חָנַן
to be gracious
also: show favour, pity fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘of man’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself). Here: ‘of man’
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
Form
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 30 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular 22 times (28%)
- Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 7 times (9%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 7 times (9%)
- Verb, Hithpael, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 4 times (5%)
- Verb, Hithpael, Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 4 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 3 times (4%)
- Verb, Hithpael, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 2 times (3%)
- Verb, Hophal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 2 times (3%)
+22 more forms (28 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 79 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H2603 appears — 73 distinct verses across 19 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis 4 verses
- Genesis 33:5 חָנַ֥ן Qal pf 3ms He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with you?" He said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."
- Genesis 33:11 חַנַּ֥/נִי Qal pf 3ms + sfx pers 1cs Please take the gift that I brought to you; because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." He urged him, and he took it.
- Genesis 42:21 בְּ/הִתְחַֽנְנ֥/וֹ prep + Hithpael inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms They said one to another, "We are most assuredly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress has come on us."
- Genesis 43:29 יָחְנְ/ךָ֖ Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 2ms He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" He said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
Exodus 1 verse
Numbers 1 verse
Deuteronomy 3 verses
- Deuteronomy 3:23 וָ/אֶתְחַנַּ֖ן conj + Hithpael wimpf 1cs I begged Yahweh at that time, saying,
- Deuteronomy 7:2 תְחָנֵּֽ/ם Qal impf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp and when Yahweh your God shall deliver them up before you, and you shall strike them; then you shall utterly destroy them: you shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them;
- Deuteronomy 28:50 יָחֹֽן Qal impf 3ms a nation of fierce facial expressions, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,
Judges 1 verse
2 Samuel 1 verse
1 Kings 4 verses
- 1 Kings 8:33 וְ/הִֽתְחַנְּנ֛וּ conj + Hithpael wpf 3cp When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you; if they turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray and make supplication to you in this house:
- 1 Kings 8:47 וְ/הִֽתְחַנְּנ֣וּ conj + Hithpael wpf 3cp yet if they shall repent themselves in the land where they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of those who carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly;
- 1 Kings 8:59 הִתְחַנַּ֨נְתִּי֙ Hithpael pf 1cs Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require;
- 1 Kings 9:3 הִתְחַנַּ֣נְתָּה Hithpael pf 2ms Yahweh said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me: I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
2 Kings 2 verses
- 2 Kings 1:13 וַ/יִּתְחַנֵּ֤ן conj + Hithpael wimpf 3ms Again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. The third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your sight.
- 2 Kings 13:23 וַ/יָּחָן֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But Yahweh was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and had respect to them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.
2 Chronicles 2 verses
- 2 Chronicles 6:24 וְ/הִֽתְחַנְּנ֛וּ conj + Hithpael wpf 3cp If your people Israel be struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you, and shall turn again and confess your name, and pray and make supplication before you in this house;
- 2 Chronicles 6:37 וְ/הִֽתְחַנְּנ֣וּ conj + Hithpael wpf 3cp yet if they shall repent themselves in the land where they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have dealt wickedly;
Esther 2 verses
- Esther 4:8 לְ/הִֽתְחַנֶּן prep + Hithpael inf.cs Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.
- Esther 8:3 וַ/תִּתְחַנֶּן conj + Hithpael wimpf 3fs Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Job 6 verses
- Job 8:5 תִּתְחַנָּֽן Hithpael impf 2ms If you want to seek God diligently, Make your supplication to the Almighty.
- Job 9:15 אֶתְחַנָּֽן Hithpael impf 1cs Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer. I would make supplication to my judge.
- Job 19:16 אֶתְחַנֶּן Hithpael impf 1cs I call to my servant, and he gives me no answer; I beg him with my mouth.
- Job 19:17 וְ֝/חַנֹּתִ֗י conj + Qal pf 1cs My breath is offensive to my wife. I am loathsome to the children of my own mother.
- Job 19:21 חָנֻּ֬/נִי חָנֻּ֣/נִי Qal impv 2mp + sfx pers 1cs Qal impv 2mp + sfx pers 1cs "Have pity on me, have pity on me, you my friends; For the hand of God has touched me.
- Job 33:24 וַ/יְחֻנֶּ֗/נּוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms Then God is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.'
