Nelson Glueck was a twentieth-century rabbi, Hebrew scholar, college president, and renowned biblical archaeologist. Among his many books, he wrote an entire volume on the meaning of one Hebrew word: hesed. The last sentence in Hesed in the Bible says this: “The significance of hesed can be rendered by ‘loyalty,’ ‘mutual aid’ or ‘reciprocal love.’”¹Many Hebrew scholars translate hesed as “loyal love.” An even shorter translation would be “faithfulness.”

If agape (unconditional love) is the most important theological word in the New Testament, then hesed (loyal love, faithfulness) is the defining theological term in the Old Testament. For example, the phrase “his steadfast love endures forever” occurs in all 26 verses of Psalm 136 in the English Standard Version. Hesed always stood for God’s faithfulness and loyalty to His chosen people Israel. Even if they sinned, God was faithful to keep His covenant of promise with them. The idea of faithfulness translates easily to the unconditional love of the New Testament: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful.”

Remember today that God’s faithfulness is never-ending. Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39).

All I have needed thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thomas O. Chisholm