Accept, acceptable, acceptation (Hastings' Dictionary)
- Besides other meanings, accept is used in the sense of ' receive with favour ' : Gn 4' ' If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?' Dt 33" ' IJless, Lord, bis substance, and a. tne work of his hands.' It is then sometimes followed by 'of: Gn 32 ' I will appease him with the present . . . per- adventuro ne will a. of me' (liV 'accept me'); 2 Mac 13 ' And the king accepted well of Mao- caba?u8.' ' Accept ' or ' accept the person ' is often the translation of Heb. 0')5 Hi;'; ' to lift up the face,' i.e. to look favourably on : Job 42 ' Tlw 22 ACCEPTANCE ACCOMPLISH Lord also accepted Job ' ; Pr 18" ' It is not good to a. the person of the wicked.' This Heb. idiom has been tr. into Gr., and is found in the NT as ■rp6auTor Xafifidru, always in a bad sense, ' par- tiality,' ' respect of persons.' Lk 20' ' Neither acceptest thou the person of any ' ; Gal 2" ' God accepteth no man's person.' Then this phrase is turned into Tpo<7<iiiroX7)^imjt (Ac 10^ ' respecter of persons'), rptxjuvoXrinirriu (Ja 2 'have respect to persona,' RV 'of persons'), and rj>oaioTro\riix\pla. ('respect of persons^ Ro 2", Eph 6», Col 3^, Ja 2'), three words found nowhere but in the NT and (thence) in eccles. writers. The' English ' accept the person ' is derived from the eccles. Lat. acceptare perscmam. 2. Acceptable is used in the sense of ' favourable ' : Is 49' ' In an a. time have I beard thee ' ; 61* ' To proclaim the a. year of the Lord ' (».«. the year of Jehovah's favour). 3. Ac- ceptation = favourable reception, is found in 1 Ti 1" 4» ' worthy of all a.' LmaATinuL — UfbUooi on Qftl V \ Sanday and Headlam on Bo2U. J. Hastings.
This topic also has an entry in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Both articles offer independent scholarly perspectives.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Accept, acceptable, acceptation
Accept; Acceptable; Acceptation ak-sept', ak-sep'-ta-b'-l, ak-sep-ta'-shun: "To receive with favor," "to take pleasure in"; "well-pleasing"; "the act of receiving." Accept, used (1) of sacrifice, "accept thy burnt-sacrifice" (dashen, "accept as fat," i.e. receive favorably; Ps 20:3); (2) of persons, "Yahweh accept Job" (Job 42:9, nasa', "to lift up," "take," "receive"); (3) of works, "a the work of his hands" (De 33:11 ratsah, "to delight in"). In New Testament (1) of favors, "We accept .... with all thankfulness" (apodechomai, Ac 24:3); (2) of personal appeal, "He accept our exhortation" (2Co 8:17); (3) of God's Impartiality (lambano, "to take," "receive"); "accepteth not man's person" (Ga 2:6). Acceptable, used (1) of justice (bachar, "choose select"), "more accept .... than sacrifice" (Pr 21:3); (2) of words (chephets, "delight in," "sought .... accept words" (Ec 12:10); (3) of times (ratson, "delight," "approbation"; dektos, "receivable") "acceptable year of the Lord" (Isa 61:2 (King James Version); Lu 4:19); (4) of spiritual sacrifice (euprosdektos, "well received"), "acceptable…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia