Word studies · Hebrew · Strong's H2617
חֵסֵד · chêçêd · appears 247 times in the Old Testament
In one line: Steadfast, loyal love that keeps its promises.
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Chesed is steadfast, loyal love — covenant faithfulness that keeps showing kindness even when it isn't deserved or reciprocated.
Chesed describes God's unwavering covenant loyalty toward His people, and the loyal kindness people owe each other within relationships and commitments. It's often paired with covenant and mercy, describing love that keeps its promises over time.
Chesed is difficult to translate with a single English word precisely because it merges loyalty, kindness, and covenant faithfulness into one concept — older translations render it “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” or “steadfast love,” each capturing part of its range but none the whole.
Chesed is fundamentally relational and covenantal — it describes the kindness owed within an existing relationship or commitment, not kindness to a stranger, which is why it is so often used of God's faithfulness to His covenant with Israel even when Israel was unfaithful.
Chesed (H2617) is the refrain repeated 26 times in Psalm 136 — “his steadfast love endures forever” — after every single verse.
Chesed grounds Israel's confidence in God despite failure — “the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases” — and anticipates the New Testament's portrayal of God's grace, which likewise persists toward the undeserving because of His own faithful character.
Show chesed by staying loyal and kind in relationships even when it's not reciprocated, especially within covenant commitments like marriage, family, or church. Choose one relationship where steady faithfulness matters more than a feeling of the moment.
kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty
Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
Genesis 19:19With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
Exodus 15:13If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 20:17‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’
Numbers 14:18but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:10Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
Joshua 2:12Press and hold lovingkindness in any chapter and this study opens on the verse you are reading, with the lexicons, every occurrence and the commentaries beside it. The Bible is free to read.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Strong's definitions are public domain. Counts come from The Pillar's own tagged text.