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Hebrew noun (masculine) · H2656

חֵפֶץ

chephetskhay'-fets

pleasure

39 uses in the Hebrew text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: chêphets

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's H2656is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 12 of 39
    Old Testament books
  • 29
    spellings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · H2656

pleasure; hence (abstractly) desire; concretely, a valuable thing; hence (by extension) a matter (as something in mind)

The King James renders it: acceptable, delight(-some), desire, things desired, matter, pleasant(-ure), purpose, willingly.

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

chephets is rendered "pleasure". It stands 39 times in the Hebrew text, across twelve books.

  • Eight of the uses stand in Isaiah, more than in any other book.
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.1 Samuel 15:22But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
  • The Greek text spells it twenty-nine different ways.

The first use

But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22הַחֵ֤פֶץ

The first use, in the order of the Old Testament's books.

Where the word stands

The word stands in twelve of the 39 Old Testament books.

The other 27 Old Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • pleasure7
  • delight4
  • desire my3
  • matter3
  • desire her2
  • desire his2
  • pleasure his2
  • pleasures your2
  • ¿ delight1
  • ¿ pleasure1
  • and pleasure of1
  • any of desire of1

and 10 more, 39 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

חֵפֶשׂchephesplotUses1

The words it stands beside

All 39, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

29 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • חֵ֖פֶץ4
  • חֵ֔פֶץ4
  • חֵ֥פֶץ2
  • חֵֽפֶץ׃2
  • חֶפְצָהּ֙2
  • חֶפְצִ֖י2
  • בְּחֵ֣פֶץ1
  • הַחֵ֤פֶץ1
  • הַחֵ֣פֶץ1
  • הַחֵ֑פֶץ1
  • וְחֵ֥פֶץ1
  • חֵ֤פֶץ1

and 17 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • noun · masculine singular15HNcmsa
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singular5HNcmsc/Sp3ms
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singular4HNcmsc/Sp1bs
  • noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singular2HNcmpc/Sp2ms
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singular2HNcmsc/Sp2ms
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singular2HNcmsc/Sp3fs
  • preposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)2HR/Ncmsc
  • question particle + noun · masculine singular2HTi/Ncmsa
  • adjective · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine plural1HAampc/Sp3mp
  • conjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)1HC/Ncmsc
  • noun · masculine plural1HNcmpa
  • noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine plural1HNcmsc/Sp3mp

1 Samuel

two uses
  • But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

    1 Samuel 15:22

    • הַחֵ֤פֶץhachefetzquestion particle + noun · masculine singulartagged: ¿ delight
  • Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.

    1 Samuel 18:25

    • חֵ֤פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: delight

2 Samuel

one use
  • Is not my house right with God? For He has established with me an everlasting covenant, ordered and secured in every part. Will He not bring about my full salvation and my every desire?

    2 Samuel 23:5

    • חֵ֖פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: desire

1 Kings

five uses
  • Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.

    1 Kings 5:8

    • חֶפְצְךָ֔cheftzekhanoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: desire your
  • My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”

    1 Kings 5:9

    • חֶפְצִ֔יcheftzinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singulartagged: desire my
  • So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,

    1 Kings 5:10

    • חֶפְצֽוֹ׃cheftzonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: desire his
  • King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.

    1 Kings 9:11

    • חֶפְצ֑וֹcheftzonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: desire his
  • King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

    1 Kings 10:13

    • חֶפְצָהּ֙cheftzahnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: desire her

2 Chronicles

one use
  • King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

    2 Chronicles 9:12

    • חֶפְצָהּ֙cheftzahnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: desire her

Job

three uses
  • For what does he care about his household after him, when the number of his months has run out?

    Job 21:21

    • חֶפְצ֣וֹcheftzonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: pleasure his
  • Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?

    Job 22:3

    • הַחֵ֣פֶץhachefetzquestion particle + noun · masculine singulartagged: ¿ pleasure
  • If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

    Job 31:16

    • מֵחֵ֣פֶץmechefetzpreposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: any of desire of

Psalms

four uses
  • But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

    Psalms 1:2

    • חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹcheftzonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: delight his
  • As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.

    Psalms 16:3

    • חֶפְצִי־cheftzi-noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singulartagged: delight my
  • They rejoiced in the silence, and He guided them to the harbor they desired.

    Psalms 107:30

    • חֶפְצָֽם׃cheftzamnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: desire their
  • Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

    Psalms 111:2

    • חֶפְצֵיהֶֽם׃cheftzeihemadjective · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluraltagged: delighting in them

Proverbs

three uses
  • She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

    Proverbs 3:15

    • חֲ֝פָצֶ֗יךָchafatzeikhanoun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: pleasures your
  • For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.

    Proverbs 8:11

    • חֲ֝פָצִ֗יםchafatzimnoun · masculine pluraltagged: pleasures
  • She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

    Proverbs 31:13

    • בְּחֵ֣פֶץbechefetzpreposition + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: in delight of

Ecclesiastes

seven uses
  • To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

    Ecclesiastes 3:1

    • חֵ֖פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: matter
  • I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”

    Ecclesiastes 3:17

    • חֵ֔פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: matter
  • When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.

    Ecclesiastes 5:4

    • חֵ֖פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure
  • If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.

    Ecclesiastes 5:8

    • הַחֵ֑פֶץhachefetzthe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singulartagged: the matter
  • For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.

    Ecclesiastes 8:6

    • חֵ֔פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: matter
  • Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,”

    Ecclesiastes 12:1

    • חֵֽפֶץ׃chefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure
  • The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.

    Ecclesiastes 12:10

    • חֵ֑פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: delight

Isaiah

eight uses
  • who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”

    Isaiah 44:28

    • חֶפְצִ֖יcheftzinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singulartagged: desire my
  • I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

    Isaiah 46:10

    • חֶפְצִ֖יcheftzinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singulartagged: desire my
  • Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.

    Isaiah 48:14

    • חֶפְצוֹ֙cheftzonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: pleasure his
  • Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

    Isaiah 53:10

    • וְחֵ֥פֶץvechefetzconjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)tagged: and pleasure of
  • I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

    Isaiah 54:12

    • חֵֽפֶץ׃chefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: delight
  • “Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.

    Isaiah 58:3

    • חֵ֔פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure
  • If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words,

    Isaiah 58:13

    • חֲפָצֶ֖יךָchafatzeikhanoun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: pleasures your
    • חֶפְצְךָ֖cheftzekhanoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: pleasure your

Jeremiah

two uses
  • Is this man Coniah a despised and shattered pot, a jar that no one wants? Why are he and his descendants hurled out and cast into a land they do not know?

    Jeremiah 22:28

    • חֵ֖פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure
  • On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,” declares the LORD.

    Jeremiah 48:38

    • חֵ֥פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure

Hosea

one use
  • Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.

    Hosea 8:8

    • חֵ֥פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure

Malachi

two uses
  • “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

    Malachi 1:10

    • חֵ֜פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: pleasure
  • “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of Hosts.

    Malachi 3:12

    • חֵ֔פֶץchefetznoun · masculine singulartagged: delight

The letters

Gematria 178· 988 mispar gadol

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESH gloss (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →