חֶסֶד ḥèsed – relational faithfulness, joint obligation, covenant loyalty

Semantic Fields: Benevolence Commitment
Author(s): Jakub M. Pogonowski
First published: 2025-06-22
Citation: Jakub M. Pogonowski, חֶסֶד ḥèsed – relational faithfulness, joint obligation, covenant loyalty,
Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database (sahd-online.com), 2025 (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Introduction

Grammatical type: noun masc.
Occurrences: 245 x HB (20/49/185); 28x Sir (+ 5 in different fragments of the same verse; of these 3 dubious); 173x Qum; 1x inscr. (Total: 447).

Torah: Gen 19:19; 20:13; 21:23; 24:12, 14, 27, 49; 32:11; 39:21; 40:14; 47:29; Exod 15:13; 20:6; 34:6, 7; Num 14:18, 19; Deut 5:10; 7:9, 12;
Nebiim: Josh 2:12, 14; Judg 1:24; 8:35; 1 Sam 15:6; 20:8, 14, 15; 2 Sam 2:5, 6; 3:8; 7:15; 9:1, 3, 7; 10:2; 15:20; 16:17; 22:51; 1 Kgs 2:7; 3:6; 8:23; 20:31; Isa 16:5; 40:6; 54:8, 10; 55:3; 57:1; 63:7; Jer 2:2; 9:23; 16:5; 31:3; 32:18; 33:11; Hos 2:21; 4:1; 6:4, 6; 10:12; 12:7; Joel 2:13; Jonah 2:9; 4:2; Mic 6:8; 7:18, 20; Zech. 7:9;
Ketubim: Pss 5:8; 6:5; 13:6; 17:7; 18:51; 21:8; 23:6; 25:6, 7, 10; 26:3; 31:8, 17, 22; 32:10; 33:5, 18, 22; 36:6, 8, 11; 40:11, 12; 42:9; 44:27; 48:10; 51:3; 52:3, 10; 57:4, 11; 59:11, 17, 18; 61:8; 62:13; 63:4; 66:20; 69:14, 17; 77:9; 85:8, 11; 86:5, 13, 15; 88:12; 89:2, 3, 15, 25, 29, 34, 50; 90:14; 92:3; 94:18; 98:3; 100:5; 101:1; 103:4, 8, 11, 17; 106:1, 7, 45; 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:5; 109:12, 16, 21, 26; 115:1; 117:2; 118:1, 2, 3, 4; 118:29; 119:41, 64, 76, 88, 124, 149, 159; 130:7; 136:1-26; 138:2, 8; 141:5; 143:8, 12; 144:2; 145:8; 147:11; Job 6:14; 10:12; 37:13; Prov 3:3; 11:17; 14:22; 16:6; 19:22; 20:6, 28; 21:21; 31:26; Ruth 1:8; 2:20; 3:10; Lam 3:22, 32; Esth 2:9, 17; Dan 1:9; 9:4; Ezra 3:11; 7:28; 9:9; Neh 1:5; 9:17, 32; 13:14, 22; 1 Chron 16:34, 41; 17:13; 19:2; 2 Chron 1:8; 5:13; 6:14, 42; 7:3, 6; 20:21; 24:22; 32:32; 35:26;
Sira: Sir. 7:33; 16:23; 37:11; 40:17; 41:11; 44:1, 10; 46:7; 47:22; 49:3; 50:24; 51:3, 8, 12;
Qumran: CD 13:18; 19:1; 20:21; 1QS 1:8, 22; 2:1, 4, 24; 4:4, 5; 5:4, 25; 8:2; 10:4, 16, 26; 11:12, 13; 1QSb 2:24; 1QM 3:6; 12:3; 14:4, 8, 9; 18:11; 1QHa 5:16, 22; 6:35; 8:27, 30, 34; 9:34; 10:25, 27; 12:38; 13:24; 14:12; 15:21, 23, 30, 38; 17:7, 10, 14, 18, 31; 18:16, 18, 22; 19:8, 20, 21, 31, 33, 34; 20:17, 24; 22:36; 23:25; 25:11; 26:17, 32; 1Q16 fr2:2; 4Q176 fr8.11:10, 12; 4Q176a fr1-2:4; fr3:4; 4Q185 fr1-2i:10; fr1-2.ii:1, 13; 4Q215a fr1.ii:4; 4Q223-224 fr2.v:8, 27; 4Q256 2:5, 12; 9:4; 19:3; 20:5; 4Q257 5:2; 4Q258 1:3; 2:4; 9:1; 10:4; 4Q259 2:11; 4Q260 2:4; 4:2; 4Q264 fr1:1; 4Q266 fr9.iii:7; 4Q269 fr10.ii:2; 4Q286 fr1.ii:8; fr14:1; 4Q298 fr3-4ii:7; 4Q299 fr54:3; 4Q372 fr1:19, 25; 4Q377 fr2.ii:12; 4Q378 fr22.i:5; fr26:6; 4Q380 fr1.ii:9; 4Q381 fr33ab+35:5-6; fr46a+b:2; 4Q385 fr2:3; 4Q385a fr7:2; 4Q386 fr1.i:2; 4Q388 fr7:5; 4Q393 fr3:2; 4Q398 fr14-17.ii:1; 4Q399 fr1.i:9; 4Q400 fr1.i:18; fr1.ii:20; 4Q402 fr4:11; 4Q403 fr1.i:23; 4Q405 fr3.ii:15; fr13:7; 4Q413 fr1-2:4; 4Q414 fr10:1; 4Q418 fr81+81a:8; fr169+170:3; 4Q423 fr3a:2; 4Q427 fr1:1-2; fr7.i:22; fr7.ii:13; fr8.ii:19; 4Q428 fr9:2; fr10:1; 4Q434 fr1.i:4; fr2:11; fr4:2; 4Q435 fr1:1; 4Q437 fr2.i:5; fr4:4; 4Q438 fr4.ii:4; 4Q448 1:8; 4Q463 fr1:3; 4Q491 fr8-10i:2, 6; 4Q502 fr14:5; fr16:2; fr254:1; 4Q504 fr1-2.Rii:10; 4Q509 fr3:5; 4Q511 fr10:10; fr26:2; fr36:2; fr52+54 5+57 9:1; fr148:3; 4Q512 fr56-58:6; 4Q521 fr2.ii+4:9; fr2.iii:1; 4Q525 fr30:3; 11Q5 18:14; 19:1, 3, 6, 8-9, 13; 22:5; 26:10; 11Q6 fr4-5:4-5, 8-10, 14; 11Q11 6:6; PAM43676 fr2.ii:2; PAM43678 fr28:1
Inscriptions:

