Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LOVING-KINDNESS

Also rendered “kindness,” “mercy,” and “steadfast love,” particularly when describing God. The traditional translation “loving-kindness” entered English usage through the 1535 Coverdale Bible and the KJV of 1611. The primary definition of Heb. ḥeseḏ is “demonstrated loyalty,” i.e., loyalty that exhibits itself in actions rather than words or sentiments (e.g., Gen. 40:14; Exod. 20:6). Furthermore, the term has a magnanimous quality. Loving-kindness is a type of loyalty that does not merely meet an obligation but goes the second mile (Jer. 2:2), just as the Israelites obeyed Moses when they followed God into a “land not sown.” This linguistic compound representing one virtue piled atop another expresses a special and remarkable beneficence.

A final nuance of loving-kindness is its asymmetrical nature. Behavior worthy of the term must be generous: a virtue unilaterally bestowed and usually associated with the party that holds the social advantage. For instance, Rahab the prostitute reminds the Israelite spies that she had treated them “kindly” by hiding them and denying their presence to the king of Jericho (Josh. 2:12). This aspect of loving-kindness helps explain its popularity in descriptions of God (e.g., Ps. 107:1): God’s demonstrated loyalty to creation has an uncoerced, gracious quality.

Of the many things said of God in the OT, his loving-kindness is one of the most prevalent based on its occurrence in so many formulas (e.g., Exod. 34:6; Num. 14:18; 1 Kgs. 8:23). It best describes the quality of God in the OT that attracts the obedience, praise, and love of individuals.

Bibliography. K. D. Sakenfeld, “Loyalty and Love: The Language of Human Interconnections in the Hebrew Bible,” in Backgrounds for the Bible, ed. M. P. O’Connor and D. N. Freedman (Winona Lake, 1987), 215-29.

Gregory Mobley

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LOVING-KINDNESS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)