Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Usage:Repute refers to the general opinion or estimation in which a person or thing is held by others. In biblical terms, it often relates to one's reputation, character, or standing within a community or before God. The concept of repute is significant in Scripture as it reflects one's integrity, moral standing, and the witness they bear to others.
Old Testament Context:In the Old Testament, repute is closely tied to one's character and actions.
Proverbs 22:1 states, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold." This highlights the value placed on a good reputation, suggesting that moral integrity and the esteem of others are more valuable than material wealth. The Hebrew culture placed a strong emphasis on honor and shame, where one's repute could affect not only the individual but also their family and community.
New Testament Context:The New Testament continues to emphasize the importance of repute, particularly within the Christian community. In
Acts 6:3 , the apostles instruct the early church to select deacons who are "of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom." This indicates that a good reputation was a prerequisite for leadership and service within the church, reflecting the importance of trustworthiness and moral character.
In
1 Timothy 3:7 , Paul advises that a church overseer "must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil." Here, repute is linked to the witness of the church to the outside world, underscoring the idea that a leader's reputation can impact the broader perception of the Christian faith.
Repute and Christian Conduct:The Bible encourages believers to live in a manner that upholds a good reputation.
Philippians 2:15 exhorts Christians to be "blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world." This passage suggests that maintaining a good repute is part of the Christian witness, serving as a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel.
Furthermore,
1 Peter 2:12 advises, "Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." This highlights the role of repute in evangelism, where a believer's honorable conduct can lead others to glorify God.
Challenges to Repute:The Bible also acknowledges the challenges to maintaining a good repute. False accusations and slander are addressed in passages like
Matthew 5:11 , where Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." Here, the focus is on remaining steadfast in faith despite attacks on one's reputation.
Conclusion:While the Bible does not promise that believers will always be held in high repute by the world, it consistently calls for a life of integrity and moral excellence that reflects the character of Christ. The pursuit of a good reputation is not for personal glory but for the honor of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To hold an opinion of; to account; to estimate.
2. (n.) Character reputed or attributed; reputation, whether good or bad; established opinion; public estimate.
3. (n.) Specifically: Good character or reputation; credit or honor derived from common or public opinion; -- opposed to disrepute.
Greek
2162. euphemia -- good report... good report. From euphemos; good language ("euphemy"), ie Praise (
repute) -- good
report. see GREEK euphemos. (euphemias) -- 1 Occurrence. 2161, 2162.
...2163. euphemos -- well reported of
... reputable. Word Origin from eu and pheme Definition well reported of NASB
Word Usage goodrepute (1). praiseworthy, commendable....
1741. endoxos -- held in honor, glorious
... 1722 , "engaged ," which intensifies 1391 ("glory, ") -- properly, "in glory,"
expressing the (exalted status) of something and " of high honor andrepute" ()....
Strong's Hebrew
2804. chashab -- to think, account...repute. (Aramaic) corresponding to chashab; to regard --
repute. see HEBREW
chashab. 2803, 2804. chashab. 2805 . Strong's Numbers.
7922. sekel -- prudence, insight
... Word Origin from sakal Definition prudence, insight NASB Word Usage discretion
(3), insight (4), intelligent* (1),repute (1), sense (1), shrewdness (1...
8034. shem -- a name
... 1), memorial (1), Name (3), name (654), name's (11), name* (4), named (7), named*
(66), names (80), renown (6), renowned (1), report (1),repute (1), same...
Library
Celsus Next, for Form's Sake, and with Great Want of Precision...
... be a multitude of people, was commanded to sojourn somewhere beyond the limits of
the kingdom, and to pasture their flocks in districts of norepute." Now the...
Whether it is Fitting that the Law Should Debar Certain Persons...
... from the office of advocate, on account of religion, as monks and clerics, while
others are debarred on account of sin, as persons of ill-repute and heretics....
Galatians Chapter ii.
... Ver.2. "And I laid before them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but
privately before them who were ofrepute, lest by any means I should be...
On the Feast of a Holy Bishop
... Now, know, that when a man is too highly exalted by other men, and more virtue or
holiness is ascribed to him, and his name is held in greaterrepute than it...
Letter of Martin Luther to Pope Leo X.
... Indeed, the published opinion of so many great men and therepute of your blameless
life are too widely famed and too much reverenced throughout the world to...
Dedicatory
... Indeed the published opinion of so many great men, and therepute of your blameless
life, are too widely famed and too much reverenced throughout the world to...
Acts VI
... (3) Therefore, brethren, look out among you seven men of goodrepute, full of the
Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business....
Holy Exercises of Pure Love to God.
... I do here in Thy presence, O my God, hold andrepute myself as nothing; and whatsoever
I have above nothing, natural or supernatural, I acknowledge it to be...
The Book of Pastoral Rule. Preface.
... in his Kingdom [1261] . Previously to this, there is evidence of the high
repute in which the book was held in Gaul. In a series...
Of the Follies which the Pagans have Indulged in Regarding Jupiter...
... But he did not hesitate to say in public, that even the honour thus given them in
generalrepute [585] was conferred upon them by men, when he spoke of Romulus...
Thesaurus
Repute (12 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Repute (12 Occurrences).
... We are mere weaklings: you
are strong. You are in high
repute: we are outcasts. (WEY RSV).
...Reputation (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The estimation in which one is held; character in public opinion; the
character attributed to a person, thing, or action;repute....
Discredit (4 Occurrences)
... a source. 2. (n.) Hence, some degree of dishonor or disesteem; illrepute;
reproach; -- applied to persons or things. 3. (vt) To...
Respect (204 Occurrences)
... honor. 8. (n.) An expression of respect of deference; regards; as, to send
one's respects to another. 9. (v.) Reputation;repute. 10....
Yourselves (530 Occurrences)
... Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, pick out from among yourselves seven men of goodrepute,
full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to undertake...
Zimri (16 Occurrences)
... if the meaning of qubbah in Numbers 25:8 be as the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible,
390-405 AD) renders it, lupinar, "a house of ill-repute." The difficulty is...
Nathanael (6 Occurrences)
... (John 1:46), was prompted, not by any illrepute of the place, but by its
petty insignificance and familiarity in Nathanael's eyes....
Union (24 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Acts 17:28 For it is in closest union with Him that we live and move and
have our being; as in fact some of the poets inrepute among yourselves have said...
Undertake (16 Occurrences)
... Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, pick out from among yourselves seven men of goodrepute,
full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to undertake...
Outcasts (13 Occurrences)
... men of shrewd intelligence. We are mere weaklings: you are strong. You are
in highrepute: we are outcasts. (WEY). Deuteronomy 30:4...
Resources
Who was Demetrius in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgHow much power does Satan possess? | GotQuestions.orgWho was John Owen? | GotQuestions.orgRepute: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
