Word Studies: A Bible Study Method Featuring God’s Lovingkindness (chesed)
Bible Study Method: Word Study
Do you love reading God’s Word but want to go deeper? Do you want greater insight into the character of God? Are you looking for a new Bible study method? Try doing a word study. Although, it takes some time, it’s rather simple to do and the effects are far reaching in your studies. Once you learn the meaning of a new word, every time you encounter that word in Scripture, you will have a great understanding of those verses as well. Your brain will start making connections to different parts of Scripture and it will help you see the Bible as a united whole.
Other Bible Studies Methods
Another great Bible study method is the Notice and Wonder routine. I’ve written several posts on the topic, so be sure to check them out:
- Noticing and Wondering Routine: Unleash the Power of Observation–Part 1
- Noticing and Wondering Routine: Unleash the Power of Observation–Part 2
- How to Improve Your Understanding of the Bible Using the Notice and Wonder Technique: Genesis 2 Edition
- Using the Notice & Wonder Method to Study the Bible: The Cain and Abel Edition
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How to Do a Bible Word Study
Step 1: Pick a word.
Let’s say you are reading Psalm 89: 2:
“For I have said, ‘Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.'” (NASB)
You may ask yourself, “What does ‘lovingkindness’ mean?”
Step 2: Look the verse up in an interlinear Bible.
There are many online tools. I happen to use Blue Letter Bible. After looking up the verse, I see that the Hebrew word for lovingkindness is “hesed” (or “chesed).”
Step 3: Use Strong’s Concordance.
In the interlinear Bible, click on the number H2617 to bring up Strong’s Concordance for hesed (also chesed). There is a lot of information here!
Step 4: Read the Biblical usages and the definitions.
I like to read the Translation Count, Biblical Usage, Strong’s Definitions, and the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon. You can see here that the word “chesed” is a full word or multi-faceted word. What I mean by that is that it contains a lot of concepts within it: Love, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, merciful, favor, grace etc.
Step 5: Stop and reflect.
Ask yourself, “What do I notice? What do I wonder?” One thing I notice is that the list reminds me a little bit of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5: 22-23. I might wonder if we have a similar word in English that encompasses all these qualities.
Step 6: Read the cross-references.
Where else is this word used in the Bible? Some words are only used a handful of times. Other words like “chesed” are used frequently. If it’s used frequently, you may need to narrow your search down a bit. For example, since our verse is from Psalms, you may want to focus in on the way it’s used in the Book of Psalms. Or if you have done an in-depth study of another book of the Bible, you may want to check how it’s used in that book to tap into your prior knowledge. Additionally, It can be useful to check how the word is used the first time it appears in the Bible, as oftentimes there is significance in its first appearance.
In this case, “chesed” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 19:19:
“Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness [chesed] in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.” [ESV]
Note: At times it may not be always easy to identify what the word is translated to in a specific verse. In that case, plug the verse back into your interlinear Bible and scroll the verse until you find the word.
It didn’t stand out to me right away the context of the verse, so I had to look up Genesis 19. I found that it’s the story about Lot fleeing Sodom. So now I have to ask myself, in what way was God showing Lot “chesed?” in the story? From my perspective (which may be wrong), Lot didn’t deserve to be rescued. He was only rescued because of Abram’s pleading with God to save his nephew Lot. So in this instance “chesed” seems to be some undeserved love that can be life-saving. So then I ask myself once again, “What is the Bible trying to tell me about this word?”
Now I have two choices depending on how deep I want to study. I can go back to my original verse using the knowledge that I have (if so skip to Step 8), or I can start digging even a little deeper and do more research.
Step 7: Do further research (for a deeper dive).
You can read trusted commentaries or google your chosen word and read some online articles to see what comes up. Just make sure you vet your sources. Sometimes Mormons or Jehovah Witness articles come up to the top of a Google search, so you need to recognize and avoid those sites. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a lot from a Google search, just read with caution. One of the things I like to look at is the Jewish Encyclopedia as the Jewish people are obviously fluent in Hebrew and have a greater insight into the words written in Hebrew. You could also look up other trusted sources such as Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. Hebrew4Christians is also insightful. Here are some helpful links to help you explore the concept of “chesed” further:
- Topical Bible: Understanding ‘Chesed’
- Strong’s Hebrew: 2618. חֶ֫סֶד (Chesed) — Lovingkindness, mercy, steadfast love, loyalty, faithfulness
- What does the Hebrew word “hesed” mean?
- Lovingkindness-Definition of Hesed | Precept Austin
- Of Loyalty, Duty, and Love: An Exploration of the Meaning of Chesed – Torah Musings
If you read some of these articles, you can see the “chesed” is a loaded word. It’s loaded with covenantal language. “Chesed” infers a binding sort of love like a marriage vow. It is one of the attributes of God described in Exodus 34:6-7. The concept of “chesed” also runs through the Book of Ruth. It has to do with love, but also loyalty—just as Ruth showed a loving loyalty to Naomi.
Future Post on Chesed
In a future post, I’ll expand on all the different meanings of chesed. Initially, I was going to add some of that information here, but it was getting too long and distracting from the Word Study Method. So instead, I’ll use that information to write up a new post. Make sure to subscribe to this blog, so you can get the next post on “chesed: sent straight to your inbox.
Step 8: Bring it back to the original verse.
The World is Built on Chesed
Let’s go back to our original verse:
“For I have said, ‘Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.'”~Psalm 89: 2 (NASB)
The Jewish people translate the phrase “olam chesed yibaneh” found in Psalm 89:2 to “I will build this world on chesed. Read Psalm 89 in its entirety, and the reflect on what you think it means for God to say that He will build this world on chesed? How can you apply that your life?
Conclusion
Doing a word study is a fantastic way to understand the Bible and gain a deeper insight into the mind of God. Due to the abundance of online tools, anyone can do this kind of study if they have the time, and it is so rewarding! Now that I’ve given you the tools, go and do likewise. When you come across something interesting or some thought that the Holy Spirit brings to mind, be obedient to His nudging and do some study. God may be trying to tell you something, or He may be wanting a deeper relationship with you.
Share & Subscribe
Share this article with a friend and do a word study together! It’s always more fun to study with a friend—not to mention two heads are better than one.
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