Qere/Ketiv: 4 [this refers only to number, suffixes and vav, not the word itself]

1. Root and Comparative Material

A.1 The etymology of חֶסֶד is unclear. The root appears only in Hebrew and Aramaic. According to Zobel, חֶסֶד is a Hebrew word, that found it way to Jewish Aramaic, Mandean and Syriac (Zobel, 45). He also views derivation from Arabic ḥašada discussed by Glueck unlikely. The root does not appear in Akkadian and Ugaritic.

A.2 The opposite meaning ‘shame,’ ‘disgrace,’ ‘abuse’ (in Heb. only in Lev 20:17, Prov 14:34, Sir 41:22 and possibly 1QM 3:6) might derive from a different homonymous root. It might also be a result of divergent development of antithetical meanings of the same root. The antithetical meaning dominates in Syriac (Stoebe, 459).

2. Formal Characteristics

A.1 The pattern is qatl (pausal form חָ֑סֶד; plural חֲסָדִים; suffix חֲסָדַי).

A.2 The noun appears predominantly in singular, with 18 cases of plural in the Tanach. In most of these, the context implies specific manifestations of an attitude described as חֶסֶד.

3. Syntagmatics

A.1 Since the word appears almost 450x in the ancient Hebrew texts, it is subject of a variety of verbs: היה ‘be’ Ps 33:22, 119:76, אפס ‘cease’ Ps 77:9, תמם ‘cease’ Lm 3:22, מושׁ ‘depart’ Is 54:10, סור ‘turn aside’ 2 S 7:15, מוט ni. ‘be moved’ Si 40:17(B), כרת ni. ‘be cut off’ Si 40:17 (M), פרח ‘ﬂourish’ 4Q185 1.1:10 (4Q185 f1_2i:10), גבר ‘be mighty’ Ps 103:11, 117:2, אמן ni. ‘be established’ Is 55:3, Si 50:24, בנה ni. ‘be built’, Ps 893, ספר pu. ‘be recounted’ Ps 88:12, כתב pass. ‘be written’ 2 C 32:32, 35:26, קדם pi. ‘meet’ Ps 89:15, פגשׁ ni. ‘meet one another’ Ps 85:11, בוא ‘come’ Ps 119:41, סבב pol. ‘encircle’ Ps 32:10, רדף ‘pursue’ Ps 23:6, עזב ‘forsake’ Pr 3:3, נטשׁ forsake Si 47:22, נחם pi. comfort Ps 119:76, סעד ‘support’ Ps 94:18, נצר ‘guard’ Ps 40:12, 61:8, Pr 20:28.

