal covenant promise but from the very nature of the covenant God, Yahweh, who is “rich in hesed and fidelity” (Ex 34:6) (Note: It is important to remember that in the context of Exodus 34 Israel had absolutely no claim on Yahweh’s hesed because they had broken the covenant in the bull–calf worship [Ex 32]. If Israel receives hesed, it will only be because it flows from Yahweh’s heart — because of what/who he is, “rich in hesed and fidelity.” Hence hesed really passes over into grace [Hebrew = chen], which is, as my father used to say, something for nothing — when we don’t deserve anything).  You will never perish when you fall into the abyss of God’s lovingkindness. Ultimately, that is our only recourse. And, of course, the One “rich in hesed and fidelity” has come near to his beleaguered people; for if we translate the Hebrew of Exodus 34:6 into Greek and then into traditional English we are facing him who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). You seek hesed and simply find yourself in the arms of Jesus Christ. Don’t forget what David has taught you: in confusion and trouble, you take yourself to the one who has made a covenant with you. He is the only recourse in uncertainty. (Ralph Davis, D. Focus on the Bible: 1 Samuel) R Laird Harrison writes that... When we come to the hesed of God...God was in covenant relation with the patriarchs and with Israel. Therefore His hesed can be called covenant hesed without contradiction. But by the same token God’s righteousness, judgment, fidelity, etc. could be called covenant judgment, etc. C Hassell Bullock writes that... The moral core of the covenant, however, was described by another word, hesed, a rich concept requiring multiple terms in translation, such as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” “faithfulness,” “trustworthiness,” and “loyalty.” This “trustworthiness” or “loyalty” that characterized God is set down in the ethical centerpiece of the law, the Ten Commandments, where God declares that he will show hesed “to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Ex 20:6). In some instances, it (hesed) also carries the idea of compassion (Jer 16:5). Whereas God related to Israel with a steadfastness of love and compassion, Israel should also relate to him with the same kind of loving loyalty (Editorial comment: Even as would a faithful wife to her loving husband). The prophet Micah (Mic 6:8) articulated it most clearly: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy (hesed), and to walk humbly with your God.” Thus, at Sinai God spells out his holy and loving character toward Israel and calls Israel to the same kind of holy living and loving loyalty toward him and toward their neighbors. (God - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Online - This is an excellent resource!) (Hardbound book) (Logos) (Wordsearch) Some writers feel that devotion is one of single best English words one could use to sum up the meaning of the Hebrew word hesed. The English word devotion describes the state of being ardently dedicated, in love with and loyal to another person. The RSV attempts to bring this out by its translation, steadfast love (Play Don Moen's beautiful chorus Your Steadfast Love). Vine adds that... Biblical usage frequently speaks of someone "doing," "showing," or "keeping" hesed. The concrete content of the word is especially evident when it is used in the plural (eg, La 3:22). God's "mercies," "kindnesses," or "faithfulnesses" are His specific, concrete acts of redemptive love in fulfillment of His covenant promises. Anexample appears in Isaiah 55:3 And I will make an everlasting covenant (beriyth) with you, according to the faithful (aman = 0539 = speaks of certainty) mercies (hesed) shown to David. Comment: Note that in this context "mercies" is used almost as a synonym for God's covenant promises. Notice also that the use of hesed (lovingkindness) and covenant (beriyth) emphasizes the close association of God's lovingkindness and His covenant. Here are the other 13 OT verses which use hesed and beriyth in the same verse - Dt 7:9 Dt 7:12 1Sa 20:8 1 Ki 8:23 2 Chr 6:14 Neh 1:5 Neh 9:32 Ps 25:10 Ps 89:28 Ps 106:45 Isa 54:10 Isa 55:3 Da 9:4. ...The association of hesed with “covenant” keeps it from being misunderstood as mere providence or love for all creatures; it applies primarily to God’s particular love for His chosen and covenanted people. “Covenant” also stresses the reciprocity of the relationship; but since God’s checed is ultimately beyond the covenant, it will not ultimately be abandoned, even when the human partner is unfaithful and must be disciplined (Isa. 54:8, 10). Since its final triumph and implementation is eschatological, checed can imply the goal and end of all salvation-history (Ps. 85:7, 10; 130:7; Mic. 7:20). (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson or Wordsearch) Delitzsch says God's hesed is... the Divine Love condescending to His creatures, more especially to sinners, in unmerited kindness. Here is love, vast as the ocean, Lovingkindness as the flood,When the Prince of Life, our Ransom, Shed for us His precious blood. Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten, Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days. Here Is Love (play)  has described God's hesed or covenant love as  combining the warmth of God’s fellowship with the security of God’s faithfulness. Dr Charles Ryrie writes that... In the OT, communion, deliverance, enabling, enlightenment, guidance, forgiveness, hope, praise, preservation are all based on God's hesed. Huey adds that hesed encompasses deeds of mercy performed by a more powerful party for the benefit of the weaker one. Ralph Davis writes that... 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) An act of hesed presupposes the existence of a relationship between the parties involved. Where no formal relationship has previously been recognized, the person exercising hesed has chosen to treat the recipient as if such a relationship did exist. Vine notes that Hesed has both God and man as its subject. When man is the subject of checed, the word usually describes the person’s kindness or loyalty to another; cf. 2Sa 9:7...Only rarely is the term applied explicitly to man’s affection or fidelity toward God; the clearest example is probably Jer 2:2...Man exercises checed toward various units within the community—toward family and relatives, but also to friends, guests, masters, and servants. Hesed toward the lowly and needy is often specified. The Bible prominently uses the term hesed to summarize and characterize a life of sanctification within, and in response to, the covenant. Thus, Ho 6:6 states that God desires “mercy [RSV, “steadfast love”] and not sacrifice” (i.e., faithful living in addition to worship). Similarly, Mic 6:8 features checed in the prophets’ summary of biblical ethics: “and what doth the Lord require of thee, but...to love mercy?” Behind all these uses with man as subject, however, stand the repeated references to God’s hesed. It is one of His most central characteristics. God’s loving-kindness is offered to His people, who need redemption from sin, enemies, and troubles. A recurrent refrain describing God’s nature is “abounding/plenteous in hesed" (Ex 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 103:8; Jonah 4:2). The entire history of Yahweh’s covenantal relationship with Israel can be summarized in terms of checed. It is the one permanent element in the flux of covenantal history. Even the Creation is the result of God’s checed (Ps 136:5-9). His love lasts for a “thousand generations” (Dt. 7:9; cf. Dt. 5:10 and Ex 20:6), indeed “forever” (especially in the refrains of certain psalms, such as Ps. 136).  (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson or Wordsearch) The Hebrew word hesed is one of Jehovah's chief attributes. God's loving-kindness (hesed) is offered to His people, who need redemption from sin, enemies, and troubles. A recurrent refrain describing God's nature is abounding in hesed (Ex 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 103:8; Jonah 4:2, Lam 3:22). Indeed, hesed is one of the most important words in the OT, and is often translated in the KJV as “lovingkindness” or “mercy”. All Depends on Our Possessing When with sorrow I am stricken, Hope my heart anew will quicken, All my longing shall be stilled. To His lovingkindness tender Soul and body I surrender; For on Him alone I build. Hesed indicates faithfulness to a relationship. To show kindness or hesed is to act in a loyal, loving way to a person. This is true of kindness in human relationships and of the kindness God shows us. In 2Sa 9:1-13 we see the beautiful example of David showing ''hesed" to crippled Mephibosheth, the surviving son of Jonathan with whom David had a covenant relationship. Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness (hesed; Lxx = eleos) for Jonathan’s sake?”...3 And the king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness (hesed; Lxx = eleos) of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet."...6 And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he said, "Here is your servant!" 7 And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness (hesed; Lxx = eleos) (What does hesed "counter" in this context? Are you fearful? Consider praying David's prayer in Ps 17:7-see note below) to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly."  (2 Sa 9:1, 3, 6,7) Covenant: This passage clearly shows how a David a man after God's own heart seeks to honor the covenant which he had cut with Jonathan. Jonathan is not longer alive but David understands that the hesed or loyal love associated with covenant called for David to extend the covenant blessings to Jonathan's offspring, Mephibosheth  (See study of Mephibosheth). Hesed is central to God’s character and is closely tied to His covenant with His Chosen people; in fact the covenant may be thought of as the relationship from which the hesed flows. However, God’s hesed is not bound by the covenant itself, and though men may prove unfaithful to this relationship, God’s hesed is everlasting (Isa 54:8). Since it is a quality of God hesed should also characterize His people; therefore it is called for in them (“mercy,” Mic 6:8; Zech 7:9; cf. Ho 4:1; 12:6). On their part it is loyalty to His covenant expressed in obedience and acts of mercy and compassion toward their fellows.

See the video below for more on Hesed