LOVINGKINDNESS
Lovingkindness
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 Gods love to man. The adoption of this helpful suggestion would bring out the connexion between lovingkindness as a fundamental attribute of the Divine nature (Exo 34:6 f. etc.), its poetic personification (Psa 42:8; Psa 57:3; Psa 89:14), and the appeal to God to be true to Himself,to save and to redeem for His lovingkindness sake (Psa 6:4; Psa 44:26; Psa 115:1). For the combination of lovingkindness with faithfulness see Psa 89:1-52, where each word occurs seven times, and cf. Lam 3:22 f., Isa 55:3. Cf. also Love.
J. G. Tasker.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Lovingkindness
luv-ing-kindnes (, hesedh): Lovingkindness in the King James Version always represents this word (30 times), but of hesedh there are many other renderings, e.g. mercy (frequently), kindness (38), goodness (12). The word is derived from hasadh, meaning, perhaps, to bend or bow oneself, to incline oneself; hence, to be gracious or merciful. the English Revised Version has not many changes, but in the American Standard Revised Version lovingkindness is invariably employed when hesedh is used of God, and, as a rule, kindness when it is used of man, as in Gen 21:23; Jdg 1:24 (the King James Version mercy, the Revised Version (British and American) deal kindly); Rth 3:10; 2Ch 32:32; 2Ch 35:26 (the King James Version goodness,’); margin Hebrew: kindness the Revised Version (British and American) good deeds); Job 6:14, etc. Of the uses of the word as on man’s part toward God, the only occurrences are: Jer 2:2, I remember for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, etc.; Hos 6:4, Hos 6:6, Your goodness (the Revised Version margin or kindness) is as a morning cloud, I desire goodness (the King James Version mercy, the Revised Version margin Kindness), and not sacrifice, which last passage may denote kindness as toward man.
When used of God hesedh denotes, in general, the Divine Love condescending to His creatures, more especially to sinners, in unmerited kindness (Delitzsch). It is frequency associated with forgiveness, and is practically equivalent to mercy or mercifulness (Exo 20:6), showing lovingkindness (the English Revised Version mercy) unto thousands of them that love me; Exo 34:6 f, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness (the English Revised Version plenteous in mercy); (Exo 34:7) keeping lovingkindness (the English Revised Version mercy) for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (compare Num 14:18); Mic 7:18, He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness (the English Revised Version mercy). This quality in Yahweh was one by which He sought to bind His people to Himself. It is greatly magnified in the Old Testament, highly extolled and gloried in, in many of the psalms (Ps 136 has the constant refrain, For his lovingkindness endureth forever). In Deu 7:12 it is associated with the covenant, and in 2Sa 7:15 with the covenant with David (compare Isa 55:3, etc.). It was something that could always be relied on.
Being such an essential and distinctive quality of God, the prophets taught that it should also characterize His people. It is part of the Divine requirement in Mic 6:8, to love kindness (compare Zec 7:9, Show kindness and compassion every man to his brother). The want of it in the nation was a cause of Yahweh’s controversy with them, e.g. Hos 4:1, There is no truth, nor goodness (hesedh) (the King James Version and the English Revised Version mercy), nor knowledge of God in the land; Hos 12:6, Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep kindness (the King James Version and the English Revised Version mercy) and justice, and wait for thy God continually. Cheyne (Encyclopedia Biblica) regards hesedh as denoting paternal affection on God’s part, answered by filial and loyal affection and brotherly love on man’s part (philadelpha in the New Testament).
The word lovingkindness does not occur in the New Testament, but as its equivalents we have such terms as mercy goodness, kindness, brotherly love (see special articles).
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LOVINGKINDNESS
of God
Psa 17:7; Psa 26:3; Psa 63:3; Isa 63:7; Jer 31:3; Jer 32:18; Hos 2:19
–SEE Compassion, SYMPATHY
Mercy (1), MERCIFULNESS
Goodness of God, GOODNESS OF GOD