Delectable (Hastings' Dictionary)
Ib 44» only, 'Their d. things thall notj>rolit.' AV and RV retain the word from Geneva Bible, which explains, ' Whatsoever they bestow upon their idoles to make them to seeme glorious. But it is the idols themselves that are called 'the d. things' (c-ion lidmUdMrn), which the Bishops' exuressed by the (too) free tr. ' the carved image that they love can doe no good.' 'Delectable.' from Lat. delcctabilis, came in through old Fr., whence came also the form •Yet Oj^. Ung.
Diet, quote from Cheyne, Iiaiah (1882X p. XX, 'iHoioh had good rcMOD ... to dehort the Jew from ftn Egyptian alliance.' ' delitable,' which was afterwards spelt ' delight- able ' by a mistaken association with lit/hi ; later forms are 'delightsome' and 'delightful.' Onlj the last has held its ground ; but ' delectable ' u remembered by Bunyan's 'delectable Mountains' {Pil. Prog. p. 52) ; cf. Shaks. Pick. II. II. iii. 7— ' And yet your fair discourse hath been as sugar.
Making tJie hard way sweet and delectable.' 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 Delectable
Delectable de-lek'-ta-bl (chamadh, "to desire"): Found only in Isa 44:9, King James Version: "Their delectable things shall not profit," the King James Version margin"desirable." the American Standard Revised Version translates: "the things that they delight in." The reference is to idols or images. Delitzsch renders the phrase: "Their darlings are good for nothing." The word may be traced back to the Latin delectabilis, "pleasant," or "delightful." ⇒See the definition of delectably in the KJV Dictionary
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