Psalms 30 verses
- Psalms 4:1 חָ֝נֵּ֗/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
- Psalms 6:2 חָנֵּ֥/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
- Psalms 9:13 חָֽנְנֵ֬/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Have mercy on me, Yahweh. See my affliction by those who hate me, And lift me up from the gates of death;
- Psalms 25:16 וְ/חָנֵּ֑/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Turn to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted.
- Psalms 26:11 וְ/חָנֵּֽ/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me, and be merciful to me.
- Psalms 27:7 וְ/חָנֵּ֥/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also on me, and answer me.
- Psalms 30:8 אֶתְחַנָּֽן Hithpael impf 1cs I cried to you, Yahweh. To Yahweh I made supplication:
- Psalms 30:10 וְ/חָנֵּ֑/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me. Yahweh, be my helper."
- Psalms 31:9 חָנֵּ֥/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.
- Psalms 37:21 חוֹנֵ֥ן Qal ptcp.act ms The wicked borrow, and don't pay back, But the righteous give generously.
- Psalms 37:26 חוֹנֵ֣ן Qal ptcp.act ms All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His seed is blessed.
- Psalms 41:4 חָנֵּ֑/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs I said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you."
- Psalms 41:10 חָנֵּ֥/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up, That I may repay them.
- Psalms 51:1 חָנֵּ֣/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
- Psalms 56:1 חָנֵּ֣/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
- Psalms 57:1 חָנֵּ֤/נִי חָנֵּ֗/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, For my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, Until disaster has passed.
- Psalms 59:5 תָּחֹ֨ן Qal juss 2ms You, Yahweh God of hosts, the God of Israel, Rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
- Psalms 67:1 יְחָנֵּ֥/נוּ Piel impf 3ms + sfx pers 1cp May God be merciful to us, bless us, And cause his face to shine on us. Selah.
- Psalms 86:3 חָנֵּ֥/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Be merciful to me, Lord, For I call to you all day long.
- Psalms 86:16 וְ/חָ֫נֵּ֥/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give your strength to your servant. Save the son of your handmaid.
- Psalms 102:13 לְ֝/חֶֽנְנָ֗/הּ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For it is time to have pity on her. Yes, the set time has come.
- Psalms 102:14 יְחֹנֵֽנוּ Poel impf 3mp For your servants take pleasure in her stones, And have pity on her dust.
- Psalms 109:12 ח֝וֹנֵ֗ן Qal ptcp.act ms Let there be none to extend kindness to him, Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
- Psalms 112:5 חוֹנֵ֣ן Qal ptcp.act ms It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment.
- Psalms 119:29 חָנֵּֽ/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Keep me from the way of deceit. Grant me your law graciously!
- Psalms 119:58 חָ֝נֵּ֗/נִי Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs I sought your favor with my whole heart. Be merciful to me according to your word.
- Psalms 119:132 וְ/חָנֵּ֑/נִי conj + Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cs Turn to me, and have mercy on me, As you always do to those who love your name.
- Psalms 123:2 שֶׁ/יְּחָנֵּֽ/נוּ ptcl rel + Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 1cp Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; So our eyes look to Yahweh, our God, Until he has mercy on us.
- Psalms 123:3 חָנֵּ֣/נוּ חָנֵּ֑/נוּ Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cp Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cp Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us, For we have endured much contempt.
- Psalms 142:1 אֶתְחַנָּֽן Hithpael impf 1cs I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.
Proverbs 6 verses
- Proverbs 14:21 וּ/מְחוֹנֵ֖ן conj + Poel ptcp.act ms He who despises his neighbor sins, But blessed is he who has pity on the poor.
- Proverbs 14:31 חֹנֵ֥ן Qal ptcp.act ms He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, But he who is kind to the needy honors him.
- Proverbs 19:17 ח֣וֹנֵֽן Qal ptcp.act ms He who has pity on the poor lends to Yahweh; He will reward him.
- Proverbs 21:10 יֻחַ֖ן Hophal impf 3ms The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
- Proverbs 26:25 יְחַנֵּ֣ן Piel impf 3ms When his speech is charming, don't believe him; For there are seven abominations in his heart:
- Proverbs 28:8 לְ/חוֹנֵ֖ן prep + Qal ptcp.act ms He who increases his wealth by excessive interest Gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.
Isaiah 5 verses
- Isaiah 26:10 יֻחַ֤ן Hophal impf 3ms Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not see the majesty of Yahweh.
