Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him and whose hope is in His faithful hesed, that He may deliver their souls from death and keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:18-19, Adapted.

Hesed (Hebrew) is one of the Bible’s richest and most powerful words. Often described as untranslatable, no single English (or Greek) term fully conveys its depth and magnitude. It is variously translated as lovingkindness, mercy, unfailing love, steadfast love, or faithful love. Wherever these terms appear in translations, they point to God’s hesed.

At its core, hesed is an extravagant, unconditional love. It is an expression of compassion, mercy, faithfulness, and love bound by a free-willed decision, not by obligation. In his book Inexpressible (2018), Michael Card describes it as “when the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.” It is a sovereign God loving without limit those who have no merit.

Hesed is a defining attribute of God expressed through His covenant faithfulness with His people (Exodus 34:6-7). It is seen in His willingness to forgive, and to take upon Himself the rebellion and sin of His people.

Hesed cannot be fully understood or experienced apart from the fullness of God’s character. It is a supernatural, multifaceted love that is only realized, practiced, and experienced through God. In human relationships, glimpses of hesed can be seen in acts of loyal friendship, selfless love, and covenantal devotion, such as the bond between Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 18:3) or the kindness of Boaz to Ruth (Ruth 3:10). Yet its fullness is only truly known in God.

God’s hesed is the reason He never gives up on His children, even when they repeatedly fall into sin and idolatry. His ultimate act of hesed was sending Jesus Christ on a rescue mission to redeem humanity. In Jesus, God’s covenant faithfulness and steadfast love are fully revealed. Even when God allows His people to experience the consequences of their sin, this is an expression of His hesed, as He disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6).

Because of God’s hesed, we can approach Him with boldness and confidence, trusting in His steadfast love. He is amazingly kind and loving, not only to His servants but even to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35). God’s hesed is the foundation of our hope and the assurance of His faithfulness.