UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

MARACAS ROYAL ROAD, MARACAS, ST. JOSEPH.

Hebrew Word Study

Pleasure
Isaiah 58:13

An Assignment
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
BIBL427 Hebrew Exegesis

INSTRUCTOR: Pastor Frank McPherson

By

27 September 2017

Approval………………..
Introduction

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and

call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing

thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

(Isaiah 58:13 KJV)

The word ‘pleasure’ in this bible passage has been speculated on for centuries. For

many Sabbath keepers, this is key in understanding how Sabbath should be held; what

activities are seen as allowed and the measure to which they are allowed. This is especially

the case for Seventh-day Adventist Christians, who hold that this day should have no trace of

mundane activities of the week. Therefore, there should be no sorts of chores, buying or

selling, excessive travelling, and for some not even sexual intimacy between spouses. This

word study seeks to find a clear meaning of this word, and apply its meaning to the text,

bringing a clear understanding of its implication for Sabbath observers.

Word Study

The Hebrew word for ‘pleasure’ in Isaiah 58:13 is ‫ ֲחפ ֶ ָ֖צי‬. This word is found over 38

times in the Old Testament

Manuscript: ‫ֲחפ ֶ ָ֖צי‬

Root: ‫ֵחפֶץ‬

Parsing: Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Construct.

‫ ֵחפֶץ‬ḥēp̱eṣ: A masculine noun meaning delight, pleasure, desire, matter. The root
idea is to incline toward something. The word signifies delight in or (in an unrealized sense) a

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desire for earthly goods, such as Solomon’s desire for timber (110[22–24]); a delight in

fruitful land (Mal. 3:12); or the delight of hands in their labor (Prov. 31:13). The word also

refers to people’s delight in God’s Law (Ps. 1:2); His works (Ps. 111:2); God’s own delight in

His works (Isa. 46:10; 48:14); His lack of delight in foolish or disrespectful people (Eccl.

5:4[3]; Mal. 1:10). Three times the word is used to liken a person or nation to an undesirable

vessel (Jer. 22:28; 48:38; Hos. 8:8). In addition, the word is used in Ecclesiastes to refer to a

matter without respect to its delightfulness (Eccl. 3:1, 17).”1

‫ָחפֵץ‬ (ḥāpēṣ I), q. (1) like, be fond of; want; (2) have/take pleasure or delight in; (3)

be inclined; (4) be willing; have desire; ‫( ָחפֵץ‬ḥāpēṣ III), vb. adj. (1) having delight or pleasure

about s.t.; having longing or desire for s.t.; (2) willing; ‫( ֵחפֶץ‬ḥēpeṣ), nom. (1) happiness, joy,

delight, pleasure; (2) wish, desire, aspiration; (3) precious, priceless, valuable, “jewel”; (4)

affair, concern, business, matter.2

OT 1. Distribution. The vb. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬occurs 73× in the OT, with over half of these

occurring in Ps (18×), Isa (12×), and Esth (7×). The vb. adj. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬occurs 12× in the OT; half of

these are in the Psalms. The nom. ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬occurs 38× in the OT; over half are in the historical

books (Sam, Kgs, Chron; 9×), Isa (7×), and Eccl (6×). A possible antonym for ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬is ‫ח ַָרף‬,

reproach; (Jer 6:10). A possible synonym for ‫ ָחפֵץ‬is ‫ָאהַב‬, love, which is used in a parallel in Ps

109:17, where to not delight in blessing is equated with the love of cursing (cf. Isa 13:17).

2. Verb. The vb. occurs only in the q. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬denotes the direction of one’s heart or

passion. When used favorably, one’s heart is for the object; when used unfavorably, one’s

heart is against the object. For example, Yahweh delights in man (favorable, his heart is for a

man) (Ps 37:23), whereas in 2 Sam 15:26 Yahweh could potentially not delight in a man

1Warren Baker, The Complete Word Study Dictionary : Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN:
AMG Publishers, 2003), 365.
2Willem VanGemeren, vol. 2, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology &
Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 231.

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(unfavorable, his heart would be against a man). The basis of God’s delight or lack of it

revolves around human obedience (cf. Ps 37:22, 28, 34, 38).