A.2 Most often, it is a direct object of the verb עשׂה, ‘do’, Gen 19:19, 20:13, 24:12.14.49, 32:11, 40:14, 47:29, Exod 20:6, Deut 5:10, Josh 2:12.14, Judg 1:24, 8:35, 1 S 15:6, 20:8.14, 2 S 2:5.6, 3:8, 9:1.3.7, 10:2, 1 Chron 19:2, 2 S 22:51, Pss 18:51, 2 S 15:20, 1 Kgs 2:7, 3:6, 2 Chron 1:8, 1 Kgs 3:6, Jer 9:23, 32:18, Zc 7:9, Ps 109:16, Job 10:12, Ruth 1:8, Neh 13:14, 2 Chron 24:22, Sir 46:7, 49:3, CD 20:21, 1QH 16:9, 16:13, 4QJubf 23:31. Apart from that it also appears as an object of פלא hi. ‘make wonderful’ Ps 31:22, פלה hi., ‘make distinct’ Pss 4:4, 17:7, משׁך ‘extend’ Jr 31:3, Pss 36:11, 109:12, נטה, ‘extend’ Gen 39:21 hi. ‘extend’ Ezra 7:29, 9:9, שׁמר, ‘keep’ Dt 7:9.12, 1 K 8:23, 2 Chron 6:14, Hos 12:12, Ps 89:29, Dan 9:4, Neh 1:5, 9:32, CD 19:1, 1QM 14:4, 4Q370 2:6, 4Q393 3:2 4QShirb 10:10, נצר, ‘keep’ Exod 34:7, 1QH 168, קשׁר ‘bind’ Pr 3:3.

A.3 Nomen regens

A.4 Nomen rectum

A.5 Nominal clauses

A.6 Modified by adjectives

A.7 One of the most common phrases in which חֶסֶד appears is the phrase חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת, loyalty and faithfulness, reliable faithfulness Gn 24:27, 49; 32:11; 47:29; Exod 34:6; Num 14:18 (mss, Sam); Jos 2:14; 2 Sam 2:6; 15:20 Pss 25:10; 40:11, 12; 57:4; 61:8; 85:11; 86:15; 89:15; 115:1; Prov 3:3; 14:22; 16:6; 20:28; 1QH 16:16; 11QPs^a 26:10, In some places חֶסֶד and אֱמֶת appear subsequently in a list Hos 4:1; Mic 7:20; 1QH 11:17 . Other phrases including the noun are less common. Of special note is the description of God appearing several times in the Tanach and Qumran writings אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד long of, i.e. slow to, anger and great of loyalty Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jon 4:2 ;Pss 86:15; 103:8; Neh 9:17(Qr); 1QH 16:16 ([אר]ך) 4QShirb 52.31 (ארוך . . . החסד), var. Ps 145:8 (‏גְּדָל־חָֽסֶד great of loyalty).

A.8 It oftentimes appears in parallel constructions as a synonym of the following nouns: בְּרִית, ‘covenant’, ‏אֱמֶת, ‘truth, stability, faithfulness’, ‏אֱמוּנָה, ‘faithfulness’, ‏חֵן, ‘grace’, ‏צֶדֶק, ‘righteousness’, ‏צְדָקָה, ‘righteousness’, ‏טוֹב, ‘goodness’, ‏טוּב, ‘goodness’, ‏מִשְׁפָּט, ‘justice’, ‏שָׁלוֹם, ‘peace’, ‏רַחֲמִים, ‘compassion’, ‏גְּבוּרָה, ‘might’, ‏נִפְלָא, ‘wonder’, ‏חַיִּים, ‘life’, תְּפִלּה, ‘prayer’.

A.9 Prepositions

A.10 Apposition

4. Ancient Versions

a. Septuagint (LXX):

The LXX usually renders חֶסֶד by means of ἔλεος, ‘mercy’ (213 times) and its cognates ἐλεημοσύνη (6 times), or eleḗmos (twice). Apart from that, different we find less common renderings:

δικαιοσύνη (8 times)
χάρις (twice)
δίκαιος (Isa 57:1)
δόξα (Isa 40:6)
ἐλπίς (2 Chron 35:26)
τάξις (Prov 31:26[LXX v. 25])
τὰ ὅσια (Isa 55:3)
οἰκτιρμός (Jer 31:3[LXX 38:3])
ἀντιλήμπτωρ (Ps 109:12[LXX 108:12])
δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἔλεος (Exod 34:7).

In 6 other passages the LXX either has no corresponding equivalent or is translated in a different way

A.1 The equivalents chosen by the translators of the Pentateuch LXX are more variegated than in the whole LXX. In 12/20 places ἔλεος is chosen, most often, when חֶסֶד describes God. This might result from semantic shift of חֶסֶד in the postbiblical Hebrew, where the lexeme is used primarily to describe God (Joosten, 2004). In other books, the usual equivalent is ἔλεος, even when it does not match the context.

