Lamentations 3:22
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Hebrew word · Strong H2617
What does Hesed mean?
Hesed is one of the richest words in the Old Testament: God's loyal love, the kindness that never gives up, the mercy that keeps covenant. The King James translates it “mercy”, “kindness” and “lovingkindness”; no single English word says everything it carries.
חֵסֵד
chêçêd · transliteration · kheh'-sed · pronunciation
- In Strong’s lexicon
- kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty
- In the King James
- mercy136
- kindness37
- lovingkindness26
- goodness12
- mercies9
- kindly5
- Appears in
- 241 verses
The meaning of Hesed in the Bible
Hesed is love that keeps its commitment even when the other fails. It is the refrain of Psalm 136, repeated 26 times: “for his mercy endureth for ever”. And it is what sustains the author of Lamentations amid the ruins of Jerusalem: “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22).
God also asks hesed of his people: “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8). The book of Ruth is, from start to finish, a story of hesed — loyalty beyond obligation. In the New Testament this faithful kindness has a face: the grace of God in Christ.
Where Hesed appears
Psalms 136:1
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Psalms 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you translate hesed?
- There is no single word. English Bibles use lovingkindness, mercy, kindness and steadfast love. The common thread is loyal love, faithful to the covenant.
- What is the difference between hesed and agape?
- Hesed is Hebrew and speaks of loyal love within a covenant; agape is Greek and speaks of self-giving love. Both describe the same God: faithful to his promises and generous to the undeserving.
More Bible words
- Shalom
- Yahweh (YHWH)
- Hallelujah
- Selah
- Elohim
- Agape
- Adonai
- Hosanna
- Amen
- Abba
- Immanuel
- Tetelestai
- Kairos
- El Shaddai
- Maranatha
- Ebenezer
- Jehovah Jireh
- Jehovah Rapha
- El Roi
- Metanoia
- Jehovah Nissi
- Rhema
- Koinonia
- Logos
- Sheol
- Nephilim
- Number 7
- Number 3
- Number 12
- Number 40
- 666
- 444
- 333
- 222
- 111
- Iniquity
- Gentleness
- Longsuffering
- Grace
- Lasciviousness
- Concupiscence
- Strife
- Covetousness
- Reproach
- Redemption
- Godliness
- Burnt offering
- Sodomite
- Heretic
- Exhort
- Equity
- Would to God
- Stiff-necked