What Does Grace Mean in the Original Greek and Hebrew

What Does Grace Mean in the Original Greek and Hebrew

The word 'grace' appears hundreds of times in your Bible. But what did it actually mean to the people who first heard it? That question is exactly what a Bible Dictionary is built to answer. Not a list of verses. Not a commentary. A dictionary that opens the original word and shows you what it meant in its own language, in its own time.

Most readers skip this step. They read 'grace' and assume it means something like 'kindness' or 'God's love.' Those aren't wrong, but they're thin. The Hebrew and Greek words behind 'grace' carry a specific picture: one person stooping toward another with no obligation to do so. That picture changes how you read almost every passage where the word shows up.

This guide will show you what those original words mean, which dictionary fits how you study, and where to access the best free tools right now without a subscription or a seminary degree.

On this pageThe Two Words Behind 'Grace' in the BibleWhat a Bible Dictionary Actually Does (and Why It's Not a Concordance)How 'Chen' Works in the Old Testament: Favor You Didn't EarnHow 'Charis' Works in the New Testament: Gift That Costs the GiverWhich Bible Dictionary Fits Your Study StyleWhere to Find a Free Bible Dictionary Online Right NowHow to Do a Grace Word Study in Under 10 Minutes

The Two Words Behind 'Grace' in the Bible

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word most often translated 'grace' is chen (pronounced khen). It means favor, goodwill, or a disposition of kindness toward someone who hasn't earned it. In the New Testament, the Greek word is charis (pronounced kah-ris). It carries the sense of a gift freely given, delight, and beauty. The English word 'charisma' comes directly from it.

These two words are not identical. Chen leans on relationship and position: a lesser person stands before a greater one and finds favor. Charis leans on the nature of the gift itself: it costs the giver, not the receiver. Same English translation. Two distinct pictures.

The meaning of grace in Greek and Hebrew Bible texts is not abstract theology. It is a concrete image of one person choosing to act on behalf of another with nothing compelling them to do so. A good Bible dictionary traces that image from its roots so you don't have to know Hebrew or Greek to see it.

Start by looking up 'grace' in a Bible dictionary before you read any passage that uses the word. That single step reframes everything.

What a Bible Dictionary Actually Does (and Why It's Not a Concordance)

A Bible dictionary defines terms, names, places, and concepts as they were understood in their original cultural and historical setting. A concordance lists every verse where a word appears. They do different jobs, and mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes in personal Bible study.

If you want to know what 'grace' meant to a first-century Jewish reader, you open a dictionary. If you want every verse that uses the word 'grace,' you open a concordance. Use both together for real word study. One without the other gives you either a definition with no Scripture to anchor it, or a list of verses with no understanding of what the word actually meant.

The two most widely used free classics are Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) and Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863). Easton's tends to be more theological: it explains what a term means doctrinally and traces it through Scripture. Smith's is stronger on historical and geographical detail, covering people, places, and customs with more precision. They complement each other.

Selah combines an 8,000-plus term Bible dictionary built from both Easton's and Smith's, so you get both angles in one search without toggling between tabs. Search a term once and you see the theological definition alongside the historical background. That's the practical move: one search, both lenses.

How 'Chen' Works in the Old Testament: Favor You Didn't Earn

Chen appears about 70 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. The most common phrase is 'found grace in the eyes of.' Noah, Moses, and Ruth all 'find chen' before God or a human authority. The structure is always the same: a lesser person stands before a greater one, and the greater one chooses to act kindly. The lesser person brings nothing that obligates the response.

This is why the Old Testament word for grace sits so close to hesed, often translated 'lovingkindness' or 'steadfast love.' They overlap but aren't the same. Hesed is covenant loyalty, the faithfulness of a party who has made a formal agreement. Chen is unearned favor outside any formal agreement. One is relational duty. The other is pure choice.

Knowing this changes how you read Genesis 6:8: 'Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.' Noah didn't earn it. God simply looked at him and chose to act. The text doesn't say Noah was perfect. It says he found chen. That's the whole point.

A solid Bible dictionary entry on 'grace' will show you this Hebrew background before it ever reaches Paul's letters. If it skips straight to the New Testament, it's giving you half the picture. Look for an entry that traces the word through both Testaments. Then read Genesis 6:8 again with that background in mind.

How 'Charis' Works in the New Testament: Gift That Costs the Giver

Charis appears over 150 times in the New Testament, concentrated heavily in Paul's letters. It was already a common Greek word before the New Testament writers used it: a favor done freely, a gift given with delight. Paul takes that everyday meaning and loads it with theological weight. The gift is salvation. The giver is God. The cost is the cross. The receiver has done nothing to qualify.

Romans 6:23 puts it plainly: 'the gift of God is eternal life.' The word 'gift' there shares the same root as charis. It is not a reward. It is not a wage. It is given because the giver chose to give it. That's the word in its full sense.

Charis also shows up in greetings ('grace to you and peace') and in the idea of spiritual gifts (charismata). The same root word covers all of it: something freely given that benefits the one who receives it. The range of the word is part of what makes it so important to trace carefully.

This is why translators chose 'grace' in English. It was the closest available word for a gift given out of the giver's own goodness, not the receiver's merit. Read Ephesians 2:8 next. Then look up charis in an interlinear and watch the word come into focus.

