Who was Chesed in the Bible?

Chesed was a son of Nahor, who was the brother of Abraham, and his wife Milcah. He is mentioned only once in the Bible as part of the genealogy of Abraham's extended family (Genesis 22:22).

Why is Chesed mentioned in the Bible?

Chesed is listed to show the lineage of Abraham's brother Nahor, establishing the family connections from which Rebekah, Isaac's future wife, would later come. His mention highlights God's faithfulness in building the family line through which His promises would unfold.

Are there any stories about Chesed in the Bible?

No, there are no specific stories or key events recorded about Chesed's life. His sole appearance is in a genealogical list, and the Bible provides no further details about his actions or significance.

Chesed

Old TestamentPatriarchsMaleSon

Chesed was a son of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and Milcah. (Gen.22.22)

Chesed

Biography

Chesed was one of the twelve sons born to Nahor and his wife Milcah, making him a nephew of the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 22:20-22). He appears in the genealogical record disclosed to Abraham after the binding of Isaac, when a messenger brought news of his brother Nahor's growing household in Mesopotamia. The name Chesed is widely regarded as the eponymous ancestor of the Chaldeans (Kasdim in Hebrew), linking this figure to one of the most significant civilizations of the ancient Near East. Though Chesed receives no individual narrative in Scripture, his placement within the Nahorite genealogy situates him at the intersection of Abraham's family history and the broader Semitic world from which Israel would emerge.

Significance

Chesed's theological importance lies primarily in his role as the probable ancestor of the Chaldeans, the very people group from whose city, Ur of the Chaldees, God called Abraham (Genesis 11:31). This connection underscores the providential irony woven into salvation history: the nation from which God extracted His chosen servant was itself rooted in Abraham's own extended family. Chesed thus serves as a reminder that God's redemptive purposes reach across ethnic and national lines, and that the history of Israel cannot be cleanly separated from the wider story of humanity's families as traced in the Table of Nations.

Verse Appearances (1)

Genesis

Genesis 22:22

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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