Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible is a collection of books about G-d’s relationship with the people of Israel, a relationship characterized by a concept expressed in the Hebrew word chesed, which the JPS usually translates as “steadfast love,” “kindness,” or “loyalty.” This theme of G-d’s steadfast love courses through the entirety of the Hebrew Bible and is one of the main elements that binds together all its disparate genres and styles. Chesed has a more particular set of meanings than the English words “love” or “kindness” do, especially when applied as an attribute of G-d. In older English translations, it was often rendered as the portmanteau “lovingkindness.” This indicates that the term conceives of love not primarily as an affective emotion or an inner state of one’s own feelings but as an active virtue that reaches out to practical effect in others’ lives. It also carries overtones of faithfulness and loyalty, and thus some modern English translations render it as “faithful love” or “covenant love.” Essentially, it is an active expression of love in the context of an established relationship of complete commitment between two parties. It carries with it a sense of mutual obligation and a binding of honor and loyalty to another person, which is expressed in perpetually seeking the other’s good.