WORSHIP NOTES
Volume 21, No. 3 (March 2026)
The Hebrew word hesed is used 248 times in the Old Testament; about half of those occurrences are in Psalms, and 26 times in Ps 136 alone (as part of a repeated refrain). Obviously a very important word, it is usually rendered (depending on the translation) as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness” or “mercy.” hesed combines the idea of love and loyalty. It speaks of God’s faithfulness to those who are in covenant with Him: His loyal love. And throughout the Old Testament we see God being faithful to His covenant people Israel, even though they time and time again turn away from Him.
EXAMPLES
A few of the many instances of this key Old Testament covenant word:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. (Exodus 34:6-7)
And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward You. And You have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.” (1 Kings 3:6)
Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us His steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (Ezra 9:9)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6)
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. (Psalm 32:10)
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. (Psalm 33:5)
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! . .
Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy . . .
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love . . .
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; . .
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to children’s children. (Psalm 103:1, 4, 8, 11, 17)The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 145:8)
But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24)
As can be seen in these references, God’s hesed is basic to who He is. He is “abounding in steadfast love” to those in covenant relationship with Him—including, of course, us!
A Repeated Refrain
Psalm 136 was obviously written to be used in the public worship of Israel. A priest would exclaim the first half of every verse, and the people would respond in each instance with a repeated refrain:
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever. [etc.]
To a people who did not have their own copy of the Psalm, this would be a powerful teaching tool, as well as to their children: the clear proclamation and reminder (over and over, for twenty-six verses) of the Lord’s everlasting, loyal love to them as His covenant people.
David’s Enduring Confidence
David, when he was running for his life in the wilderness of Judah after his son Absalom had rebelled against him, composed a profound statement of trust in God in Psalm 63. (In fact, one writer has pointed out that, in spite of David’s desperate situation, there is no request in the entire psalm; there is only praise!) And he proclaims:
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:3)
David was running for his life, but still he could rejoice in God’s hesed, because he held it to be better than life itself.
A Pivotal Theme
And so, we see what a crucial truth in the Old Testament is this concept of God’s hesed. God reveals His hesed, and it is a powerful motivation for the response of praise.