Checed is used 241 times in the Old Testament. Throughout those instances in the KJV, the word was translated as mercy, kindness, kindly, mercies, goodness, wicked thing, merciful, good deeds, favour, pity, lovingkindness, lovingkindnesses, reproach, and goodliness. The meaning of checed is best seen when one looks at the meanings of chanan and rasham. Chanan was most associated with prayer and the asking of mercy, rasham was most associated with one who shows mercy, and checed was most associated with the One who is merciful to His people. The KJV would say that God is Mercy, while the NIV would say that God is Love. Both translations are meaningful, but the NIV seems to be more descriptive when it speaks of God's unfailing love for His people.

In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, Psalms 62:12 says, "Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work." Psalms 59:16 says, "But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble." The Psalmist, in both of these verses, referred to God's mercy. In the first, he said that mercy belongs to the Lord and that every person will be rendered or repaid according to their own works. In the second, he said that he would sing about God's mercy. The Hebrew word translated as "mercy" in these two verses is "checed", and the purpose of this study is to understand what the Psalmist and other Bible authors meant when they used that word.

Checed is used 241 times in the Old Testament. Throughout those instances in the KJV, the word was translated as mercy, kindness, kindly, mercies, goodness, wicked thing, merciful, good deeds, favour, pity, lovingkindness, lovingkindnesses, reproach, and goodliness. This analysis will try to understand why "checed" has been translated in so many different ways in the Old Testament and, then, to see if those meanings are trying to convey the same basic truth. The analysis will consist of looking at the genre of some of the verses where checed was used, of considering the context of those verses, of comparing the words "checed" and "chanan" in Psalm 31, of comparing the words "checed" and "racham" in Isaiah 54, of looking at the use of checed in book ends or refrains, and by comparing some of the translations of checed in the KJV with those of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

A. The Genre of the Verses That Contain Checed

The word "checed" appeared in the poetry genre 140 times - three times in Job, 127 times in Psalms, and ten times in Proverbs. That means that this word was used more in the poetry genre in the Bible than in any other genre. It also means that one should expect to see its usage primarily in either a form of lament or praise psalm. Elsewhere in the Bible, "checed" was used fifty times in the historical books, thirty times in the prophets, and twenty-one times in the Pentateuch. Of particular interest is that checed was translated "wicked thing" in Leviticus 20:17 and "reproach" in Proverbs 14:34. When trying to understand the uses of checed, it might be important to remember that the rules of interpretation are different depending on the genre.

B. Putting "Checed" Into Context

In three of the uses of checed, Psalm 62:12, Psalm 59:16, and Psalm 85:10, the word "checed" was translated into the word "mercy". In Psalm 62, the superscription indicates that this psalm was written by David and that it was written as a psalm of praise to be sung in worship services. In Psalm 62:8-12, David wrote that God was his salvation and that he would always trust in Him. Then, he warned against being drawn away from the Lord by riches. After that, in verses 11 and 12, he used the words "once" and "twice" to emphasize what he was about to say, and that was that power and mercy belong to God.

Verses 16 and 17 of Psalm 59 began the praise part of this lament psalm. The context is that David was running from Saul, that he was asking the Lord for protection, and then, in closing, that he was expressing his total trust in God. David's tone was that he was anticipating his deliverance from Saul, so he was using the word "checed" to express that the Lord would be merciful towards him.

Verses 10 and 11 of Psalm 85 are very rhythmic. In this lament psalm, written for the sons of Korah, the psalmist was asking God for revival so that the people could once again rejoice in Him. He wrote that mercy and truth were met together, and this might have meant that the mercy of God would be the worker of revival in their hearts and that the revival prayed for would return them to the truth.

In each of these three instances where "checed" was used to mean mercy, the psalmist acknowledged that God would be doing something positive for someone. In each case, the psalmist recognized God as the only source for help, and he believed that God would help simply because He is always merciful towards His people. The idea of a merciful, benevolent God is also seen when checed is translated kindness, goodness, merciful, lovingkindness, lovingkindnesses, and goodliness.