The favorability or unfavourability frequently results in a subsequent action as in 2

Sam 15:26 or Isa 53:10. If the passion of God’s heart is for someone, then the subsequent

action is blessing (cf. Num 14:8; 2 Sam 22:20; Ps 18:19 [20]; 41:11 [12]), but if God’s heart

is against someone, then the subsequent action is punishment (cf. Mal 2:17–3:7). This

principle is reflected in the expression, “let him do to me as seems good to him” (2 Sam

15:26). The Lord rescues the one in whom he delights (Ps 18:19 [20]; cf. 2 Sam 22:20; Ps

22:8 [9]). However, Isa 53:10 uses the vb. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬paradoxically. The sufferings of this servant

are graphically described (53:1–9). Strangely, “It was the Lord’s will (‫ ָחפֵץ‬, lit., his desire) to

crush him” (v. 10). The paradox is that it is the Lord who crushes this innocent servant, the

one for whom he should have acted favorably (i.e., rescued). Even more striking is the play

on words within the verse. After the Lord crushes with pleasure (‫ ) ָחפֵץ‬this innocent one, the

pleasure (‫ ) ֵחפֶץ‬of the Lord prospers in his (the one who is crushed) hand. An act apparently

unjust becomes in the end a delight for the one treated unjustly.

(a) God is the subject of 35 ‫× ָחפֵץ‬. God sets his passion favorably toward humanity (Ps

37:23), toward lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness (Jer 9:24 [23]), righteous sacrifice

(Ps 51:19 [21]), loyalty (Hos 6:6), unchanging love (Mic 7:18), and truth in the inmost being

(Ps 51:6 [8]). God sets his passion unfavorably toward humanity (2 Sam 15:26), the strength

of the horse (Ps 147:10), death (Ezek 18:32), and (unrighteous) sacrifice (Ps 40:6 [7]; 51:16

[18]). The Lord is “interested” in righteous sacrifice, but is not interested in unrighteous

sacrifice (Dahood, 246; cf. Ps 40:6 [7]; Isa 1:11; Hos 6:6).

(b) Humans are the subject 35×. The objects of “setting one’s passion favorably” may

be women (Esth 2:14), fellow humans (1 Sam 19:2 [1]), gold (Isa 13:17), the Lord’s

commandments (Ps 112:1), honoring another (Esth 6:6–11), doing God’s will (Ps 40:8 [9]),

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and a dwelling place (Jer 42:22). In negative contexts, one “sets his passions favorably”

towards abominations (Isa 66:3), war (Ps 68:30 [31]), and arguing with God (Job 9:3; 13:3).

A man can set his passion unfavorably toward women (Deut 21:14; cf. Ruth 3:13) and earthly

treasures (Ps 73:25), and even toward God’s word (Jer 6:10), knowledge of God’s ways (Job

21:14), blessing (Ps 109:17), and understanding (Prov 18:2).

Isaiah provides three examples of ‫ ; ָחפֵץ‬these show the different ways the word can be

used. One can delight in, set his heart toward, a positive object, gold (Isa 13:17), or a negative

object, abominations (66:3). The word conveys a passionate emotion for an object (whether

positive or negative) that turns one’s heart favorably toward it. In 13:17, ‫ ָחפֵץ‬is paralleled

with ‫חָׁשַ ב‬, care for. Isaiah also uses the word to portray a person who desires to know the

ways of the Lord (58:2). He couples it with ‫ּדָ ַרׁש‬, seek. The idea is that the heart is pointed in a

direction with a passionate intensity (cf. Phil 3:19).

(c) The legal means of ‫( ָחפֵץ‬Ps 115:3; 135:6; Eccl 8:3; Jon 1:14; cf. Isa 46:10, ‫ ; ָחפֵץ‬cf.

Hurvitz). Each of these five references utilizes the phrase ‫ׂשה‬

ָ ‫ּכ ֹל אֲ ׁשֶר־ ָחפֵץ ָע‬, “he does whatever

pleases him,” or in a modified form that conveys the same basic idea. Hurvitz notes, “In all

five instances, the phrase refers either to God (Ps, Isa, Jonah) or to an earthly king (Eccl) and

denotes the unlimited power of the supreme authority which enables him ‘to do whatever he

pleases’” (257). In his article Hurvitz demonstrates by a comparative analysis with

extrabiblical data that “this is no empty literary cliché, but rather the adoption of a legal

formula whose Sitz im Leben is to be sought in the domain of jurisprudence” (258). Instances

occur where the same key words are used but do not convey the same basic idea (cf. 1 Kgs

9:1). As a result of God’s doing as he pleases, he is to be trusted (Ps 115:9, ‫ ָּבטַח‬, trust; not

idols, 135:18). For in the end God will bless (‫ּב ַָרְך‬,) the people who trust in him (115:12), and

his people will bless (brk) him (135:19).

