חָדַשׁ (cha.dash)
cha.dash
to renew
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 9 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb chadash means to make something new again or to restore it to its former state. It appears nine times in the Old Testament, with a notable concentration in Second Chronicles and the poetic books like Psalms and Lamentations. The word carries a sense of active restoration rather than passive aging; it describes the deliberate act of renewing what has worn out or fallen into disrepair.
In its most common form, the Piel stem, chadash often refers to physical repairs, such as fixing the temple or city walls. However, it also applies to spiritual and communal renewal. For example, in Second Chronicles 29:3, King Hezekiah is recorded as repairing the house of the Lord after years of neglect. Similarly, Psalm 104:30 uses the word to describe God breathing life into creation, renewing the face of the ground.
The term implies a return to vitality and order. It is not about creating something entirely novel from scratch, but rather bringing back lost freshness or function. This distinction helps clarify why it appears in contexts of both physical restoration and spiritual revival, linking the care for material structures with the refreshing of the human spirit.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels worn out or stuck in a rut, this Hebrew word reminds us that restoration is an active process. It does not mean inventing something entirely new from scratch, but rather bringing back the vitality and order that once existed. Whether it involves repairing physical structures or refreshing our inner spirits, the focus is on deliberate care and intentional return to wholeness.
We see this pattern in Scripture where leaders like King Asa and King Joash worked hard to restore the temple, showing that renewal often requires effort and community. Yet it is not merely human labor; Psalm 104 connects this act of renewing the earth directly to God’s Spirit breathing life into creation. This suggests that our personal restoration is part of a larger, divine rhythm of life and breath.
For your daily walk, this means you do not have to wait for a fresh start from nowhere. Instead, you can participate in the ongoing work of restoration. By turning back to God, as Lamentations 5 encourages, we invite Him to renew our days. It is an invitation to find hope in the fact that what has faded can be made whole again through His faithful presence.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 9 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ renew2×
- you renew1×
- so/ we may renew1×
- renew1×
- it renews itself1×
- and/ you may renew1×
- and/ they will renew1×
- and/ he renewed1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/חַדֵּ֖שׁ2×
- תִּתְחַדֵּ֖שׁ1×
- תְּחַדֵּ֬שׁ1×
- חַדֵּ֥שׁ1×
- וּ֝/תְחַדֵּ֗שׁ1×
- וּ/נְחַדֵּ֥שׁ1×
- וַ/יְחַדֵּשׁ֙1×
- וְ/חִדְּשׁוּ֙1×
Key Verses
-
II Chronicles 15:8
When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed Yahweh’s altar that was before Yahweh’s porch.
This verse shows King Asa taking concrete action to restore worship, linking physical repair with spiritual courage.
-
Psalms 103:5
who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Here the word describes God satisfying our deepest needs so that our strength feels fresh and youthful again.
-
Lamentations 5:21
Turn us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.
This plea for renewal comes from a place of deep sorrow, asking God to restore the joy of former days.