These two words add to the meaning of grace in the Old Testament. While chanah means to decline, bend down, or encamp/pitch a tent. Chanan appears 78 times in the Old Testament, and often appears as gracious, mercy, merciful, favor, and supplication. It is not motivated by merit or work but solely by the giver’s goodwill.Ĭhen shares meaning with two other Hebrew words: chanan and chanah.Ĭhanan means gracious, inclined towards, or favorable. Hence, chen can also mean a precious gift of favor that gives delight. It is sometimes describe something pleasant (Proverbs 5:19), precious (Proverbs 1:9), or delightful (Psalm 45:2). It appears 69 times in the Old Testament with its first appearance in Genesis 6:8, which says, “ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”Ĭhen also means beauty, charm, or loveliness. The Hebrew word for grace is chen, which means favor or grace. For further understanding of biblical grace, let’s look at the original Hebrew and Greek words. Though both definitions are correct, they don’t render justice to the rich meaning of the word as used in the Sacred Scriptures.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s first definition of grace is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.” And the classic Christian definition of grace is simply God’s unmerited favor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a special favor or privilege, a “disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency.” Grace may also refer to a short prayer before meals, courteous goodwill, moving with elegance or finesse, title (your grace), favor (e.g., staying in someone’s good grace), or even an honor (e.g., she graced me with her presence.)īut grace is most used to refer to God’s favor. The word grace comes from the Latin word gratia, as in sola gratia (grace alone).
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