Hebrew word · H2319

חָדָשׁ

chadash

new

New, fresh, not seen before. It's used of a new house, a new song, new grain, a new king, a new covenant. Used as a noun in the feminine (as here), it means "a new thing", a new event or act.

Appears 53 times in 48 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

new, new thing, fresh

Aramaic equivalent: cha.dat (חֲדַ֑ת "new" H2323)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 43:19

Range of meaning

New, fresh, not seen before. It's used of a new house, a new song, new grain, a new king, a new covenant. Used as a noun in the feminine (as here), it means "a new thing", a new event or act.

Against the English

English "new" fits well. The risk isn't the word but what modern readers fill it with: "a new season", "a fresh start", "something different in my circumstances". In Isaiah 40–48 "new things" (ḥădāšôt) is a set phrase for the saving acts God is about to do in history, set against the "former things" (riʾšōnôt).

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 42:9 ("the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they sprout I tell you of them"). That verse uses the same sprouting verb, and 43:19 picks it up. Isaiah 42:10 ("sing to YHWH a new song"); 48:6 ("from now on I make you hear new things"); 65:17 ("new heavens and a new earth"); Jeremiah 31:22 ("YHWH has created a new thing on the earth"); Jeremiah 31:31 ("new covenant"). The Septuagint renders it καινά ("new things"), and that wording passes into Revelation 21:5. In the Dead Sea Scrolls the Damascus Document speaks of "the new covenant in the land of Damascus" (CD 6:19).

From the study of Jeremiah 31:31

Range of meaning

Adjective, about 53 times: 'new, fresh, not previously existing or used', e.g. a new king (Exodus 1:8), new cart (1 Samuel 6:7), new song (Psalm 33:3), new things (Isaiah 42:9; 43:19). The related verb (piel ḥiddēš) means 'renew, restore, repair' (1 Samuel 11:14, 'renew the kingship'; 2 Chronicles 24:4, repairing the temple; Psalm 51:10). The noun ḥōdeš, 'new moon/month', is a month that begins afresh. Lamentations 3:23 says Yahweh's mercies are 'new (ḥădāšîm) every morning': new again, without being different in kind.

Against the English

'New' is the right word. The problem is what English readers attach to it: 'brand-new replacement, unrelated to what came before.' The Hebrew word can carry that, but its range also includes 'freshly restored'. Only the context can decide how much continuity is meant.

How it drifted

In later Christian usage 'new covenant' became shorthand for 'the New Testament' and for a contrast with 'the Old Testament'. That can make 'new' sound like 'other religion' to modern ears. Jeremiah's own definition (vv.32–34) points to discontinuity in how the covenant works, and continuity in God, people and torah.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the same chapter: 'Yahweh has created a new thing (ḥădāšāh) in the land' (Jeremiah 31:22). The Qumran community took 'new covenant' as the true, renewed Torah obedience of a faithful remnant (Damascus Document). The early Christians took it as inaugurated through Jesus (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8–13).

From the study of Psalm 33:3

Range of meaning

New, fresh, not used or known before. The root also means renewing (the related noun chodesh is the 'new moon' or month). It is used of a new king (Exod 1:8), a new house (Deut 20:5), a new heart and spirit (Ezek 36:26), a new covenant (Jer 31:31), and God's 'new thing' (Isa 43:19).

Against the English

Every major English version says 'new,' and that is accurate. What English readers may miss is the pattern behind the phrase. In the Psalms a 'new song' is not about musical novelty for its own sake. It is the right response to something new that God has done.

How it drifted

In modern church life 'new song' is often heard as 'newly written or contemporary worship music,' and it is cited in arguments over musical style. The Hebrew idea is about the occasion, not the style: a new deed of God calls for a new song.

Used elsewhere in the period

'New song' (shir chadash) appears in Ps 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1 and Isa 42:10. Almost every time it is tied to God acting as King or warrior. In Ps 98:1 he 'has done marvelous things; his right hand ... has worked salvation.' In Ps 96 the LORD 'reigns' and comes to judge. In Ps 144:9–10 he gives victory to kings. In Ps 149 the song goes with judgment on the nations. In Isa 42:10–13 the LORD 'goes out like a warrior,' right after 'new things I declare' (42:9). Ps 40:3 is the personal form: a rescued man is given a 'new song.' The Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) translates it ᾆσμα καινόν. Revelation 5:9 and 14:3 take the phrase up for the Lamb's victory. Cognate languages: Ugaritic ḥdṯ, 'new' or 'new moon.'