- Isaiah 27:11 יְחֻנֶּֽ/נּוּ Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms When the boughs of it are withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favor.
- Isaiah 30:18 לַֽ/חֲנַנְ/כֶ֔ם prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2mp Therefore will Yahweh wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
- Isaiah 30:19 חָנ֤וֹן יָחְנְ/ךָ֙ Qal inf.abs Qal impf 3ms + sfx pers 2ms For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more; he will surely be gracious to you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear, he will answer you.
- Isaiah 33:2 חָנֵּ֖/נוּ Qal impv 2ms + sfx pers 1cp Yahweh, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Jeremiah 1 verse
Lamentations 1 verse
Hosea 1 verse
Amos 1 verse
Malachi 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
חנן — transliterated chânan — is a Hebrew verb carrying the sense “to be gracious.” Where the King James Version says “have mercy,” newer translations reach for “be merciful to me” (Berean Standard Bible) and “be gracious to me” (unfoldingWord Literal Text); the renderings breakdown has the detail. The Hebrew Bible uses it across 73 verses — moderately common. More than a third of its appearances fall in Psalms. The verb spans 5 stems, from Qal to Niphal. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H2603 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 73
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 73 distinct verses.
- 19 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 19 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #506
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 506 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 73 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 73 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 47 verses · 64%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 17 verses · 23%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 9 verses · 12%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Have mercy 10×, Be merciful 9×, Make supplication 4×
- American Standard Version†: Have mercy 9×, Be merciful 4×, Be gracious 3×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Be merciful to me 6×, Mercy 5×, Have mercy 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Be gracious to me 10×, To 4×, Be gracious 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H2603 across 77† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 44 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H2603 across 76† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 36 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H2603 across 76† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 41 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H2603 across 98† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 53 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
14 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hophal (the passive of Hiphil) and Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 14 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
חנן I show favour, be gracious (NH id., Aramaic חֲנַן, ܚܰܢ
Qal
