WG: Trust
Overview
The trust/confidence concept in Hebrew Scripture involves a cluster of verbs and nouns describing reliance upon, refuge in, and confident dependence upon God or other objects. These words overlap in the KJV translation "trust" but carry distinct emphases: volitional confidence (batach), flight to refuge (chasah), firm belief (aman), supportive leaning (shaan), and their nominal counterparts for the state or object of trust.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H982 |
בָּטַח |
batach |
verb |
117 |
Core verb — confident reliance, settled trust |
H982 |
| H2620 |
חָסָה |
chasah |
verb |
36 |
Flight to refuge — crisis-driven trust |
TODO(need H2620 study) |
| H539 |
אָמַן |
aman |
verb |
102 |
Believe, be firm — trust as intellectual assent to reliability |
TODO(need H539 study) |
| H4009 |
מִבְטָח |
mibtach |
noun |
15 |
Object/state of trust — what one trusts in (cognate of batach) |
TODO(need H4009 study) |
| H4268 |
מַחֲסֶה |
machaceh |
noun |
20 |
Refuge, shelter — the place/person one flees to (cognate of chasah) |
TODO(need H4268 study) |
| H3689 |
כֶּסֶל |
kesel |
noun |
13 |
Confidence, folly — trust that can be well-placed or foolish |
TODO(need H3689 study) |
| H8172 |
שָׁעַן |
shaan |
verb |
20 |
Lean upon, support oneself — physical metaphor for dependence |
TODO(need H8172 study) |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- batach (H982) → mibtach (H4009) — verb and derived noun from root ב-ט-ח
- chasah (H2620) → machaceh (H4268) — verb and derived noun from root ח-ס-ה
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| batach (H982) |
shaan (H8172) |
4 (20% of shaan) |
"Trust in the LORD... lean not unto thine own understanding" (Pro 3:5) |
| batach (H982) |
chasah (H2620) |
2 |
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man" (Psa 118:8) |
| batach (H982) |
machaceh (H4268) |
2 |
"Trust in him at all times... God is a refuge for us" (Psa 62:8) |
| batach (H982) |
aman (H539) |
2 |
"Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation" (Psa 78:22) |
| mibtach (H4009) |
kesel (H3689) |
2 |
"Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web" (Job 8:14) |
| mibtach (H4009) |
machaceh (H4268) |
1 |
"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge" (Pro 14:26) |
| batach (H982) |
mibtach (H4009) |
1 |
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is" (Jer 17:7) |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| batach + chasah + shaan + mibtach |
all → πείθω (G3982) |
Greek conflates four distinct Hebrew trust-words into one verb's perfect passive |
| batach + chasah |
both → ἐλπίζω (G1679) |
Both mapped to "hope" — Hebrew distinguishes confident reliance from crisis refuge; Greek merges them |
| mibtach + machaceh |
both → ἐλπίς (G1680) |
Both trust-nouns mapped to a single Greek hope-noun |
Roles in the Concept
- Settled confidence: batach (בָּטַח) — volitional, deliberate trust; the default OT "trust" verb; implies calm assurance
- Crisis refuge: chasah (חָסָה) — fleeing to God for protection in danger; more urgent and physical than batach
- Firm belief: aman (אָמַן) — believing God to be reliable and true; trust as intellectual conviction (→ H530 emunah "faithfulness")
- Dependent leaning: shaan (שָׁעַן) — supporting oneself upon; trust as physical dependence metaphor
- Object of trust: mibtach (מִבְטָח) — what/whom one trusts in; can be God (Jer 17:7) or false confidence (Job 8:14)
- Place of refuge: machaceh (מַחֲסֶה) — shelter, hiding place; the spatial metaphor for divine protection
- Confidence/folly: kesel (כֶּסֶל) — confidence that may be well-founded or foolish; ambivalent trust
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Pro 3:5 — batach + shaan: "Trust (batach) in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean (shaan) not unto thine own understanding"
- Psa 78:22 — batach + aman: "Because they believed (aman) not in God, and trusted (batach) not in his salvation"
- Psa 62:8 — batach + machaceh: "Trust (batach) in him at all times... God is a refuge (machaceh) for us"
- Pro 14:26 — mibtach + machaceh: "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence (mibtach): and his children shall have a place of refuge (machaceh)"
- Job 8:14 — mibtach + kesel: "Whose hope (kesel) shall be cut off, and whose trust (mibtach) shall be a spider's web"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries
Last updated: 2026-04-29