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 1:8 חָדָ֖שׁ new

    Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

Leviticus · 2

  1. Leviticus 23:16 חֲדָשָׁ֖ה new

    You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

  2. Leviticus 26:10 חָדָ֖שׁ [the] new [harvest]

    You will still be eating the old supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the new.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 28:26 חֲדָשָׁה֙ new

    On the day of firstfruits, when you present an offering of new grain to the LORD during the Feast of Weeks, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.

Deuteronomy · 4

  1. Deuteronomy 20:5 חָדָשׁ֙ new

    Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.

  2. Deuteronomy 22:8 חָדָ֔שׁ new

    If you build a new house, you are to construct a railing around your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.

  3. Deuteronomy 24:5 חֲדָשָׁ֔ה new

    If a man is newly married, he must not be sent to war or be pressed into any duty. For one year he is free to stay at home and bring joy to the wife he has married.

  4. Deuteronomy 32:17 חֲדָשִׁים֙ new [gods]

    They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.

    Here: 'New ones.' In a culture that honoured what was ancient, 'new gods' was an insult: upstarts with no standing next to the 'God of old' that verse 7 calls Israel to remember.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 9:13 חֲדָשִׁ֔ים new

    These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”

    Here: Placed after the verb, describing the skins at the moment of filling: 'we filled them [when they were] new'. It sets up the before-and-after contrast that the lie depends on.

Judges · 4

  1. Judges 5:8 חֲדָשִׁ֔ים new

    When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.

  2. Judges 15:13 חֲדָשִׁ֔ים new

    “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

  3. Judges 16:11 חֲדָשִׁ֔ים new

    He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.”

  4. Judges 16:12 חֲדָשִׁ֜ים new

    So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like they were threads.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 6:7 חֲדָשָׁה֙ new

    Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

2 Samuel · 3

  1. 2 Samuel 6:3 חֲדָשָׁ֔ה חֲדָשָֽׁה׃ a new, new

    They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart,

  2. 2 Samuel 21:16 חֲדָשָׁ֑ה a new [weapon]

    Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.

1 Kings · 2

  1. 1 Kings 11:29 חֲדָשָׁ֔ה new

    During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

  2. 1 Kings 11:30 הַחֲדָשָׁ֖ה <the> new

    And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 2:20 חֲדָשָׁ֔ה new

    “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 13:7 חֲדָשָׁ֔ה new

    So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:5 הַחֲדָשָֽׁה׃ <the> new

    Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard

Job · 2

  1. Job 29:20 חָדָ֣שׁ [is] new

    My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’

  2. Job 32:19 חֲ֝דָשִׁ֗ים new

    Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin.

Psalms · 6

  1. Psalm 33:3 חָדָ֑שׁ new

    Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.

    Here: Fresh, not done before. In the Psalms a "new song" answers a new act of God, usually his victory or rule as King. Here the song goes on to praise God as Creator and as the ruler who brings the nations' plans to nothing (vv. 6–17).

  2. Psalm 40:3 חָדָשׁ֮ new

    He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

    Here: New because there is a new reason to sing: a fresh act of rescue calls for a fresh song. The point is the new occasion, not musical novelty for its own sake.

  3. Psalm 96:1 חָדָ֑שׁ new

    Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

    Here: 'New': not yet heard, fresh. In the 'new song' psalms the newness answers something new God has done. Here that is his rule over the world, announced in verse 10.

  4. Psalm 98:1 חָ֭דָשׁ new

    A Psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory.

    Here: A song that has not been sung before, because the reason for it has just happened. The newness comes from the new act of God named in the next clause.

  5. Psalm 144:9 חָ֭דָשׁ new

    I will sing to You a new song, O God; on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—

    Here: New, fresh, not used before. In the Psalms a "new song" answers a new act of God, here the rescue the king asks for in verses 7–8 and praises in verse 10. It means a fresh song for a fresh deliverance, not a new musical style.

  6. Psalm 149:1 חָדָ֑שׁ new

    Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise in the assembly of the godly.

    Here: "New." In the Psalms a "new song" answers a new act of God, usually a victory or rescue or a fresh showing of his kingship. The song is new because there is something new to sing about.

Ecclesiastes · 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:9 חָדָ֖שׁ new [thing]

    What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

    Here: "New": something that has not existed before. It is the word the prophets use for God's "new thing". Here it stands as a noun, "a new thing".

