You have probably heard ‘grace’ defined as unmerited favor. However, for example in Proverbs 17:8, the same word – hen, is translated as precious, something of beauty and value: “A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it…” (KJV, Proverbs 17:8). “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.” Its derivative, hanan (חנן), is often translated as “to be gracious” or “have mercy “. The Hebrew word used here to define grace is indeed hen. The first use of the word ‘grace’ in the Bible is found in Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” So, how do we make sense out of that? Hebrew Meaning of Grace At the same time, if we look for ‘grace’ in an English Bible, we will quickly discover that the Hebrew original does not always use hen in defining grace.

However, sometimes it is translated into a different English word, like ‘precious’ or ‘valuable’. The most common Hebrew word for “grace” is חן (hen).

What does it mean to have grace