The name may originat from the verb "לָחוּס" (lachus, "have mercy") or "לַחֲסוֹת" (lachasot, "take refuge"). One of the psalms says: "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee (חָסָיָה), yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast" (Psalms 57, 1; verse 2 in the Hebrew version of the Bible).