  2. Ecclesiastes 1:10 חָדָ֣שׁ [is] new

    Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 7:13 חֲדָשִׁ֖ים new

    The mandrakes send forth a fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, new as well as old, that I have treasured up for you, my beloved.

Isaiah · 10

  1. Isaiah 41:15 חָדָ֔שׁ new

    Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.

    Here: Fresh from the maker, so its teeth are not yet worn down and it cuts at full strength. It also ties into the wider theme of these chapters, God doing "new things" (42:9; 43:19).

  2. Isaiah 42:9 וַֽחֲדָשׁוֹת֙ and new [things]

    Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

    Here: "And new things." Also fronted for emphasis, matching "the former things". It means events not yet seen, which God is about to bring about: in context, Israel's release from Babylon and the servant's mission to the nations (42:1–7).

  3. Isaiah 42:10 חָדָ֔שׁ new

    Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.

    Here: "New" because something new has happened. It echoes verse 9 directly: "new things (chadashot) I declare." A new act of God calls for a new song.

  4. Isaiah 43:19 חֲדָשָׁה֙ a new [thing]

    Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

    Here: "A new thing". The feminine adjective is used as a noun: a fresh, unprecedented act. It stands against the "former things" of v. 18, which here are chiefly the Exodus deeds just described in vv. 16–17.

  5. Isaiah 48:6 חֲדָשׁוֹת֙ new [things]

    You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.

    Here: "New things," set against the "former things" of v. 3. In context these are events not yet foretold, above all the fall of Babylon and the release of the exiles (vv. 14, 20).

  6. Isaiah 62:2 חָדָ֔שׁ new

    Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

    Here: "New" as opposed to the old names of disgrace, "Forsaken" and "Desolate" (v. 4). It echoes the "new things" theme that runs through Isaiah 40–66 (42:9; 43:19; 65:17).

  7. Isaiah 65:17 חֲדָשִׁ֖ים חֲדָשָׁ֑ה new

    For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

    Here: 'New' in the plural, agreeing with 'heavens'. The word covers fresh and never-seen-before, and also renewed or restored.

  8. Isaiah 66:22 הַ֠חֳדָשִׁים הַחֲדָשָׁ֜ה <the> new

    “For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “so your descendants and your name will endure.

    Here: New or renewed. This picks up the announcement of 65:17. The same root gives the word for "new moon" in the next verse.

Jeremiah · 4

  1. Jeremiah 26:10 הֶחָדָֽשׁ׃ ס <the> new

    When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king’s palace to the house of the LORD and sat there at the entrance of the New Gate.

  2. Jeremiah 31:22 חֲדָשָׁה֙ a new [thing]

    How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land—a woman will shelter a man.”

    Here: A feminine adjective used as a noun: "a new thing." It looks ahead to the "new covenant" (berit ḥadashah) of 31:31.

  3. Jeremiah 31:31 חֲדָשָֽׁה׃ new

    Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

    Here: 'New', coming last as the punchline of the verse. Verse 32 explains it at once: 'not like the covenant I made with their fathers'. The newness is about how this covenant works and whether it lasts, as vv.32–34 go on to define.

  4. Jeremiah 36:10 הֶֽחָדָ֔שׁ <the> new

    From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 3:23 חֲדָשִׁים֙ [they are] new

    They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

    Here: A masculine plural adjective with no noun of its own. Its subject is the plural nouns of verse 22, the LORD's acts of loyal love (ḥasdê) and his compassions (raḥămāyw). It opens the line, so the stress falls on 'fresh'. It also begins with the letter ḥet, as verses 22 and 24 do, which this acrostic stanza requires.

Ezekiel · 5

  1. Ezekiel 11:19 חֲדָשָׁ֖ה new

    And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,

    Here: Fresh, not used before, renewed. The same root names the 'new moon'. This is not a repair of the old disposition. It is a different one.

  2. Ezekiel 18:31 חָדָ֖שׁ חֲדָשָׁ֑ה new

    Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

    Here: 'New' (masculine, to agree with 'heart'). It comes from the root that also gives the word for 'new moon'. This is a fresh start, not a repair of the old heart.

  3. Ezekiel 36:26 חָדָ֔שׁ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה new

    I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

    Here: New or fresh. The same root gives the word for the new moon, so it can mean something renewed as well as something never seen before. Here it marks a decisive break with Israel's old, defiled inner life.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.