בֶּן־חֶסֶד
𐤁𐤍־𐤇𐤎𐤃
Ben-Cheçed
H1136 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name designating an individual in the united monarchy period; literally, 'son of Hesed,' indicating lineage or descent from a person named Hesed. Used specifically as a personal designation, not as a descriptive phrase.
Semantic Range
personal proper name, designation of lineage, son of the one named Hesed
Root / Etymology
Formed from the Hebrew noun בֵּן (ben, 'son') and the personal name חֶסֶד (ḥesed, likely meaning 'kindness' or related to the root חסד), forming a compound patronymic meaning 'son of Ḥesed.' The structure follows a common biblical Hebrew pattern for names indicating paternal ancestry. Both elements are well-attested as independent lexemes in Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֶּן־חֶסֶד appears as a personal name in the narrative of Solomon's administrative officials (1 Kings 4:10), where Ben-Hesed governs the region of Arubboth in the united monarchy period. The usage exemplifies a standard Israelite naming pattern in which 'ben' (son of) identifies an individual by patrilineal descent. The accompanying personal name 'Ḥesed' was presumably borne by Ben-Hesed's father or ancestor and is not being used here in its lexical sense ('kindness'). The rendering 'son of kindness' in older translations is etymologically accurate but misleading as a definition—the name is not characterizing Ben-Hesed as 'kind' but rather marking his descent from someone so named. There is no evidence of broader usage for this term beyond this proper-naming function in the Hebrew Bible. Later translation traditions sometimes obscure the patronymic structure, and although 'Jew' or 'Jewish' may appear in English translations, the text at this period is strictly referring to an Israelite individual and official.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בֵּן and חֵסֵד; son of kindness; Ben-Chesed, an Israelite; the son of Hesed.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish family
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1004 | בַּיִת | in the houses |
| H1005 | בַּיִת | the built-house |
| H1006 | בַּיִת | the house |
| H1007 | בֵּית אָוֶן | house-of |
| H1008 | בֵּית־אֵל | in house of |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1136-01 |
בֶּן | ben | HNcmsc |
son of | son | 1 |
H1136-02 |
חֶ֖סֶד | chesed | HNp |
Hesed | steadfast covenantal loyalty | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1136-01 |
1 Kings 4:10 | בֶּן | ben | HNcmsc |
son of | son |
H1136-02 |
1 Kings 4:10 | חֶ֖סֶד | chesed | HNp |
Hesed | steadfast covenantal loyalty |