בֶּן־חֶסֶד
Ben-Chesed, an Israelite
Definition
Ben-Chesed is a proper name meaning 'son of kindness' or 'son of Hesed.' In the Bible, he is identified as one of the twelve district governors appointed by King Solomon to supply provisions for the royal household, each for one month of the year (1 Kings 4:7). His specific district was the region of Arubboth, which included the towns of Socoh and all the land of Hepher (1 Kings 4:10). As a governor, his role was administrative and economic, overseeing the collection and delivery of resources from his assigned territory to support Solomon's extensive kingdom.
Biblical Usage
The name Ben-Chesed appears only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Kings 4:10. It is used in a purely administrative and historical context within the list of Solomon's twelve regional officers. There are no other occurrences or varied usages in different books.
Etymology
The name is a compound Hebrew word derived from בֵּן (ben, H1121), meaning 'son,' and חֵסֵד (chesed, H2617), meaning 'kindness,' 'loyal love,' 'steadfast love,' or 'mercy.' It is a theophoric or descriptive name, likely indicating a parent's hope that the child would embody or be under the protection of divine 'chesed.'
Semantic Range
While the individual Ben-Chesed himself is not a major theological figure, his name is linguistically significant because it incorporates the rich Hebrew concept of חֵסֵד (chesed). Chesed is a cornerstone of God's covenant character, describing His faithful, loyal, and merciful love toward His people (e.g., Exodus 34:6, Psalm 136). Thus, even a minor biblical name can remind readers of this profound attribute of God.
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried meaning and reflected parental hopes, character traits, or divine attributes. 'Ben-Chesed' fits this pattern. His role as a district governor under Solomon reflects the centralized administrative system of the united monarchy, where the kingdom was divided into regions for efficient taxation and resource management, a departure from the older tribal structures.
חֵסֶד (Chesed, H2617) — The root noun meaning 'kindness, lovingkindness, mercy,' which forms the second part of the name. בֵּן (Ben, H1121) — The common noun for 'son,' which forms the first part of the name.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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