Bible Dictionary
KINDNESS
Kindness means benevolence, mercy, favor, and practical goodness toward others. Scripture also uses it of God’s gracious and faithful dealings, and presents kindness as a quality that should characterize His people.
Definition
Kindness is benevolence, favor, mercy, usefulness, and practical goodness toward others. In Scripture the term may describe human conduct or God’s gracious dealings. It can also carry the sense of lovingkindness, beneficence, or love of mankind and the brotherhood.
Biblical Usage
The Old Testament commonly uses kindness for human favor and mercy, but also for God’s dealings with His people. In the New Testament it describes beneficence, usefulness, love of mankind, and love of the brethren, and is included among Christian virtues.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kind'-nes (checedh; chrestotes): "Kindness" in the Old Testament is (with one exception) the translation of checedh, "kindness," "favor," "mercy," etc., used chiefly of man but also of God (Ge 20:13; 40:14; 1Sa 15:6; 20:14,15; 2Sa 9:3; Ne 9:17; Ps 141:5; Isa 54:8,10, etc.); Tobh, "good," is once so translated (2Sa 2:6). In the New Testament chrestotes, "usefulness," "beneficence," is rendered "kindness" 4 t in the King James Version (2Co 6:6; Eph 2:7; Col 3:12; Tit 3:4, and in Ga 5:22 the Revised Version (British and American)); see GENTLENESS; GOODNESS. Philanthropia, "love of mankind," is translated "kindness" Ac 28:2), and philadelphia, "love of the brotherhood" (2Pe 1:7, the English Revised Version "love of the brethren," the American Revised Version margin "Gr, love of the brethren").</p><p>For "kindness" (Ps 31:21) the Revised Version (British and American) has "lovingkindness," and the American Standard Revised Version in other places where the reference is to God; for "shew," "shewed kindness" (Jos 2:12) "deal," "dealt kindly"; for "The desire of man is his kindness" (Pr 19:22) the American Standard Revised Version has "That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness," the English Revised Version "The desire of man is (the measure of) his kindness," like the American Standard Revised Version in m; for "merciful kindness" (Ps 117:2) the American Standard Revised Version has "lovingkindness," the English Revised Version "mercy "; both have "lovingkindness" (Ps 119:76); for "of great kindness" (Ne 9:17; Joe 2:13; Jon 4:2) the American Standard Revised Version has "abundant in lovingkindness," the English Revised Version "plenteous in mercy"; the Revised Version (British and American) has "kindness" for "mercy" (Ge 39:21); for "pity" (Job 6:14); for "goodness" (Pr 20:6); "favor and kindness" the American Standard Revised Version, for "grace and favor" (Es 2:17).</p><p>See LOVINGKINDNESS; MERCY.</p>