- Pf. חָנַן Gn 33:5; sf. חַנַּ֫נִי Gn 33:11; יְ֯חַנַּנִי 2 S 12:22; חַנֹּתִי Ex 33:19; חָנָ֑נוּ La 4:16; Impf. יֶחֱנַן Am 5:15; יָחֹן Dt 28:50; וַיָּ֫חָן 2 K 13:23; sf. יָחְנְךָ Gn 43:29 Is 30:19; וִיחֻנֶּךָּ Nu 6:25; יְחֻנֶּנּוּ Is 27:11 Jb 33:24; יְחָנֵּנוּ ψ 67:2; 123:2 Mal 1:9; תָּחֹן ψ 59:6; sf. תְּחָנֵּם Dt 7:2; אָחֹן Ex 33:19; Imv. sf. חָנֵּנִי ψ 4:2 + 17 times ψψ; חָנְנֵנִי ψ 9:14 (Baer pts. חַנְנֵנִי); חָנֵּנוּ Is 33:2 ψ 123:3(×2); חָנּוּנוּ Ju 21:22; חָנֻּנִי Jb 19:21(×2); Inf. abs. חָנוֹן Is 30:19; cstr. חַנּוֹת ψ 77:10; חֶנְנָהּ ψ 102:14; חֲנַנְכֶם Is 30:18; Pt. חֹנֵן Pr 14:31; חוֹנֵן ψ 37:21 + 5 times ψψ Pr.—favour, shew favour; e.g. Genesis 33:5
- 1. of man:
- a. Ju 21:22 favour us with them (2 acc.; i.e. by giving them to us). e.g. Judges 21:22
- b. in dealing with the poor, needy, and orphans, abs. ψ 37:21, 26 = 112:5; c. acc. Pr 14:31; 19:17; 28:8; c. לְ ψ 109:12. e.g. Psalms 37:21
- c. by considering and sparing, c. acc. Dt 7:2; 28:50; La 4:16; Jb 19:21(×2). e.g. Deuteronomy 7:2
- 2. of God,
- a. in the bestowal of favours, with acc. Gn 33:11 (E), 43:29 (J), Nu 6:25 (P), 2 S 12:22; double acc. Gn 33:5 (E), תּוֹרָֽתְךָ חָנֵּנִי be gracious unto me (in giving) thy law ψ 119:29. e.g. Genesis 33:11
- b. usually in the bestowal of redemption from enemies, evils, and sins; abs. ψ 77:10, elsewhere c. acc. Ex 33:19(×2) (JE), Am 5:15; 2 K 13:23; Is 27:11; 30:18, 19(×2); 33:2; Mal 1:9 ψ 4:2; 6:3; 9:14; 25:16; 26:11; 27:7; 30:11; 31:10; 41:5, 11; 51:3; 56:2; 57:2(×2); 59:6; 67:2; 86:3, 16; 102:14; 119:58, 132; 123:2, 3(×2) Jb 33:24.—Jb 19:17 v. II. חנן. e.g. Psalms 77:10
Niphal
- Pf. 2 fs. נֵחַנְתְּ Je 22:23 be pitied (cf. נֵאַר √ ארר) but 𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 express groan (i.e. נֶאֱנַחְתְּ), which is favoured by context, and adopted by Hi Ew Gf Gie al. e.g. Jeremiah 22:23
Piel
- Impf. 3 ms. make gracious, favourable כִּי־יְחַנֵּן קוֹלוֹ Pr 26:25. Poʿel Impf. 3 ms. direct favour to (Ges§ 55, 1) וְאֶת־עֲפָרָהּ יְחֹנֵנוּ ψ 102:15; Pt. מְחוֹנֵן עֲנָיִ֯ם Pr 14:21. e.g. Proverbs 26:25
Hophal
- Impf. יֻחַן be shewn favour, consideration Is 26:10; Pr 21:10. e.g. Isaiah 26:10
Hithpael
- Pf. 2 ms. הִתְחַנַּנְתָּה 1 K 9:3 + 5 times Pf.; Impf. וַיִּתְחַנֵּן 2 K 1:13; וַתִּתְחַנֶּן־ Est 8:3; אֶתְחַנָּ֑ן ψ 30:9 + etc. + 6 times Impf.; Inf. לְהִתְחַנֶּן־ Est 4:8; בְּהִתְחַנְנוֹ Gn 42:21—seek or implore favour: e.g. 1 Kings 9:3
- 1. of man, with אֶל Gn 42:21 (E) 2 K 1:13; with לְ Jb 19:16; Est 4:8; 8:3. e.g. Genesis 42:21
- 2. of God, with אֶל־ Dt 3:23 1 K 8:33, 47 = 2 Ch 6:37, Jb 8:5 ψ 30:9; 142:2; with לְ Ho 12:5; Jb 9:15; with לפני 1 K 8:59; 9:3; 2 Ch 6:24. e.g. Deuteronomy 3:23
חנן II be loathsome (cf. Arabic خَنَّ x. foetorem emisit (puteus)
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. show favour, be gracious (NH id., Aramaic חֲנַן, ܚܰܢ; Arabic حَنَّ yearn towards, long for, be merciful, compassionate, favourable, inclined towards; Sab. חן in n.pr. חן מסבררהם DHMEpigr. Denkm. 40; Ph. חנן in חן favour, and n.pr. as אלחנן, חננבעל; Assyrian in deriv. annu, grace, favour, unninu, têninu nannu, id., LotzTP ZimBP 23, 66)—
II. be loathsome (cf. Arabic خَنَّ x. foetorem emisit (puteus); Syriac ܚܰܢܻܝܢܳܐ rancid);—Qal pf. וְחַנֹּתִ֫י לִבְנֵי בִטְנִי Jb 19:17 and I am loathsome to the sons of my womb (‖ זָרָה v. ii. זור), so RVm Ew De Di al. (On the tone v. De.)
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from חנה (chânâh) (H2583) — to encamp.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
חנן
- , Y. Peah I, 16ᵇ מה ח׳ קיימין, read, as Y. Snh. X, beg. 27ᶜ, מה נן. [חנן Syr., rare form, v. P. Sm. 250 s. v. אנא.]
