Psalms 145:10 (ESV)
All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!

Saints

The word for “saints” in this verse is the Hebrew word “chaciyd” or “hased” (depending on the lexicon source referenced). Throughout the Old Testament, there are several different English words used where this word hasid is found in other places. Words like… “godly,” “faithful,” and “merciful.” But, the most often used English word in the Old Testament seems to be “saints,” like we find above in Psalm 145:10.

It makes sense that hased would be represented in English by these different terms.

Why?

Because, all of these different renderings are all part of the makeup of the range of meaning for hased. According to Thayer’s Lexicon, this is how hasid is to be understood…

…properly, kind, i.e. (religiously) pious (a saint): — godly (man), good, holy (one), merciful, saint, (un-) godly.

Kind

What struck me when I looked up “saints” is the second word in the list: “kind.” It convicted me a bit. It forced me to examine myself, which we are all called to do anyway…

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

The best way to get across what struck me is to simply rewrite Psalm 145:10 as I had read it in my mind after I had noticed “kind” as being part of what hased means…

Psalms 145:10 (ESV)
All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your kind shall bless you!

This gave me pause. Think about it… Those who bless God are of His “kind.” In other words, such people are like Him (godly, merciful, etc.).

I had to ask myself…

Am I of God’s kind? Am I actually like Him… godly or merciful?

These are important questions which we must ask ourselves regularly. We must test ourselves as to whether or not we are Christ-like.

Again, as Paul challenged the church in Colossae…

“Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Godspeed, to the brethren!

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