חֵן
chen
favor
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Chen (חֵן): Favor in Ancient Hebrew The Hebrew word *chen* denotes favor—a basic relational concept appearing 69 times throughout the biblical text. This frequency suggests the concept held considerable importance in Hebrew thought and communication. The term's consistency across such a large body of material indicates it functioned as a fundamental vocabulary item rather than a specialized or rare expression. The simplicity of the definition—"favor"—masks a word with potentially broad applicability. Given its appearance across 69 biblical occurrences, *chen* likely operated across multiple contexts: it could describe favor shown by one person to another, favor granted by those in authority, or even divine favor. This range of usage would make it a flexible term for expressing the idea of receiving positive regard, benefit, or grace in relationships spanning human, social, and potentially divine dimensions. The prevalence of this word in the biblical corpus underscores how central the concept of favor was to ancient Hebrew understanding of relationships and social dynamics. Whether describing everyday interpersonal dynamics or more significant transactions, the repeated use of *chen* reveals that favor—understood as the positive regard one party could extend to another—was a category fundamental to how biblical authors conceptualized human interaction and obligation.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
69 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked at her.
Esther 2:17The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Esther 5:2When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter.
Esther 5:8If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.”
Esther 7:3Then Esther the queen answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.
Esther 8:5She said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right to the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
Psalms 45:2You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.
Psalms 84:11For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
Proverbs 1:9for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.
Proverbs 3:4So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:22so they will be life to your soul, and grace for your neck.
Proverbs 3:34Surely he mocks the mockers, but he gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 4:9She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you.”
Proverbs 5:19A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.
Proverbs 11:16A gracious woman obtains honor, but violent men obtain riches.
Proverbs 13:15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
Proverbs 17:8A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.
Proverbs 22:1A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:11He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
Proverbs 31:30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
Ecclesiastes 9:11I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
Jeremiah 31:2Yahweh says, “The people who survive the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.”
Nahum 3:4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
Zechariah 4:7Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’ ”
Zechariah 4:7Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’ ”
Zechariah 12:10I will pour on David’s house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.
Proverbs 28:23One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.
Genesis 6:8But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.
Genesis 18:3and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.
Genesis 19:19See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can’t escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die.
Genesis 30:27Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”
Genesis 32:5I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’ ”
Genesis 33:8Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 33:10Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
Genesis 33:15Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 34:11Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.
Genesis 39:4Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and Potiphar made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Genesis 39:21But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Genesis 47:25They said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
Genesis 47:29The time came near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don’t bury me in Egypt,
Genesis 50:4When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s staff, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
Exodus 3:21I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
Exodus 11:3Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.
Exodus 12:36Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians.
Exodus 33:12Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
Exodus 33:13Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way, now, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight; and consider that this nation is your people.”
Exodus 33:13Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way, now, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight; and consider that this nation is your people.”
Exodus 33:16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
Exodus 33:17Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”