חָנַן
- [to cover, surround,] to caress, grace, favor. Sabb. 104ᵃ (in children’s acrostics) זֹן אותך וחָ֗ן אותך sustains and graces thee. Num. R. s. 11 (ref. to Num. VI, 25) יָחוֹן איתך בבנים may He favor thee with (good) children. Ib. (quot. from daily prayers) אתה חוֹנֵן לאדם דעת thou graciously endowest man with knowledge. Ib. עתיד הקב"ה לָחוֹן עליהם the Lord will in due time protect them. Sifré Num. 41 יָחְנְךָ בתלמוד תורה may He grace thee by enabling thee to study the Law. Pesik. Asser, p. 97ᵃ (ref. to מהונך, Prov. III, 9) ממה שחֲנָנְךָ out of what He has endowed thee with; a. fr.—[Midr. Till. to Ps. LXXVIII חָן, v. חָנָה.]—Part. pass. חָניּן, pl. חֲנוּנִים e.g. Numbers 6:25
- 1. graced, endowed. Num. R. l. c. חֲנוּנֵי (ב)דעת endowed with knowledge. Pes. 87ᵃ בני חֲנוּנֶיךָ children of thy favored ones, Abraham &c. (Ms., v. בָּחַן).
- 2. bandaged. Pl. fem. חֲנוּנוֹת. Sabb. V, 4, v. חָנוּן I, 2.
- to be shown favor. Deut. R. s. 7 (ref. to Is. XXVI, 10) אבל אם למד … אינו נ׳ but if he has learned …, he will be shown no favor (will not be forgiven). e.g. Isaiah 26:10
- to bend one’s self, to supplicate (v. תְּחִנָּה). Deut. R. s. 2, beg. מִתְחַנֵּן, v. חָבַט. Ib. התחיל להִתְחַנֵּן (התחיל מתחנן) he began to pray; a. fr.
- = חָנָה) to come to rest, to be collected. Ber. 30ᵇ (adopting the expression in conformity with ואתחנן, Deut. III, 23) until his mind be collected again (for prayer), v. חוּל. e.g. Deuteronomy 3:23
חֲנַן
- ch., pret. חַן same. Targ. O. Gen. XXXIII, 5.—Targ. O. Ex. XXXIII, 19 אֵיחוֹן. Targ. Jud. XXI, 22 חֲנוּנוּן להון ed. Lag. (oth. ed. חנינינון) be gracious to them.—Pes. 110ᵇ (in an incantation) אדחֲנַנִי וחֲנַנְכִי וכ׳ while He graced me and yourselves, I had not come to that (v. Ar. s. v. הר 8, a. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note for var. lect.).
חָנָן
- (b. h.) pr. n. m. Hanan, name of several Tannaim and of several Amoraim, esp. H., one of the Justices of Peace in Jerusalem, v. אַדְמוֹן. Keth. XIII, 1. Y. ib. 35ᶜ a. fr.—Ḥ. the Egyptian: Snh. 17ᵇ; a. e.—H. (interch. with הנין). M. Kat. 25ᵇ אסיקו ליה ח׳ וכ׳ (Ms. M. חנין) they gave him the name of H. from his father (Hanin).—Y. Yeb. XI, 12ᵃ top (ed. Krot. חָנוּן). Y. Sot. VII, 21ᵈ bot. חנינן.—Y. Ber. IV, beg. 7ᵃ (ח׳ בר ווא) ח׳ בר אבא; Y. Pes. IV, 31ᵃ חנין; a. oth.—V. Frank. M’bo p. 86ᵃ
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 67 distinct written forms H2603 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 7 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H2603, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- חנות chânûwth H2588 cell
- חנית chănîyth H2595 spear
- מחנה machăneh H4264 camp
- תחנה tachănâh H8466 encampment
Derived from this word
- חן chên H2580 grace
- חנה chânâh H2583 to encamp
- חנון channûwn H2587 gracious
- חנות channôwth H2589 to be gracious
- חנינה chănîynâh H2594 compassion
- חנן chănan H2604 to show favour
- תחנה tᵉchinnâh H8467 supplication
- תחנון tachănûwn H8469 supplication
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- תחן Tachan H8465 Tahan
- חנה Channâh H2584 Hannah
- חנון Chânûwn H2586 Hanun
- חניאל Channîyʼêl H2592 Hanniel
- חנן Chânân H2605 Hanan
- חננאל Chănanʼêl H2606 Hananeel
- חנני Chănânîy H2607 Hanani
- חנניה Chănanyâh H2608 Hananiah
- חנתן Channâthôn H2615 Hannathon
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 22 — not the complete family. 9 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 66 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 73 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 33:5
- Exodus 33:19
- Numbers 6:25
- Deuteronomy 3:23
- Judges 21:22
- 2 Samuel 12:22
- 1 Kings 8:33
- 2 Kings 1:13
- 2 Chronicles 6:24
- Esther 4:8
- Job 8:5
- Psalms 4:1
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
