H2589 H2589
to be gracious, show favor (infinitive form)
This infinitive of the common verb 'to be gracious' or 'show favor' appears in Psalm 77:9 in a rhetorical question about God's character. The psalmist asks, 'Has God forgotten to be gracious?' The infinitive form emphasizes the action or capacity of showing grace as an essential divine attribute. The question itself expects a negative answer—surely God hasn't permanently ceased being gracious, despite current appearances of abandonment.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The action of showing grace or favor, used infinitivally. Psalm 77:9's crisis of faith questions whether God has permanently set aside his gracious character. Spanish 'tener gracia' (to have grace) and the broader multilingual evidence show this is about God's fundamental disposition of favor toward his people. The psalm wrestles with how God's apparent absence squares with his covenantal commitment to be gracious. 1×
AR["أَنْ-يَتَحَنَّنَ"]·ben["অনুগ্রহ-করতে"]·DE["zu-sein-gracious"]·EN["to-be-gracious"]·FR["grâce"]·heb["חנות"]·HI["खन्नोत"]·ID["mengasihani"]·IT["[חנות]"]·jav["maringi-sih-rahmat"]·KO["은혜-베풀기-를"]·PT["de-ter-compaixao"]·RU["миловать"]·ES["tener-gracia"]·SW["kurehemu"]·TR["lütfetmeyi"]·urd["فضل-کرنا"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. חָנַן 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)— Qal Pf. חָנַן Gn 33:5; sf. חַנַּ֫נִי Gn 33:11;…