the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Bible Dictionaries
Lovingkindness
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or LOVINGKINDNESS. Two ideas are blended in this expressive word; it denotes kindness which springs from the loyalty of love . It is the frequent tr. [Note: translate or translation.] (30 times in the AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , 42 times in the RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) of the Heb. word chesedh , which G. A. Smith renders ‘leal love’ ( Book of the Twelve Prophets , i. 243 n). The EV [Note: English Version.] most frequently tr. [Note: translate or translation.] chesedh ‘ mercy ’ and not seldom ‘ kindness .’ The Amer. RV [Note: Revised Version.] gives ‘lovingkindness’ uniformly when the reference is to God’s love to man. The adoption of this helpful suggestion would bring out the connexion between ‘lovingkindness’ as a fundamental attribute of the Divine nature ( Exodus 34:6 f. etc.), its poetic personification ( Psalms 42:8; Psalms 57:3; Psalms 89:14 ), and the appeal to God to be true to Himself, to save and to redeem ‘for His lovingkindness’ sake’ ( Psalms 6:4; Psalms 44:26; Psalms 115:1 ). For the combination of ‘lovingkindness’ with ‘faithfulness’ see Psalms 89:1-52 , where each word occurs seven times, and cf. Lamentations 3:22 f., Isaiah 55:3 . Cf. also Love.
J. G. Tasker.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Hastings, James. Entry for 'Lovingkindness'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/l/lovingkindness.html. 1909.
