StrongerBible

ḥaphets

חָפֵץ

HebrewH2655delight, desire, ...

Appears 12 times · tap a cell to see the verses

1Ki 13:331Ki 21:61Ch 28:9Neh 1:11Psa 5:4(5)Psa 34:12(13)Psa 35:27 (2×)Psa 40:14(15)Psa 70:2(3)Mic 7:18Mal 3:1
Root family
Word studykha-FETSadjective

What ḥaphets means

drawn toward something with pleasure or desire: delighting in it, wanting it, or being willing to do it

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintySettled

This word describes a person by what their heart leans toward. It pictures someone who takes real pleasure in a thing, actively wants it, or is ready and willing to do it. The three shades run together, because to delight in something is already to want it, and to want it is to be willing to pursue it.

Most often it names delight in a person or a quality: the God who delights in the welfare of his servant, or the God who takes pleasure in loyal love (חֶסֶד) rather than in wickedness. It can also name plain desire, as of the one who "desires life" and wants to see good days. In a smaller group of verses it slides toward simple willingness: whoever was willing became a priest, and Ahab asks Naboth whether he is willing to sell.

Because the word sits on the border between feeling and choosing, the same form can be rendered "delighting," "desiring," or "willing" depending on what the person is drawn toward. It belongs to a small family built on the same root: the verb of delighting or desiring (חָפֵץ) and the noun for the delight, pleasure, or desired thing itself (חֵפֶץ).

Nuances

1adelighting in or desiring someone or something: finding pleasure in a person, a quality, or an outcome, or wanting it
Neh 1:11Psa 5:4(5)Psa 34:12(13)Psa 35:27 (2×)Psa 40:14(15)Psa 70:2(3)Mic 7:18Mal 3:1
1bwilling or ready to do something: pleased or inclined to act
TranslatabilityDirect
1Ki 13:331Ki 21:61Ch 28:9

What scholars say about ḥaphets

The verbal adjective חָפֵץ derives from the root חפץ, denoting the inclination of the will toward an object. Standard lexica (BDB; HALOT; DCH) gloss it "delighting in, desiring, willing," governing its object directly (Psalm 5:4; Micah 7:18) or with ל plus an infinitive for the volitional nuance (1 Kings 13:33; Nehemiah 1:11). TDOT and TWOT note the range spanning affective delight and volitional readiness, and distinguish it from רצה, which foregrounds favorable acceptance. The adjective is not to be confused with the separately listed root meaning "to bend down," which is confined to the verb.

Sources

  • BDB, s.v. חָפֵץlexicon
  • HALOT, s.v. חָפֵץlexicon
  • DCH, s.v. חָפֵץlexicon
  • TWOT, s.v. חָפֵץtheological-dictionary
  • TDOT, s.v. חָפֵץtheological-dictionary

All attested forms of חָפֵץ

m s absolute

חָפֵץ

1Ki 13:33, 1Ki 21:6, Psa 34:12, Psa 35:27

m p construct

חֲפֵצֵי

Psa 35:27, Psa 40:14, Psa 70:2

m p absolute

חֲפֵצִים

Neh 1:11, Mal 3:1

m s construct

חָפֵץ

Psa 5:4, Mic 7:18

f s absolute

חֲפֵצָה

1Ch 28:9