chen, “grace,” strong’s H2580

The first occurrence.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Gen 6:8

The primitive root.

Strong’s H2580, chen, an abstract concept meaning “grace,” from Strong’s H2603 חנן chanan, a primitive root meaning “to be favorably inclined.” The 3-letter root is chet + nun + nun:

chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
nun נ, ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
nun נ, ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son

The story: The wall (chet) which continues (nun) to the benefit of the children (nun). In ancient days the family tents of the clan were arranged in a large circle, forming a wall. This circular wall, a wall which continues, enclosed the area of safety for the children of the clan within. This was their home: a place of safety, beauty, favor, and lovingkindness. According to The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, the English word “home” is from the ch-n root, transposing the m sound for the n over time. Chen, grace, is the same grace that Noah found in the eyes of YHVH (Gen 6:8).

THE ANCIENT HEBREW LEXICON | INDEX OF HEBREW ROOTS