Grace is a very common
word in religious circles.
It's used often in the
King James Version of The Bible
(and many other
translations as well)
as the
"translation" of several different Hebrew and Greek terms.
However, upon careful
examination of those terms
one discovers some
very noteworthy things about "grace”.
Please review the
following information carefully, and prayerfully.
Ask YAHWEH to teach
you His Truth.
He'll reveal to you
what He wants you to
understand
if you permit Him to
do so.
The primary goal of
this study
is to help eliminate
confusion within The Scriptures.
The current state of
affairs
has left us with
innumerable “translations”
that are not really
"translations" at all.
Instead, they are
misleading presentations
of some of the
"traditions of men".
There's a special term
for this.
It's called eisegesis.
It means placing one's
own ideas into a text
to make it conform to
one's own world view or belief system.
Exegesis, on the other hand,
is seeking to discover
what the text actually says, and means.
In the following word
study these conventions will be used:
Bold = best translation
{ } = Writer's
insertions for purposes of clarity.
HEBREW TERMS:
Each of the following five terms
comes from the same root, #2603.
2580. NEj chen, khane; from 2603; graciousness,
i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty):
—favour,
grace(-ious), pleasant, precious, (well-)favoured.
[occurs 40 times]
2587. N…w…nAj channuwn, khan-noon´; from
2603; gracious:
{Best:
showing favor}
—gracious. [occurs 13 times]
2589. twø…nAj channowth, khan-noth´;
from
2603 (in the sense of prayer); supplication:
—be
gracious, intreated. [occurs 1 time]
2603. NÅnDj chanan, khaw-nan´; a
primitive root (compare 2583);
properly,
to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior;
to favor, bestow;
causatively to implore (i.e. move to
favor by petition):
—beseech,
x fair, (be, find, show) favour(-able),
be (deal, give, grant
(gracious(-ly), intreat,
(be) merciful, have (show) mercy (on, upon),
have pity
upon, pray, make supplication, x very. [occurs 14 times]
8467. h…ÎnIj;Vt tchinnah, tekh-in-naw´; from 2603;
graciousness;
causatively, entreaty: {Best: showing favor}
—favour, grace,
supplication. [occurs 1 time]
The following term, 2896, is understood in the light of 2895.
2896 occurs only once as “graciously”.
2895 is not “translated” using grace as a concept.
2896. bwøf towb, tobe; from 2895;
good (as an adjective)
in the widest sense;
used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the
feminine,
the singular and the plural
(good, a good or good thing, a good man
or woman; the good,
goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb
(well):
—beautiful, best, better, bountiful,
cheerful, at ease, x fair (word), (be in) favour,
fine, glad, good (deed,
-lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful,
kindly, kindness, liketh
(best), loving, merry, x most, pleasant,
+ pleaseth, pleasure, precious,
prosperity, ready, sweet,
wealth, welfare, (be) well ((-favoured)).
[occurs 1 time]
2895. bwøf towb, tobe; a primitive root, to be
(transitively, do or make) good (or well) in the widest sense:
—be (do) better, cheer, be (do,
seem) good, (make) goodly, x please, (be, do, go, play) well.
{These look to
be identical words.
How does one make a distinction between them?
Why, then,
are there two words,
one classed as a "primitive root" and the other
"used as a noun"?
It's simply the same word used as either a verb or
noun,
or even an adjective or adverb.
Also, towb represents that which is good, both in thought and in action.
It's been "translated" as "graciously" and
"favor", along with many other terms.
The number of times it's been
used as "grace" is not shown here.
As you look at the number of words
used
to "translate" this single Hebrew term
does it now make you
wonder - "WHY?"
Most of them are "nuances" of good.
But even "nuance" is
not a Hebrew term or concept.
To the Hebrew mind everything was always in
balance.
Good was balanced by not good, what we term bad.
And a nuance is only
a slight variation on the original concept.
So why not simply use good
and eliminate all the deception of
the nuances?
This is where much confusion enters into our so-called “translations”.
GREEK TERMS:
2143. eujpre÷peia euprepeia, yoo-prep´-i-ah; from a compound of 2095 and 4241;
good, suitableness, i.e. gracefulness: {Best: properly, good}
— grace. [occurs 1 time]
2095. eu\ eu, yoo; neuter of a
primary eu\ß eus (good);
(adverbially) well:
— good, well (done).
