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חָסִיד

𐤇𐤎𐤉𐤃

châçîyd

H2623 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root חסד to show kindness, to be loyal, to act with steadfast love

Definition

One who is faithful, loyal, or devoted, especially to the covenantal obligations within the Israelite religious context; in later periods, one characterized by steadfast love, mercy, or godliness. The term denotes someone who demonstrates covenantal loyalty (ḥesed), often through faithful, ethical behavior, and active kindness to others, or through unwavering allegiance to YHWH. In poetic and liturgical texts, it can designate the community of faithful Israelites distinguished by their commitment to YHWH's ways.

Semantic Range

one who practices loyal love, individual marked by covenantal faithfulness, community of the pious, faithful devotee of YHWH, person characterized by mercy or kindness, righteous or godly person (esp. in liturgical or poetic contexts)

Root / Etymology

The noun חָסִיד derives from the root חסד (ḥ-s-d), whose core meaning is 'to show kindness, loyalty, or steadfast love.' While the root covers actions of loyal love, faithfulness, and kindness, the derived noun designates one characterized by such qualities. The suffix -ִיד marks the adjectival or substantival form, yielding 'one who acts with ḥesed.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

חָסִיד is used in the Hebrew Bible primarily to describe individuals (or groups) distinguished by their piety and steadfast devotion—especially in parallelism with terms for righteousness (צַדִּיק). In Psalmic and poetic contexts, it often denotes ‘the faithful’ or the pious collective within Israel, as opposed to the faithless, the wicked (רָשָׁע), or those outside covenantal obligations. The nuance is not only moral but also relational—based on loyalty to YHWH and solidarity within the Israelite community. In later usage (Second Temple and beyond), the term comes to carry connotations of ascetic piety and in rabbinic literature it denotes exemplary righteous people. Standard English translations rendering it 'saint' or 'godly' can obscure its core meaning rooted in covenantal loyalty, and sometimes introduce Christian theological overtones that are absent from the Hebrew context. The term should be distinguished from צַדִּיק (righteous/just) in that חָסִיד emphasizes loyal kindness or mercy, while צַדִּיק focuses on adherence to justice or law.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָסַד; properly, kind, i.e. (religiously) pious (a saint); godly (man), good, holy (one), merciful, saint, (un-) godly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חסד (ḥ-s-d) — kindness, loyal love, covenant loyalty, steadfast devotion

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1136 בֶּן־חֶסֶד steadfast covenantal loyalty
H2616 חָסַד you show yourself loyal
H2617 חֵסֵד in steadfast loyalty
H2619 חֲסַדְיָה and Yahweh-has-shown-steadfast-love
H2624 חֲסִידָה stork

Word Forms

12 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2623-03 חֲסִידָי/ו֙ chasidayv HAampc/Sp3ms his faithful ones his covenant-loyal ones 9
H2623-01 חָסִ֖יד chasid HAamsa godly loyal-love devotee 9
H2623-11 וַ/חֲסִידֶ֥י/ךָ vachasideykha HC/Aampc/Sp2ms and-your-faithful-ones and your covenant-loyal ones 3
H2623-06 חֲסִידִֽים chasidim HAampa saints steadfastly loyal ones 2
H2623-05 חֲסִידֶֽי/ךָ chasideykha HAampc/Sp2ms of your saints your loyal-loving ones 2
H2623-04 חֲסִידֶ֑/ךָ chasidekha HAamsc/Sp2ms of yours your loyal one 2
H2623-07 חסיד/ו chsydv HAamsc/Sp3ms his faithful one his covenant-loyal one 2
H2623-08 לַ/חֲסִידָֽי/ו lachasidayv HR/Aampc/Sp3ms of his faithful ones to his loyal-loving ones 1
H2623-02 חֲסִידָ֑/י chasiday HAampc/Sp1cs my godly ones my loyal-loving ones 1
H2623-12 וְ֝/חָסִ֗יד vechasid HC/Aamsa and kind loyal-love one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

34 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2623-04 Deuteronomy 33:8 חֲסִידֶ֑/ךָ chasidekha HAamsc/Sp2ms of yours your loyal one
H2623-07 1 Samuel 2:9 חסיד/ו chsydv HAamsc/Sp3ms his faithful one his covenant-loyal one
H2623-03 1 Samuel 2:9 חֲסִידָי/ו֙ chasidayv HAampc/Sp3ms his faithful ones his covenant-loyal ones
H2623-01 2 Samuel 22:26 חָסִ֖יד chasid HAamsa the merciful loyal-love devotee
H2623-01 Jeremiah 3:12 חָסִ֤יד chasid HAamsa gracious loyal-love devotee
H2623-01 Micah 7:2 חָסִיד֙ chasid HAamsa the godly man loyal-love devotee
H2623-01 Psalms 4:4 חָסִ֣יד chasid HAamsa the-faithful-one loyal-love devotee
H2623-01 Psalms 12:2 חָסִ֑יד chasid HAamsa the-godly-man loyal-love devotee
H2623-04 Psalms 16:10 חֲ֝סִידְ/ךָ֗ chasidekha HAamsc/Sp2ms your faithful one your loyal one
H2623-01 Psalms 18:26 חָסִ֥יד chasid HAamsa the merciful loyal-love devotee
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