Wonke umntu unqwenela uthando olungaze luphumele. Noko kunjalo, elimiyezweni yethu uthando luhlala luxhomekeke kwiimeko. Luyatshintsha ngenxa yeengxaki, ukudana okanye inzuzo yomntu. Kodwa kutheni ukuba kubekho uthando olungaze lukhulule, oluhlala luthembekile nditsho xa abantu besilela? IBhayibhile ineligama ngolu hlobo lothando: hesed.
Igama lesiHebhere hesed livela amaxesha angaphezu kwe-250 kwiTestamente eNdala. Lingomnye wamagama atyebileyo eZibhalo, litolikwa njenge “uthando olusisigxina,” “inceba,” “ububele,” okanye “uthando oluthembekileyo.” IStrong’s Concordance (H2617) lithi lithetha ukuthembeka komnqophiso, ububele, nenceba. UMichael Card ulichaza hesed njengelithi “ligama elinzulu kakhulu ukuba litolikwa, imfihlelo engathethwayo yothando lukaThixo olunenceba noluthembekileyo” (Card 2018, 3). Xa uMoses wadibana noThixo entabeni iSinayi, iNkosi yazityhila: “NguThixo onenceba nobabalo! Ndicotha ukuqumba, ndize ndizele luthando olusisigxina (hesed) nentembeko” (Eks. 34:6, NLT).
Ngaphaya Kothando Lwabantu
Uthando lwethu luhlala lubuthathaka. Sithanda abo basisizayo, kodwa sikhubeka xa kufuneka sihlale sithembekile xa besona. Hesed yahlukile. Luthando lomnqophiso lukaThixo oluvela kubuntu baKhe, hayi ngenxa yokuba siyakufaneleka. Umbhali weNdumiso uphinda-phinda oku: “Bulela kuYehova, kuba ulungile! Uthando lwaKhe olusisigxina (hesed) luya kuhlala ngonaphakade” (Ndumiso 136:1, NLT). Ndithe ke, nakwixesha lokugweba okanye lokuthinjwa, hesed lukaThixo alupheli: “Uthando olusisigxina lukaYehova alupheli! Iinceba zaKhe azipheli. Uthembekile kakhulu; iinceba zaKhe zihlala zintsha qho kusasa” (IsiLilo 3:22–23, NLT).
Kwithisisi yam malunga nokuhlaziywa kweWorcester, ndachaza hesed njengenye yeendonga ze “Hesed Home”—umzekelo wenkcubeko yokusebenza ngokudibeneyo. Uluntu lunokuchuma kuphela xa inceba nokuthembeka lulawula ubomi balo kunye (Guntelach 2023, 112–118). Ngaphandle kwe hesed, ubudlelwane buwa ngenxa yoloyiko, ukungathembani kunye nokuzicingela.
Ukuphila iHesed
Kuthekani ukuba siphile hesed eWorcester, eMzantsi Afrika, okanye naphi na? Kuyakuthetha ukugcina izithembiso, ndithe ke nokuba kubiza. Kuyakuthetha ukuxolela xa sisenzakele, ukubonisa inceba apho impindezelo ingathi yeyona ndlela ilula. Kuyakuthetha ukukhetha ukuthembeka emtshatweni, ukuthembeka kwezoshishino, kunye nokuthembeka kobunkokeli.
Hesed ikwabiza ukuba senze ngaphezulu kokunyanzelekileyo. Ikhuthaza ububele kubampofu, ukunyaniseka kubahlobo, kunye nobubele kubantu abangabaziwayo. Ithetha ukungaphumi kuphela kwimimiselo, kodwa ukuphila uthando oluhamba umgama ongaphezulu. UMicah uyasishwankathela: “Mntu, uYehova ukwazisile oko kulungileyo. Kwaye oko akuthethayo kuvela kuwe: ukwenza okulungileyo, ukuthanda inceba (hesed), nokuhamba ngokuthobeka noThixo wakho” (Mika 6:8, NLT).
Cinga ukuba uluntu lwethu lungabonakala njani ukuba siphila hesed. Iintsapho ziya kuba ziindawo ezikhuselekileyo. Izikolo ziya kufundisa ingqondo ezihlakaniphileyo kunye neentliziyo ezinenceba. Amashishini aya kukhonza abantu, hayi inzuzo kuphela. Iingxabano zepolitiki nezamasiko ziya kuthomalala phantsi kwamandla othando oluthembekileyo.
Umngeni Wobuqu
Entliziyweni yethu kukho isidingo sothando olungapheliyo. UThixo sele esibonisile olo thando ngoKristu, owazinikela ngathi ndithe ke sasingenamfaneleko. Umngeni kukuvumela hesed yaKhe ukuba ilawule izigqibo zethu kunye nezimvo zethu, ukuze ukuthembeka kwaKhe kubonakale kwiintshukumo zethu zemihla ngemihla.
Lo ngumbuzo omele siwuthwale kule veki: UThixo undibiza ukuba ndibonise phi hesed—uthando oluthembekileyo nolunenceba—kubani na kuluntu lwam?
Iingxelo
Card, Michael. 2018. Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.
Guntelach, Bruno. 2023. Reforming Worcester, South Africa: A Strategy to Establish
a Culture of Communal Productivity. Executive Masters Thesis, University of
the Nations.
Strong’s Concordance. n.d. “Hesed.” Entry H2617. Accessed 30 August 2025.
The Holy Bible. New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale
House Foundation. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Living-Translation-
NLT-Bible/. Accessed 30 August 2025.