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חָפֵץ

𐤇𐤐𐤑

châphêts

H2654 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חפץ to incline, to desire, to delight

Definition

To take pleasure in, to desire, to delight in, to will or choose; indicates an emotional or volitional inclination toward something or someone. The term can express genuine delight, wish, preference, or the act of willingly choosing or favoring something. It refers both to internal disposition ('he delights/desires') and, in some cases, outward acts of favor or selection ('he chooses' or 'takes pleasure in').

Semantic Range

to delight in, to take pleasure in, to desire, to wish, to will, to choose, to favor, to prefer, to be pleased with

Root / Etymology

From the root חפץ, which fundamentally means 'to incline' or 'to bend toward.' In verbal usage, this core idea expands to express emotional or volitional inclination: to desire, wish, take pleasure in, or delight in something. The noun form (חֵפֶץ) means 'delight,' 'desire,' or 'object of desire.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חָפֵץ is used in a range of contexts from material to abstract. It often describes both human and divine attitudes: persons desiring specific outcomes (e.g., 2 Samuel 24:3), taking pleasure in relationships or activities (e.g., Esther 2:14), or finding beauty or worth in something (e.g., Psalm 40:9). The word is recurrently used of YHWH in expressing divine pleasure, will, or selective favor (e.g., Isaiah 53:10); but care must be taken not to ascribe technical senses such as later theological connotations of 'will' in systematic theology to earlier Israelite texts. The verb contrasts to רָצָה (ratzah, 'to be pleased with, approve'), which emphasizes acceptance or being pleased, while חָפֵץ focuses on active delight or desire. English translations such as 'delight in' or 'take pleasure in' are often adequate, though sometimes they obscure the element of volitional choice implicit in the verb. The semantic scope can be narrower or broader depending on context: sometimes referring simply to preference, other times overlapping with the sense of 'will' or 'purpose.' The idiomatic negative phrase 'lo chafetz' ('not pleased with' or 'not desiring') often signals rejection or disfavor.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire; [idiom] any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favour, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will, would.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חפץ (ḥ-p-ṣ) — to incline, to desire, to delight

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2655 חָפֵץ he delights
H2656 חֵפֶץ in desire
H2657 חֶפְצִי בָּהּ my delight

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2654-05 חָפֵ֖ץ chafets HVqp3ms delights he delights 29
H2654-04 חָפַ֖צְתִּי chafatseti HVqp1cs I desire I delighted 13
H2654-13 יַחְפֹּץ֙ yachepots HVqi3ms delights he delights 8
H2654-02 חָפַ֣צְתָּ chafatseta HVqp2ms you have desired you delighted 5
H2654-10 שֶׁ/תֶּחְפָּֽץ shetechepats HTr/Vqi3fs she pleases she will delight 3
H2654-08 אֶחְפֹּץ֙ echepots HVqi1cs I delight I delight 3
H2654-11 תַחְפֹּ֣ץ tachepots HVqi2ms you desire you desire 2
H2654-16 יֶחְפָּצ֑וּ/ן yechepatsun HVqi3mp/Sn they-delight they delight 2
H2654-14 יֶחְפָּֽץ yechepats HVqi3ms he delights he delights 2
H2654-12 יַחְפְּצוּ yachepetsu HVqi3mp delight they delight 2

Occurrences in Scripture

75 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2654-05 Genesis 34:19 חָפֵ֖ץ chafets HVqp3ms he had delight / he delighted he delights
H2654-05 Numbers 14:8 חָפֵ֥ץ chafets HVqp3ms delights he delights
H2654-02 Deuteronomy 21:14 חָפַ֣צְתָּ chafatseta HVqp2ms you delight you delighted
H2654-13 Deuteronomy 25:7 יַחְפֹּץ֙ yachepots HVqi3ms desires he delights
H2654-04 Deuteronomy 25:8 חָפַ֖צְתִּי chafatseti HVqp1cs I desire I delighted
H2654-05 Judges 13:23 חָפֵ֨ץ chafets HVqp3ms had desired he delights
H2654-05 1 Samuel 2:25 חָפֵ֥ץ chafets HVqp3ms he-desired he delights
H2654-05 1 Samuel 18:22 חָפֵ֤ץ chafets HVqp3ms delights he delights
H2654-05 1 Samuel 19:1 חָפֵ֥ץ chafets HVqp3ms delighted he delights
H2654-04 2 Samuel 15:26 חָפַ֖צְתִּי chafatseti HVqp1cs you have delighted I delighted
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