חס

Aramaic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ħɑs/

Adverb

חס • (transliteration needed)

1. God forbid

Hebrew

Root
ח־ו־ס (kh-w-s)

Verb

חָס • (khas) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

1. (literary) to pity, to have mercy
   • 1919, Hayim Nahman Bialik, Aftermath 1:

     כאפרוח יתום תעיתי בדד מסביב לקִנִּי, אבי ואמי עזבוני ועין לא חסה עלי.

     As a chicken orphan I wandered alone around my nest, my father and mother left me and no eye had mercy on me.

   • a. 500 B.C.E.,
     Tanach, Deuteronomy 19:21, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְלֹ֥א תָחֹ֖וס עֵינֶ֑ךָ נֶ֣פֶשׁ בְּנֶ֗פֶשׁ עַ֤יִן בְּעַ֙יִן֙ שֵׁ֣ן בְּשֵׁ֔ן יָ֥ד בְּיָ֖ד רֶ֥גֶל בְּרָֽגֶל׃

     And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

2. (literary) to save, to spare, to go easy on

Conjugation

Conjugation of חָס (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לָחוּס action noun: —
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	חַסְתִּי		חַסְנוּ
	second	חַסְתָּ	חַסְתְּ	חַסְתֶּם	חַסְתֶּן
	third	חָס	חָסָה	חָסוּ
present		חָס	חָסָה	חָסִים	חָסוֹת
future	first	אָחוּס		נָחוּס
	second	תָּחוּס	תָּחוּסִי	תָּחוּסוּ	תחוסנה / תָּחֹסְנָה1
	third	יָחוּס	תָּחוּס	יָחוּסוּ	תחוסנה / תָּחֹסְנָה1
imperative		חוּס	חוּסִי	חוּסוּ	חוסנה / חֹסְנָה1
notes		Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

חַס • (khas) m

1. compassion, mercy

Derived terms

• חַס וְשָׁלוֹם (khas v'shalóm)
• חַס וְחָלִילָה (khas v'khalíla)

References

• H2347 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible