חוּס (chus)
chus
to pity
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 13 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb chus describes a deep emotional response of pity or compassion that often leads to sparing someone from harm. It appears thirteen times in the Old Testament, carrying the sense of looking upon another with mercy rather than judgment. This word bridges the gap between feeling sympathy and taking protective action, suggesting that true compassion is not merely an internal sentiment but one that influences behavior.
In its most famous usage, chus captures the tension in Jonah 4:10-11 when God questions the prophet’s anger over a withered plant. God uses this term to explain His own willingness to spare Nineveh, highlighting a divine perspective that values human life and repentance above personal comfort or strict retribution. The word underscores that mercy is central to God’s character, even when it seems counterintuitive to human expectations of justice.
While less common than other terms for love or kindness, chus stands out for its connection to the act of sparing. It often appears in contexts where judgment could be expected, yet mercy prevails. This usage reminds readers that divine compassion is not abstract but concrete, intervening in history to preserve life when destruction would otherwise follow.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word chus describes a deep emotional pull toward mercy that moves us to action. It is not merely feeling sorry for someone from a distance; it is a compassionate response that often leads to sparing or protecting the vulnerable. When we encounter this term in Scripture, we see God’s heart leaning toward preservation rather than judgment, even when justice seems to demand otherwise.
In Jonah 4:10-11, this word highlights a profound contrast between human frustration and divine compassion. God uses chus to explain why He spared Nineveh despite its wickedness, valuing the lives of its people over Jonah’s personal comfort with a withered plant. This reminds us that true compassion bridges the gap between feeling sympathy and taking protective action, influencing how we treat others in our daily lives.
Understanding this word invites us to reflect on how mercy operates in our own hearts. It challenges us to look beyond strict retribution and consider the value of every person before us. By recognizing that divine compassion is concrete and interventionist, we are encouraged to extend similar grace to those around us, trusting that God’s perspective often prioritizes life and repentance above our own expectations.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 13 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it will look with pity5×
- you had compassion1×
- will I have compassion?1×
- it look with regret1×
- he will have mercy1×
- he will have compassion1×
- have compassion/ !1×
- and/ have mercy/ !1×
- I will have mercy1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תָח֖וֹס2×
- תָּחֹ֖ס1×
- תָחֹ֥ס1×
- תָח֥וּס1×
- תָח֥וֹס1×
- יָח֣וּס1×
- יָ֭חֹס1×
- חַ֙סְתָּ֙1×
- ח֧וּסָ/ה1×
- וְ/ח֥וּסָ/ה1×
- אָח֛וּס1×
- אָח֔וּס1×
Key Verses
-
Jonah 4:10
Yahweh said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night.
God contrasts His concern for the vine with His desire to spare Nineveh, using this term to highlight divine compassion over human frustration.
-
Jonah 4:11
Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?”
This verse explicitly questions whether God should not show pity toward the great city of Nineveh and its inhabitants, emphasizing the value of human life.
-
Psalms 72:13
He will have pity on the poor and needy. He will save the souls of the needy.
The psalmist declares that the righteous king will have pity on the poor and needy, linking this compassion to the salvation of vulnerable souls.
-
Deuteronomy 19:21
Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
This law requires judges to withhold pity from a false witness, ensuring that justice is served without emotional bias interfering with legal fairness.