4241. pre÷pw prepo, prep´-o; apparently a primary verb;
to tower up
(be conspicuous), i.e. (by implication) to be suitable or proper
(third person singular present indicative,
often used impersonally, it is fit or right):
— become, comely.
{2095 & 4241 are included to show the meaning of 2143.}
5485. ca¿riß charis, khar´-ece; from 5463;
graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act
(abstract or
concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual;
especially the divine influence
upon the heart,
and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):
{Note:
This is a theological position that is not supported by the essence of the
terms.}
{Best: favorableness, i.e. the state
of being in favor}
— acceptable, benefit, favour, gift,
grace(- ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank(-s, -worthy). [occurs 131 times]
5463. cai÷rw chairo, khah´-ee-ro; a
primary verb;
to be “cheer”ful, i.e. calmly
happy or well-off;
impersonally, especially as salutation (on
meeting or parting), be well:
— farewell, be glad, God speed,
greeting, hall, joy(- fully), rejoice.
{5463 is given to show the source of the meaning of 5485.}
5543. crhsto/ß chrestos, khrase-tos´; from 5530; employed,
i.e. (by implication) useful (in manner or morals):
— better, easy, good(-ness),
gracious, kind. [occurs 1 time]
{Should not be used as "gracious" or
"kind”.}
5530. cra¿omai chraomai,
khrah´-om-ahee;
middle voice of a primary verb (perhaps rather from
5495, to handle);
to furnish what is needed; (give an oracle, “graze”
(touch slightly), light upon, etc.),
i.e. (by implication) to employ
or (by
extension) to act towards one in a given
manner:
—
entreat, use. Compare 5531; 5534.
{5530 is given to show the source of the meaning for 5543.}
As can be seen by reviewing
the above information
there is really only one primary term used for
"grace”
in Hebrew and in Greek.
The Hebrew term is chen and its related terms
- 2580,
2587, 2589, and 2603, and 8467 which occur a total of 69 times.
Chen means
to bend or stoop in kindness to an
inferior;
to favor, bestow;
causatively to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition).
The Greek term is charis - 5485, which occurs 131 times.
Charis means graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act.
Charis plainly carries the concept of showing favor.
It is the term used to translate chen into the Greek language.
ENGLISH DEFINITIONS:
GRACE:
1. beauty or charm of form, composition,
movement or expression
2. an attractive quality, feature,
manner, etc.
3. a sense of what is right and
proper; decency
4. a) disposition to grant something freely; favor;
good will
b) the condition of fact of being
favored
c) a favor or privilege
5. ; clemency
6. a period of time beyond the date set for the performance of an act or
payment of an obligation
7. favor shown by granting such a delay
8. a short prayer in which blessing is asked, or thanks given for a meal
9. a title of respect or reverence used in speaking to or of an
archbishop, duke, or
duchess
10. in music, one of more grace notes
11. in theology:
a) the unmerited love and
of God toward man
b) divine influence acting
in man to make him pure and morally strong
c) the condition of a person
thus influenced
Now, which "definition" of grace are you going to use?
And why is it that we have so many different “definitions” of one basic word?
Should there not be separate words for most of these things?
Indeed, are there not already separate words, or terms, for them that one should use instead of "grace”?
No wonder many people claim that English is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn.
FAVOR:
friendly or kind regard; approval; liking
1.2. a) kind
indulgence; permission; leave
b) too kind indulgence; unfair, partiality
3. help; assistance
a kind, obliging, friendly, or generous act
4. 5. consent (of a
woman) to sexual intimacy
6. a small gift,
souvenir, or token
7. a letter; note;
communication
8. attractiveness;
charm
verb transitive:
to regard with favor; consider kindly;
approve; like
1. 2. to be indulgent
or too indulgent toward; be partial to; prefer unfairly
3. to support; advocate; be forto make easier; help; assist
; endorse
4. 5. to do a kindness for
6. to look like;
resemble in facial features
7. to use gently
Scripturally, grace is favor shown to another.
This is particularly true within the Hebrew terms.
The Greek terms tend to confuse it
with some form of "kindness", or "being happy",
"well-off”.
These are related to being or doing what is "good”.
And each of these involve "showing
favor to another”.
For the sake of consistency and clarity of the text
what is presented as “grace” should properly be translated as “favor”.
For a thorough review of the verses where these terms occur in Scripture
please click on this link: Grace PDF File.
This will allow you to review how these passages would appear in the text
with the changes made to correct what we typically have been given.
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