Hesed, the Seed of the Biblical Story: New Life for Old Testament Theology

The Hebrew word hesed is often translated as love, faithfulness, loyalty, or steadfastness of God, but it means so much more. Could hesed be the seed from which the diverse biblical story grows and expands?

Traditionally, Old Testament theology has focused on key themes or a "center" around which to organize the Old Testament. These approaches may help unify the Old Testament, but they also ignore important material and simplify the Old Testament's complexity and diversity. As an alternative to a gravitational center that reduces, Jennifer M. Matheny's argument emphasizes possibilities as she posits that hesed is the relational seed from which the complex and diverse biblical story grows.

In her accessibly written analysis, Matheny engages theologically with the Torah, Prophets, and Writings to trace hesed's relational impact through the Old Testament. Through stories, poems, and songs of broken covenants, war, and exile, Matheny also shows how violence and injustice reign when humanity fails to be keepers and doers of Yhwh's hesed, while justice and hope prevail when humanity chooses courageous acts of hesed.

This fresh, introductory-level approach emphasizes the importance of story, complexity, and diversity--and how we do hesed to others and back to Yhwh.