Hebrew word · H2655

חָפֵץ

chafetz

delighting

Chafets means 'take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with.' It is about what someone wants and enjoys, not what they are obliged to do. Chesed is loyal, steadfast love within a relationship: kindness that keeps faith, often doing more than is strictly owed.

Appears 12 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

desiring, delighting in, having pleasure in

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 Micah 7:18

Range of meaning

Chafets means 'take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with.' It is about what someone wants and enjoys, not what they are obliged to do. Chesed is loyal, steadfast love within a relationship: kindness that keeps faith, often doing more than is strictly owed. Its range covers kindness, loyalty, faithfulness, goodness and favour. It is regularly paired with 'emet (faithfulness) and with berit (covenant).

Against the English

KJV and NIV have 'mercy' ('delight to show mercy'). ESV has 'steadfast love,' NASB (1995) 'unchanging love,' WEB 'loving kindness,' BSB 'loving devotion,' YLT 'kindness.' 'Mercy' captures the outcome here, since punishment is held back, but misses the loyalty and commitment at the word's core.

How it drifted

The Septuagint usually translated chesed as eleos ('pity, mercy'), and the Vulgate followed with misericordia. Through these, 'mercy' entered the English Bible tradition. In modern English 'mercy' mostly means letting someone off a deserved penalty, which is narrower than chesed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 34:6–7 ('abounding in chesed … keeping chesed for thousands'); Hos 6:6 ('I desire [chafatsti] chesed and not sacrifice'), which uses the same verb with the same object; Micah 6:8 ('to love chesed'); Micah 7:20 ('chesed to Abraham'). Classic studies include N. Glueck, Hesed in the Bible, and K. D. Sakenfeld, The Meaning of Hesed in the Hebrew Bible.

From the study of Psalm 34:12

Range of meaning

To take pleasure in, to delight in, to desire, to be pleased with. It is used of people delighting in things and of God delighting in people or acts (Ps 37:23; Hos 6:6 'I delight in mercy').

Against the English

BSB 'delights in' keeps the emotional warmth. KJV/ESV 'desireth/desires' is accurate but cooler.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Psalms and Wisdom books. The LXX here uses thelō ('want, will'), and that becomes 'whoever wants' in 1 Peter 3:10.

From the study of Psalm 5:4

Range of meaning

Wanting, delighting in, taking pleasure in, being pleased with, choosing freely. The root חפץ covers both desire (what one wants) and approval (what one finds pleasing). Used of people and of God, often about what God does or does not want from worshippers.

Against the English

BSB/ESV 'delights in'; KJV/WEB 'hath/has pleasure in'; YLT 'desiring'; NIV 'is pleased with'. All are fair. 'Delights' can sound mild in English, but the Hebrew says what God is drawn to and approves of, not just what he enjoys.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 18:23 uses the same root with the same word for wicked: 'Do I take any pleasure (ḥafots eḥpots) in the death of the wicked (rasha')?' Read together, the two passages say God takes no pleasure in wickedness and none in the death of the wicked either. Hosea 6:6: 'I desire (ḥafatsti) steadfast love, not sacrifice.' 1 Samuel 15:22: 'Does YHWH delight (ḥefets) in burnt offerings as in obeying?' Psalm 40:6 (Hebrew v. 7): 'sacrifice and offering you did not desire.' The word regularly names what God actually values.

Similar words

Where it appears

1 Kings · 2

  1. 1 Kings 13:33 הֶֽחָפֵץ֙ the [one] desiring

    Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.

  2. 1 Kings 21:6 חָפֵ֣ץ [are] desiring

    Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’”

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 28:9 חֲפֵצָ֔ה willing

    As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

    Here: Taking pleasure in something and wanting it. The service is to be glad and wanted, not grudging.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 1:11 הַֽחֲפֵצִים֙ <the> delighting

    O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

    Here: 'The ones who take pleasure in / want to': describes these servants by what they want. Their reverence is something they want and enjoy, not something forced from them.

Psalms · 6

  1. Psalm 5:4 חָפֵ֘ץ desirous of

    For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.

    Here: A describing word made from the verb 'to delight, want'. It is tied directly to the next word: 'a god desirous of wickedness'. It names what a god wants and is pleased by, not just what he puts up with.

  2. Psalm 34:12 הֶחָפֵ֣ץ <the> desiring

    Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?

    Here: With the article it works like 'who delights in.' It means a pleasure-filled wanting: to find something agreeable and want it for yourself.

  3. Psalm 35:27 חֲפֵצֵ֪י הֶ֝חָפֵ֗ץ [the] [people] desirous of, <the> desiring

    May those who favor my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.”

    Here: 'Those who delight in / want' something. These are the psalmist's supporters, people who want his case to come out right.

  4. Psalm 40:14 חֲ֝פֵצֵ֗י [the] [people] desirous of

    May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

    Here: 'Those who take pleasure in.' This is more than wanting something to happen. They would enjoy it. It matches 'those seeking' in the first half of the verse.

  5. Psalm 70:2 חֲ֝פֵצֵ֗י [the] [people] desirous of

    May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

    Here: 'Those who take pleasure in.' Like 'seekers' in the first line, it describes the enemies by their desire. They do not just plan harm, they enjoy the thought of it.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 7:18 חָפֵ֥ץ [is one] desirous of

    Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?

    Here: An adjective, 'one who takes pleasure in,' describing God's character rather than something he does now and then. Chesed is what he enjoys and wants.

Malachi · 1

  1. Malachi 3:1 חֲפֵצִים֙ [are] delighting

    “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

    Here: "Delighting in / wanting": throws back their own word. They said God "delights" (ḥāfēṣ) in evildoers (2:17), and the figure they say they want is now on his way.

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