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 (d) Love poetry. The use of ‫ ָחפֵץ‬occurs in the S of Songs (Song of Songs 2:7; 3:5; 8:4)

and Ps 37:23, where it is usually translated, as elsewhere, as “delight” (Pope, 387). Grossberg

argues that ‫ ָחפֵץ‬is an example of a homonymic Heb. root or it has two denotations, creating an

effective double entendre: “desires” (abstract and emotional meaning) and “extends stiffly”

(concrete and physical meaning) (59–60). His conclusions are not widely accepted.

3. Verbal adjective. The vb. adj. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬occurs most frequently in Ps. Its meaning is

basically the same as that of the vb. ‫ ָחפֵץ‬, but it is descriptive in nature. The word is mostly

used positively, although a negation may appear in the context. Thus, God does not take

pleasure in (is not favorably disposed toward) wickedness, i.e., his heart is not directed

toward wickedness (Ps 5:4 [5]). The term is also used of human beings (14×). The objects

vary, including life (34:12 [13]), God’s vindication (35:27), a messenger (Mal 3:1), revering

God’s name (Neh 1:11), one’s hurt (Ps 40:14 [15]; 70:2 [3]), and God’s works (111:2).

An eschatological element is introduced in Mal 3:1, where the desire is for a future

messenger, one still to come. Yet, this one comes to judge the wickedness of the land. Some

have attached a messianic significance to the text (cf. Hag 2:7; ‫ ָחמַד‬, desire, take pleasure in).

4. Noun. The nom. ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬also basically exhibits the same meaning as the root ‫ ָחפֵץ‬, but

adds a certain nuance especially in Eccl. The nuance has the meaning of “affair, concern,

business, or matter” (see initial definitions). In Eccl 5:4 [3], the word is used in the normal

manner, but in the same chapter, the sense of the word seems to be different and is translated

“things” (NIV, cf. NASB, sight in 5:8 [7]). However, the word retains some of the basic

meaning even though it is translated “do not be surprised at such things” (lit., desire), i.e., the

passionate emotions of the heart or passions in a given direction or inclinations. There is a

similar nuance in 3:1, 17, which suggests the translation of “activity” (NIV; cf. NASB, event)

in v. 1 and “matter” in v. 17. The KJV rendering of “purpose” (3:1, 17; 8:6) is supported by

Keil and Delitzsch, who note a movement in meaning from that of being inclined to or

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intention “to the general signification of design undertaking” (KD 255). In a similar context,

the word is translated “matter” (NIV; cf. NASB, delight; 8:6). In all three examples it is

important to understand that the context is the movement of the heart or passions in a

direction that came to be understood as an activity, a matter, or a thing.

There is also an ethical element to ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬. When his people are disobedient, he has no

delight (‫ ) ֵחפֶץ‬in them (Mal 1:10), even when they present him offerings. On the contrary, the

man is blessed who finds his delight (‫ ) ֵחפֶץ‬in God’s law (Ps 1:2). Isa 58 is rich with the

ethical significance ‫ ָחפֵץ‬, (v. 2; ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬, vv. 3, 13), concluding that delighting in obedience brings

joy (‫ ; ָענַג‬vv. 13–14). The one who desires life is the one who obeys (‫ ָחפֵץ‬, Ps 34:12–13).

P-B 1. In the LXX, ‫ ָחפֵץ‬is translated by θέλω or ἐθέλω (49×, esp. in the Ps) and βούλομαι,

24×). The former is used to stress the certainty of an act and the latter is used primarily in

negations (i.e., a deliberate wish that something not take place). εὐδοκέω is the translator’s

choice sometimes (5×); so is αἴρω / αἱρετίζω , depicting the nuance of choice; ἀγαπάω (#26,

2×), stressing the emotional element; θέλημα, 19×); and πρᾶγμα ( 4×, all in Eccl., TDOT

5:94–95).

2. In the Tgs. ‫ חפץ‬is used as (1) bend, (Pope, 387) be busy with, be anxious, desire,

and (2) hold in one’s hand. The Heb. nom. ‫ ֵחפֶץ‬is used as (1) thing, object, and (2) concern,

business; desire, desirable object. Aram. ‫ ֶח ְפצָא‬can refer to a sacred object held in the hand at

the delivery of an oath; and ‫ ַח ְפצָא‬can refer to a variety of peas 3

If thou shalt turn away thy foot from the sabbath. Some think that the Prophet alludes

to the external observation of the Sabbath, because it was not lawful to perform a journey on

that day. (Ex. 20:8.) Though I do not reject that opinion, yet I think that the meaning is far

more extensive; for by a figure of speech, in which a part is taken for the whole, he denotes

the whole course of human life; as it is very customary to employ the word “going” or

3Willem VanGemeren, vol. 2, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology &
Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 231-34.

