A Theology of Hesed in the Old Testament

By Randy Neal

This brief Ebook discusses the meaning of the Hebrew term hesed in the Old Testament and how our understanding of this term forms our view of God's love towards his people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Randy Neal, PH.D.
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201010003

Randy Neal

Randy Neal is a part-time minister who worked for nearly nine years as a house manager in a group home with adults who have disabilities. Currently he works as a school teacher with Wilson County Schools (more recently with Metro Nashville Public Schools). His wife, Kim, is a graduate of MTSU and an elementary school teacher. They have three adult children (the oldest works with a nonprofit and the other two are working on a career in law). Randy has been preaching since high school (1982) and has worked various public jobs as well as taught college. Randy has earned a BA, MA, and Ph.D. (Biblical Studies/OT, 2019). Randy grew up on a dairy farm (along with his dad, mom, brother, and two sisters) in Middle Tennessee and still enjoys the rural life. His dad also preached part-time for rural congregations over 55  years. Randy has several works in the pipeline that he wants to publish and looks forward to working with draft2digital. Randy's dissertation is under contract to be published in 2022.

Book preview

Abbreviations

Abbreviations of Old Testament Books[1]

Book       Abbreviation

Genesis       Gen.  

Exodus       Exod.   

Leviticus       Lev.  

Numbers       Num.   

Deuteronomy       Deut.   

Joshua        Josh.   

Judges        Judg.    

Ruth        Ruth    

1 Samuel       1 Sam.  

2 Samuel       2 Sam.

1 Kings       1 Kings  

2 Kings       2 Kings  

1 Chronicles      1 Chron.  

2 Chronicles       2 Chron.  

Ezra        Ezra   

Nehemiah       Neh. 

Esther        Esth.  

Job        Job  

Psalms        Ps.  

Proverbs       Prov.

Ecclesiastes       Eccles.

Song of Solomon       Song

Isaiah         Isa.

Jeremiah        Jer.

Lamentations        Lam.

Ezekiel        Ezek.

Daniel        Dan.

Hosea         Hos.

Joel         Joel

Amos         Amos

Obadiah        Obad.

Jonah         Jon.

Micah        Mic.

Nahum        Nah.

Habakkuk        Hab.

Zephaniah        Zeph.

Haggai        Hag.

Zechariah        Zech.

Malachi        Mal.

TDNT       Theological Dictionary of the New                  Testament

B-D-B       Brown-Driver-Briggs

I.D.B.       Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible

OT/NT       Old Testament/New Testament

Chapter 1

Theology of Hesedin the OT:

Loyalty or Loving-kindness?

One of the most important theological terms in the Old Testament is the word חֶסֶד .   This Hebrew word is often rendered by several different English equivalents, such as love, loyalty, mercy, kindness, steadfast love, and loving-kindness.  Each of these English renderings finds their basis in the nuance of the specific passage and the interpretative understanding of the translator.  Depending upon the context, a translator might select any of the above English terms for חֶסֶד (for example, see Gen. 24:27; Exod. 24:6; Ps. 25:10; 40:10-11 [H 11-12]; Isa. 63:7). [2]  The translation committee of the RSV normally renders the term as steadfast love, kindness, or sometimes even loyalty.  Both the KJV and ASV (1901) typically use mercy or lovingkindness. [3]  Due to the difficulty of finding one term in the English language that best describes the Hebrew concept, often scholars simply transliterate the Hebrew word into English characters (hesed or chesed).

The purpose of this research paper is to examine how the term חֶסֶדshould best be translated in our English versions.  Does the word carry the idea of loyalty (to covenant) or loving kindness?  First, this paper will give an overview of the various views of the meaning of this term, beginning with work of Nelson Glueck.  Second, the paper examines the term from an etymological standpoint.  Third, we will give an in-depth overview of Glueck’s position on the concept of covenant loyalty