Which Bible Dictionary Fits Your Study Style

For Quick Definitions: Easton's or Smith's

Easton's is the right starting point for most readers. It gives you the doctrinal meaning of a term, traces it through Scripture, and stays readable. Smith's adds depth on the historical and cultural side: if you're studying a place, a person, or a custom, Smith's often goes further. For most word studies, Easton's gets you there faster.

For Deep Word Study: Add Strong's Interlinear

A dictionary alone won't show you the original word under each English translation. For that, you need an interlinear Bible, which displays the original Hebrew or Greek word beneath each English word, paired with Strong's numbers that link to a full concordance entry. Selah's Strong's interlinear reader maps every word in the Bible to its Hebrew or Greek root. Click on 'grace' in any verse and you'll see whether it's charis or chen, no language knowledge required.

For Theological Depth: Matthew Henry and Commentary

For theological depth on a passage, Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary adds something no dictionary can: it shows how a term functions inside the argument of a whole chapter. It's available free on Selah, queryable by chapter. The practical loop is: dictionary for the definition, interlinear for the original word, commentary for how it all fits in context. That three-step sequence is how serious Bible students work.

Where to Find a Free Bible Dictionary Online Right Now

Most free Bible dictionaries online are scans of 19th-century public-domain texts. That's not a problem. Easton's and Smith's are still the standard references for word meanings and historical background, and their scholarship holds up for the kind of word study most readers need.

Selah hosts an 8,000-plus term dictionary combining both, searchable by term, linked to character profiles, place profiles, and the full Bible reader. All free, no account required. If you're studying grace specifically, search 'grace' in the Selah dictionary and you'll get the definition, related terms, and links to every biblical figure and topic connected to it, including the chen and charis background.

For sermon preparation, SermonMate connects dictionary research directly to your sermon notes so definitions don't get lost between your study session and Sunday morning. It's built for pastors and teachers who need to move from study to pulpit without losing the thread.

For mobile Bible study with live reading, AI sermon note-taking, and a Notion-like editor for your notes, the Selah app brings your study tools together on your phone.

Get the Selah App for Mobile Bible StudyLive reading together, AI sermon note-taking, and a Notion-like mobile editor for your study notes. Your Bible study tools, on your phone.Download on Google Play →

How to Do a Grace Word Study in Under 10 Minutes

1. Look up 'grace' in a Bible dictionary. Note the Hebrew (chen) and Greek (charis) definitions side by side. Write down the core meaning of each in your own words.
2. Open an interlinear Bible and find Genesis 6:8 and Ephesians 2:8. Look at the original word sitting under 'grace' in each verse. Confirm you're seeing chen in Genesis and charis in Ephesians.
3. Read the Strong's entry for each word. It lists every other place that word appears, so you can see how the same root functions in different contexts across the whole Bible.
4. Read Matthew Henry's note on Ephesians 2:8-9. He unpacks why Paul places 'not of works' immediately after 'by grace.' The two ideas are inseparable in Paul's argument, and Henry shows you exactly why.
5. Write one sentence in your own words: what did grace mean to the original reader, and what does it mean for you today? That single sentence is the payoff of the whole study.

Start with one verse, not ten. Resist the urge to chase every verse that uses 'grace' before you've understood the word itself. Do the dictionary step first. Then the interlinear. Then follow the word where it leads. One verse studied well beats ten verses skimmed.

A Bible dictionary is not a shortcut. It's the foundation. Every serious Bible student, from a first-year reader to a seasoned pastor, comes back to it because the original words carry weight that English translations can only approximate. The more clearly you see chen and charis, the more clearly you see what the biblical writers were actually saying.

Pick one word this week. Look it up. Trace it. The study will take ten minutes. What you find will stay with you much longer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between grace and mercy in the Bible?

Grace gives you something good you did not earn. Mercy withholds something bad you did deserve. Both words appear together often in Paul's letters precisely because they describe two different movements of God toward the same person.

Is the Greek word 'charis' the same concept as the Hebrew 'chen'?

They overlap but are not identical. Chen focuses on the relationship between two parties — a lesser person finding favor before a greater one. Charis focuses on the character of the gift itself: freely given, beautiful, and unearned. Reading both definitions side by side shows you how the New Testament writers expanded on the Old Testament idea rather than simply repeating it.

What Bible dictionary is best for studying original Hebrew and Greek words?

For free online study, a dictionary that combines Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863) gives you solid historical and linguistic grounding without a paywall. Selah offers exactly that — over 8,000 terms searchable by word, with links to related characters, places, and verses so one lookup leads naturally to the next.

How do I use a Bible dictionary alongside a concordance for word study?

Start with the concordance to find the Strong's number tied to your word — that number is the key to the original Hebrew or Greek root. Then take that root into the Bible dictionary to read what the word meant culturally and historically. The two tools answer different questions: the concordance shows you where a word appears; the dictionary shows you what it meant.

What does 'found grace in the eyes of the Lord' mean in Genesis 6:8?

The phrase uses the Hebrew chen and describes Noah standing before God as a lesser person before a greater one, and God choosing to look on him with favor he had not earned. It is not a statement about Noah's moral perfection — the text immediately after makes clear he was a flawed man. It is a statement about God's initiative, which is exactly why the verse became a touchstone for later biblical writers explaining salvation.

Study Grace Deeper, FreeSelah gives you an 8,000-term Bible dictionary built from Easton's and Smith's, Strong's interlinear data, 272+ character profiles, and Matthew Henry's commentary — all in one place, no subscription required. Look up chen and charis right now and see what the original words open up.Open the Bible Dictionary →