Hebrew Word Study - Noun

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Word Study of a Noun from Ruth 2:2

Submitted to Dr. Donald Holdridge in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the completion of the course

OTCL 505-D06

Hebrew Language Tools

by

I.M. Here

July 4, 1776

4

Select the word for study

The noun chosen for this word study comes from Ruth 2:2, which is translated “favor” in the NASB. It occurs three times within the same chapter of this short book. The repetition and basic meaning of this word provide a sharp contrast to spiritual conditions of the Judges Period.

Determine the Hebrew word

The Hebrew word behind “favor” in this passage is חֵן (Transliteration = chen; Pronunciation = khan). The Strong’s Number for this masculine noun is H2580.[footnoteRef:1] [1: “H2580 – chen,” in Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (NASB), Blue Letter Bible, accessed July 21, 2020, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2580&t=NASB.]

Determine the usage of the Hebrew word

In the NASB חֵן occurs 69 times in 67 verses. It shows up 27 times in 26 verses of the Pentateuch (Mostly in Genesis), 20 times in the Historical books (Mostly in Samuel), 18 times in 17 verses of the Poetical books (Mostly in Proverbs) and only 4 times in the Prophets.[footnoteRef:2] The heaviest frequency of this word occurs in the Pentateuch, while the Historical and Poetical books take a close second and third respectively. This term was not utilized much among the Hebrew Prophets.[footnoteRef:3] It was most commonly employed from Moses (15th Century B.C.) to Solomon (10th Century B.C.). [2: Ibid.] [3: W.E. Vine, M.F. Unger, and W. White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1996), 101.]

List all the English words used for the Hebrew word

There are five different ways חֵן is translated into English in the NASB. It can mean favor (51x), grace (13x), charm (3x), pleasing (1x), or adornment (1x).

Consider how the contextual settings influenced each of the English word choices

Favor (51x)

People seek favor from other people (19x - Gen 32:5; 33:8, 10, 15; 34:11; 47:25, 29; 50:4; Num 32:5; Ruth 2:2; 1 Sam 1:18; 20:29; 25:8; 27:5; 2 Sam 15:25; 16:4; Est 5:8; 7:3; 8:5). People find favor with other people (10x - 1 Sam 16:22; Ruth 2:10, 13; 1 Sam 20:3; 2 Sam 14:22; 1 Kgs 11:19; Est 2:15, 17; 5:2; Prov 28:23). People seek favor from God (7x - Gen 18:3; Exod 33:13, 13, 16; 34:9; Num 11:15; Jud 6:17). God causes people to be favored by other people (5x - Gen 39:4, 21; Exod 3:21; 11:3; 12:36). God gives favor to people (3x - Gen 6:8; Exod 33:12, 17). How favor is caused (2x - Prov 13:15; Eccl 9:11). What benefits come from favor (Prov 22:1), people finding favor with God and man (Prov 3:4), people finding favor with an angel (Gen 19:19), people not finding favor with God (Num 11:11) and people not finding favor with other people (Deut 24:1) all occur once each.

Grace (13x)

God gives grace (4x - Ps 84:11; Prov 3:34; Jer 31:2; Zech 12:10). People speak gracious words (4x - Prov 22:11; Eccl 10:12; Zech 4:7, 7). The Father gives grace to the Son (Ps 45:2), a woman of grace is described (Prov 11:16), a wife is like a gracious doe (Prov 5:19), parents’ instructions are a wreath of grace (Prov 1:9) and honoring wisdom leads to a garland of grace (Prov 4:9).

Charm (3x)

Charm is used as a beautiful form or an outward appearance (Prov 17:8; 31:30; Nah 3:4).[footnoteRef:4] [4: “חֵן” in Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Bible Hub, accessed July 21, 2020, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2580.htm; and “חֵן” in Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, Blue Letter Bible, accessed July 24, 2020, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2580&t=NASB. ]

Pleases (1x)

People are seeking to please people (Gen 30:27).

Adornment (1x)

Wisdom and discretion adorn a person (Prov 3:22).

Conclusion

The most common uses of חֵן in the Old Testament consist of one either seeking favor from another person or finding favor with another person, in a secular sense.[footnoteRef:5] Twenty-Eight of twenty-nine passages with these nuances occur in the Pentateuch and Historical Books. In Chapter 2, Ruth initially seeks the favor of one who will allow her to glean in his field (vs.2), and then recognizes that Boaz has graciously extended his favor to her (vv.10, 13) during a day when not a lot of חֵן was going around. [5: R.L. Harris, G.L. Archer, and B.K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 1:303.]

Bibliography

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Bible Hub. Accessed July 21, 2020.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2580.htm.

Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon. Blue Letter Bible. Accessed July 24, 2020.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2580&t=NASB.

Harris, R.L., G.L. Archer, and B.K. Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. 2 vols.

Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.

Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (NASB). Blue Letter Bible. Accessed July 21, 2020.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2580&t=NASB.

Vine, W.E., M.F. Unger, and W. White. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New

Testament Words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.