John A. Davies
This chapter of The Mercy of God in the Old Testament considers the much-discussed word חסד, often glossed as “steadfast love,” and a word with which it is sometimes paired, אמת “faithfulness.” The Old Testament writers see God’s steadfast love as his essential and enduring nature. Discussion of חסד has revolved around the issue of whether it has in view an obligation entailed in an existing relationship, or whether it can refer to kindness or mercy freely bestowed. A synthesis of these views is suggested, based on God’s universal covenant commitment. God’s steadfast love is unstinting. The issue of whether conditions must be met to benefit from God’s steadfast love is addressed. There is an affective dimension to God’s חסד which is then expressed in a range of salvific acts. As with other terms broadly descriptive of God’s merciful or compassionate disposition, חסד is closely associated with the exodus and again with the return from exile. Rarely, if ever, does חסד refer to the human response to God.