Biblical Hebrew Forum

[davidfentonism AT aim.com]

  I think the argument can and has been made that the concept of grace exists 
in TNKh by many. Here is one article outlining the typical arguments for the 
position:
 
 Grace in the Old Testament** by Art Farstad  Many people have the erroneous 
notion that the OT is all law and the NT is all grace. Some liberals even 
maintain that the God of the OT is harsh and vindictive but the God of the NT 
is tender and forgiving. Some people (not liberals, but very misinformed) 
think that OT believers were saved by keeping the law and NT believers are 
saved by grace through faith! Of course these misapprehensions are not 
totally made up; there is much more of a gracious framework to the NT than to 
the OT. But God never changes; only His dealings change as conditions and 
times change. In both Testaments people are saved by grace through faith. 
"Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness" is way 
back in the first book of the Bible (Gen 15:6). It is an important verse and 
it is quoted three times in the NT.  The word grace occurs 20 times in the 
NKJV OT, usually in the sense of "favor." The first usage, as so often is the 
case in the God's Word, is illuminating:  "But Noah found grace in the eyes 
of the Lord" (Gen 6:8). Both the meaning "favor" and the NT idea of 
undeserving kindness to needy man fit this context.  The two occurrences of 
grace in Psalms are very encouraging:  "Grace is poured upon Your lips" (the 
speech of the Messianic King is full of grace and kindness [Ps45:2]). "The 
Lord will give grace and glory" (the Lord gives believers grace all along the 
way, culminating in glory at the end of life's road [Ps 84:11]).  The passage 
in Esther (2:17) is especially interesting because it uses grace (Heb. hen) 
and also the famous word hesed:  "She obtained grace(hen) and favor (hesed) . 
. ." This is the one text in the Greek translation of the OT, the Septuagint 
(LXX), that employs the well known NT word for grace, charis, to translate 
hesed.  This last word is usually translated lovingkindness" or "mercy" in 
the KJV/NKJV. A popular modern translation is "loyal love," tying the word in 
with God's covenant obligations. R. Laird Harris maintains that this word 
goes deeper than covenant obligations, and that the old KJV "lovingkindness" 
is "not far from the fulness of meaning of the word" (Theological Wordbook of 
the Old Testament, Vol. 1, p. 307).  Personally, I feel that the word 
charis--"grace" to us--would have been a good translation in many more 
passage in the Greek version of the OT than just Esther 2:17! For example:  
"Surely goodness and grace will pursue me [the Hebrew has a stronger word 
than just "follow"] all the days of my life, and I will return [lit. Heb.] to 
the house of the Lord forever" (Ps 23:6). Other related words widely used are 
gracious and graciously.  Many harsh and legalistic people quite frankly 
don't like grace! When God fully forgives sinners such as the Ninevites, they 
say with the sullen prophet Jonah, "I told you so!"  "I know that You are a 
gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness 
(hesed)" (Jonah 4:2; Jonah was griping, not praising!) We prefer the attitude 
expressed in the lovely Aaronic benediction of Num 6:24-26! With this we 
close our little word study as a blessing on all of our loyal readers (and on 
our opponents too!):  The Lord bless you and keep you; 
 The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, 
 And give you peace. ----------------------------
 **http://www.faithalone.org/news/y1991/91oct1.html   
 -----Original Message-----
 From: kwrandolph AT gmail.com
 To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
 Sent: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 5:53 PM
 Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Hebrew language and thought forms, was: "Desire of 
Women" in Heb. Text of Dan. 11:37
 
  Harold:

On 11/21/06, Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net> wrote:
> We weren't talking about the kind of grace that chen means.  And no,
> chesed does not refer to "grace" in the sense of absolving someone
> from responsibility, as there is not that concept, of being absolved
> from responsibility, in the Torah.
>
> Shoshanna

Shshanna is right.

I just did a search of my dictionary, and found that there is no word
that I listed as having the meaning of "grace".

The closest I can find is the concept of being justified, i.e.
accounted just. An example is Genesis 15:6 concerning Abraham, implied
also in Habakkuk 2:4.

Karl W. Randolph  
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