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“walking” to denote our life. He says, therefore, “If thou cease to advance in thy course, if

thou shut up thy path, walk not according to thine own will,” &c. For this is to “turn away the

foot from the Sabbath,” when we lay ourselves under the necessity of wandering freely and

without restraint in our own sinful desires. As he formerly included under the class of fasting

all ceremonies and outward masks, in which they made their holiness to consist, and shewed

that they were vain and unprofitable; so in this passage he points out the true observation of

the Sabbath, that they may not think that it consists in external idleness but in true self-denial,

so as to abstain from every act of injustice and wickedness, and from all lusts and wicked

thoughts. First, by the word “foot” he denotes actions; because the Jews, though they did not

venture to perform a journey, or to cook flesh on a Sabbath-day, yet did not scruple to harass

their neighbours and to mock at the afflicted. Yet he immediately passes on to the will and to

speeches, so as to include every part of the obedience which we owe to God.

And shalt call the Sabbath a delight. This word, “delight,” must be viewed as

referring to God, and not to men; because nothing can be more pleasing or acceptable to God,

than the observation of the Sabbath, and sincere worship. He carefully inculcates this, that

men do wrong, if, laying aside the commandments of God, they esteem highly those things

which are of no value; and he warns them that they ought to form their judgment from his

will alone. Certain classes of duties are again enumerated by him, by which he shews clearly

that the true observation of the Sabbath consists in self-denial and thorough conversion. And

thus, he pronounces the foundation to be the will, from which proceed speeches, and next

actions; for we speak what we have conceived in our heart, and by speech we make known

our will, and afterwards carry it into effect. Whoever then wishes to serve God in a proper

manner, must altogether renounce his flesh and his will. And hence we see the reason why

God so highly recommends, in the whole Scripture, the observation of the Sabbath; for he

contemplated something higher than the outward ceremony, that is, indolence and repose, in

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which the Jews thought that the greatest holiness consisted. On the contrary, he commanded

the Jews to renounce the desires of the flesh, to give up their sinful inclinations, and to yield

obedience to him; as no man can meditate on the heavenly life, unless he be dead to the world

and to himself. Now, although that ceremony has been abolished, nevertheless the truth

remains; because Christ died and rose again, so that we have a continual sabbath; that is, we

are released from our works, that the Spirit of God may work mightily in us.

Then wilt thou delight in Jehovah. He appears to allude to the word delight in the

preceding verse; for the verb ‫תתענג‬, (tĭthgnănnēg,) which the Prophet employs, is derived

from the same root as ‫ענג‬, (gnōnĕg,) which he formerly used, when he said that the Lord takes

the highest delight in the true observation of the Sabbath. In a word, he means that the people

take no delight in God, because they provoke him, and do not obey his will; for if we framed

our life in obedience to God, we should be his delight, and, on the other hand, he would be

our delight. Thus, he affirms that it is owing entirely to the Jews themselves that they do not,

by relying on a reconciled God, lead a cheerful and joyful life. By these words he indirectly

reproaches them with bringing upon themselves, by their own fault, many calamities.

And I will cause thee to ride on the high places of the earth. By these words he

promises a return to their native country, and a safe habitation in it. We know that Judea was

situated on a lofty place above the neighboring countries; while the situation of Babylon was

much lower, so that the people trembled as if they had been shut up in a cave. He next tells

more plainly what he meant by the word ride; for he promises the possession of that country

which had been promised and given to the fathers,2 and which they at that time enjoyed, and

of which they were afterwards deprived for a time.

For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. He added this, that they might know,

beyond all controversy, that all these things were true; and this must be viewed as referring

not only to those promises, but likewise to the beginning of the chapter. For he rebuked

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hypocrites, who thought that they were defending themselves in a just cause, and shewed that

they were suffering the just punishment of their sins; and that it was in vain to contend with

God, and to bring forward in opposition to him their own works, which were altogether

empty and worthless. On that account he brings them back to the true observation of the

Sabbath, and shews that it will be well with them, if they shall worship God in a right

manner. At length he concludes that they have not to deal with a mortal man, but that he who

pronounces these things is God the Judge.4

Bibliography

Warren Baker, The Complete Word Study Dictionary : Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN:
AMG Publishers, 2003), 365.

Willem VanGemeren, vol. 2, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology &
Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998).

4John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2010), Is 58:13–14.

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John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2010), Is 58:13–14.

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