The King James Version of the Bible has profoundly shaped the Latter-day Saint vocabulary, but its 17th-century translation choices sometimes obscure the rich nuances of ancient Hebrew. One of the most misunderstood words in our scriptural lexicon is ?esed, famously rendered in the KJV as “mercy” or “lovingkindness.” But does this translation capture the true weight of the word? A fascinating new interview over at the Latter-day Saint history blog, From the Desk, features legendary biblical translator and literary scholar Robert Alter, who unpacks the complex, relational meaning of ?esed. Alter explains why reading this term merely as “mercy” misses the mark and how understanding ?esed as a bilateral pact of steadfast loyalty can completely transform how we view our covenant relationship with God.
Beyond “Lovingkindness”
In the Latter-day Saint tradition, we often associate God’s mercy with His willingness to forgive our sins—a one-way extension of unmerited grace. Similarly, the KJV’s use of “lovingkindness” evokes a warm, emotional affection. However, Alter argues that these translations are somewhat “off the mark” because they strip the word of its structural and relational weight.
Alter suggests that the translation of “lovingkindness” was likely influenced by a retroactive, figural reading of the Old Testament that tried to map the New Testament concept of Jesus’s love onto ancient Israelite texts. Instead, Alter opts for terms like “pact,” “kindness,” or “steadfast loyalty” to ground the word in its original context.
A Bilateral Pact
The core insight from Alter’s translation work is that ?esed is not just an emotion; it is an action-oriented commitment within an established relationship. It is often paired directly with the Hebrew word brit (covenant).
While ?esed implies empathetic consideration and generosity of action, its pairing with brit emphasizes remaining steadfast—persistently loyal—within that established relationship.
This means ?esed is fundamentally bilateral. Alter notes that the term originally pertained to human relationships and was then extended by biblical authors to describe God’s relationship with Israel. He uses the Book of Ruth as a prime example: Ruth exhibits ?esed not just because she feels affection toward her mother-in-law, Naomi, but because she demonstrates a profound, steadfast loyalty by going far above and beyond the societal expectations placed on her.
When God extends ?esed to Israel, it is not arbitrary charity. As Alter explains, God’s pact remains firmly in place even when Israel is wayward—much like a spouse who may be gravely exasperated but continues to honor “the binding marital bond and the affection that led him to enter that bond in the first place.”
The Poetic Allegory of Psalm 85
Alter also points out a fascinating literary feature of biblical Hebrew involving ?esed: the use of a hendiadys. A hendiadys is a figure of speech where two separate words are used together to express a single concept (similar to saying “assault and battery” in modern English). In the Hebrew Bible, ?esed is frequently paired with words meaning “truth” or “faithfulness” to convey the single, compounded idea of “steadfast loyalty.”
However, biblical poets sometimes played with this structure for dramatic effect. Alter points to Psalm 85, where the psalmist breaks this paired phrase apart into a beautiful “allegorical dance”:
Kindness and truth have met, / justice and peace have kissed.
By understanding the linguistic roots, we see that the psalmist is asking God to remember His covenantal bond. In moments of exile or despair, the appeal to ?esed isn’t just a plea for pity; it is a profound expression of hope anchored in a divine promise.
For more of Robert Alter’s insights on the intricacies of biblical translation, how ?esed functions differently across the various genres of the Psalms, and why he chose to translate Psalm 23 as “Let but goodness and kindness pursue me,” head on over to the Latter-day Saint history blog, From the Desk, to read the full interview.
While you’re there, check out the new Joseph F. Smith Quotes page!
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