The biblical term dsx, variously translated 'loving kindness' and 'steadfast love', displays a wide range of biblical uses and meanings. This article concentrates on poetic and narrative texts in which dsx appears surprisingly, often to denote unexpected attachments. While dsx is a formulaic term in covenant tradition, some poetic texts, notably Ps. 89, Isa. 54, and Lam. 3, place the term in striking contrast to its immediate context. Narrative cases of unexpected dsx include the attachments between Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Abraham and Sarah (in the wife-sister scenes), Yahweh and Israel, and three episodes about spies. By attending to the literary uses of dsx, this article illuminates the place of dsx in biblical theology.* I wish to thank Julia O'Brien for her comments on an earlier draft of this study. 1. According to Gordon Clark, the agent of dsx is God 187 times and a human 92 times in the Hebrew Bible: The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup, 157;