A.2 Rendering חֶסֶד as ἔλεος deprives the semantics of the components related to reciprocity, mutual obligation, relationship and covenant. Additionally, ἔλεος usually describes a one-way vertical relationship, whereas ḥesed does not have such meaning.

b. Peshitta (Pesh):

The usual Syriac rendering is ܛܝܒܘܬܐ.

c. Targum (Tg):

d. Vulgate (Vg):

The usual equivalent is misericordia. It seems that Jerome was significantly influenced by the LXX rendering of חֶסֶד. Interestingly, Vulgate renders the lexeme as misericordia, even in the places where the LXX has other equivalents, such as δικαιοσύνη (Gen 19:19; 21:23; 24:27; 24:49; 32:11).

5. Lexical/Semantic Fields

A.1 More than half of the occurrences of חֶסֶד in the Hebrew Bible are in Psalms, where context is not always specified. In particular, in texts, where חֶסֶד is mentioned as one of the characteristics of God, the translation influenced by LXX ‘mercy’ does not seem incorrect at the first sight. In many cases parallelisms are useful in determining meaning of חֶסֶד in particular verses. חֶסֶד appears with words belonging to several groups:

Words related to commitment: בְּרִית, ‘covenant’, ‏אֱמֶת, ‘truth, stability, faithfulness’, ‏אֱמוּנָה, ‘faithfulness’;
Words related to benevolence: ‏חֵן, ‘favor’, ‏טוֹב, ‘goodness’, ‏טוּב, ‘goodness’, רַחֲמִים, ‘mercy’;
Words related to justice and righteousness: ‏צֶדֶק, ‘righteousness’, ‏צְדָקָה, ‘righteousness’, מִשְׁפָּט, ‘justice’;
Words related to deliverance: ‏‘ ‏שָׁלוֹםpeace’, ‏גְּבוּרָה, ‘might’, ‏נִפְלָא, ‘wonder’, ‏חַיִּים, ‘life’.

A.2 In the places, where context is marked, there is usually a two-way relationship involved. Even in places, where it is God exercising benevolent action described with חֶסֶד, the wider context involves prior care about the relationship on part of the receiver of חֶסֶד and/or expectation of reciprocity of the receiving party after specific act of חֶסֶד.

6. Exegesis

A.1 1 In many cases חֶסֶד is explicitly described as reciprocal (e.g. Gen 21:22-23). Lack of reciprocity is viewed as violation of חֶסֶד (e.g., Judg 8:35; 2Sam 16:17). Translating חֶסֶד as ‘mercy’, following LXX and Vulgate deprives the meaning of the central semantic component relating to reciprocity. As mercy is not dependent on the relationship, describing various actions characterized by חֶסֶד as mercy significantly distorts the semantics. In some cases, it disturbs semantic cohesion of the text. One example is Psalm 136, where חֶסֶד of God (‘mercy’ in KJV) involves smiting the firstborn (136:10), throwing the Pharaoh and his army into the sea (136:15) and slaying of hostile kings (136:17-20). Obviously, these actions are manifestations of covenant faithfulness towards Israel. As such, in regards to Egyptians and kings hostile to Israel חֶסֶד is certainly not an act of mercy.

A.2 Analysis of the parallel words and expressions suggests that action is central to the meaning of חֶסֶד. Even if the particular actions are inspired by faithfulness in a given relationship, in places where the context is marked, usually a particular action follows. Thus, חֶסֶד is not necessarily connected to a feeling. This is one distinctive semantic component, which distinguishes חֶסֶד from אַהֲבָה, רַחֲמִים and חֵן.

A.3 In certain contexts, חֶסֶד can manifest itself in a similar way to רַחֲמִים and חֵן (Ps 51:1). However, even if the manifestation is situationally the same, the motivation behind חֶסֶד is usually a certain relationship resulting in mutual obligations.

A.4 A semantic component of a vertical relationship is not obligatory, even though it appears in contexts where God is the agent of חֶסֶד. However, God also requires חֶסֶד of men directed towards Him (Hos 6:4,6), in a relationship in which God is obviously dominant party.

A.5 It is incorrect to make a semantic distinction between the חֶסֶד of God and חֶסֶד of men (as Glueck does). Rather, as Clark, following Morris puts it – for people it is an ideal, but for God it is reality. For example, when חֶסֶד describes God, it is emphasized that He will not forsake His חֶסֶד, whereas verbs describing various forms of violating חֶסֶד are used when speaking about this quality of mortals.

7. Conclusion

A.1

Bibliography

For the abbreviations see the List of Abbreviations.