In Leviticus 20:17, the author is writing from a legalistic perspective about wrongful behavior, and checed is translated "a wicked thing". Unlike the above references, this is not a poetry genre, so the rules for interpreting checed might be different. In Proverbs 14:34, checed is translated "reproach", and again, the perspective seems to be from a legalistic perspective about wrongful behavior. These examples are very different from the above theme of God's mercy, so these two instances might mean that checed has more than one meaning in Hebrew.

C. The Use of "Checed" and "Chanan" in Psalm 31

In Psalm 31:7, checed is translated mercy, and in verse 21, it is translated kindness. But in Psalm 31:9, "mercy" appears in the KJV, and it comes from the Hebrew word "chanan". What is the difference between these three uses? In verses 7 and 21 of Psalm 39, the psalmist was once again acknowledging the fact that the Lord will do good for His people because He is merciful. But in verse 9, the psalmist was actually seeking God and asking Him to have mercy on him. The English language uses the word "mercy" in all three cases. But in Hebrew, checed seems to acknowledge the fact of God's mercy, and chanan seems to be asking for mercy or involve someone actually showing it. Checed talks about an attribute of God, while chanan talks about the Lord's action of having mercy on those who ask for it. In many other instances in the Old Testament, chanan is translated "make supplication", and this supports even more the idea that chanan, not checed, involves prayer and asking for God's mercy.

D. The Use of "Checed" and "Rasham" in Isaiah 54

In Isaiah 54:8, the Hebrew word "checed" is translated as "kindness", and the Hebrew word "racham" is translated as "mercy". How do these uses of checed and racham differ? Once again, checed is referring to the mercy, kindness, and goodness of God, while racham is expressing the action of someone having mercy on someone else. In Isaiah 54:8 and many other places in the Old Testament, God is the One who has mercy (racham), but in Isaiah 13:18, it is the Mede-Persians who will not show mercy (racham).

E. The Use of "Checed" in Book Ends or Refrains

The word "checed" was used in a few book end expressions or refrains in the Psalms. In Psalm 136, the expression "for his mercy endured forever" is used at the end of each of the psalm's twenty-six verses. This praise psalm used that expression over and over to emphasize the power and might of the Lord. The first four verses and the last verse of Psalm 118 used a similar refrain, that of "his mercy endureth forever." And in Psalm 107, the phrase "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness" was repeated four times. These book ends served as memory aids and also as refrains for their songs. The psalms celebrated God and saw Him as merciful, kind, and good.

F. Comparing "Checed" in the KJV and the NIV

In Psalm 62:12 and Psalm 85:10, the KJV translated checed as "mercy", but the NIV used the word "loving". In Psalm 31:7, Psalm 59:16, Psalm 118, and Psalm 136, the KJV translated checed as "mercy", but the NIV used the word "love". In Psalm 107, the KJV translated checed as "mercy", but the NIV used the words "unfailing love". In Isaiah 54:8, the KJV translated checed as "kindness", and the NIV also used the word "kindness". The KJV used checed to describe one who is merciful, while the NIV used the same word to describe one who is love and, even more importantly, unfailing love. The NIV frequently qualified God's love for His people by calling that love unfailing.

In Leviticus 20:17, the KJV translated checed as "wicked thing", but the NIV used the word "disgrace". In Proverbs 14:34, the KJV translated checed as "reproach", but the NIV again used the word "disgrace". These two uses in both the KJV and the NIV suggest the idea that checed has two meanings in Hebrew.

G. Conclusions

The meaning of checed is best seen when one looks at the meanings of chanan and rasham. Chanan was most associated with prayer and the asking of mercy, rasham was most associated with one who shows mercy, and checed was most associated with the One who is merciful to His people. Chanan and rasham both showed the action of asking for or receiving mercy, respectively, while checed described the quality of someone who is merciful, kind, and good. The KJV would say that God is Mercy, while the NIV would say that God is Love. Both translations are meaningful, but in the case of checed, the NIV seems to be more descriptive when it speaks of God's unfailing love for His people.

				Tom of Bethany

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