Topical Encyclopedia
The term "delicate" in the Bible often refers to something that is tender, fragile, or easily affected. It can describe physical attributes, emotional states, or moral conditions. The concept of delicacy is used in various contexts throughout Scripture, highlighting both positive and negative connotations.
1.
Physical Delicacy: In the context of physical attributes, "delicate" can refer to beauty and refinement. For instance, in
Deuteronomy 28:56, the term is used to describe a woman of great refinement and gentleness: "The most gentle and delicate woman among you, so sensitive and refined that she would not venture to touch the sole of her foot to the ground..." . This passage underscores the fragility and vulnerability associated with physical delicacy.
2.
Emotional and Moral Delicacy: Delicacy can also pertain to emotional sensitivity or moral purity. In
2 Samuel 1:24, David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan, urging the daughters of Israel to weep for Saul, who clothed them in scarlet and adorned them with delicate ornaments. Here, the term suggests a sense of loss and the emotional delicacy of mourning.
3.
Negative Connotations: The Bible also uses "delicate" to describe a state of moral or spiritual weakness. In
Isaiah 47:1, the prophet speaks against Babylon, calling it "tender and delicate" as a critique of its vulnerability and impending downfall: "Come down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called tender and delicate" . This usage implies a lack of strength and resilience.
4.
Cultural and Societal Implications: In ancient Near Eastern culture, delicacy was often associated with luxury and opulence. The prophet Amos criticizes the complacency of Israel's elite, who indulge in delicate living while neglecting justice and righteousness: "You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves" (
Amos 6:4). This critique highlights the moral dangers of excessive comfort and indulgence.
5.
Spiritual Lessons: The Bible encourages believers to cultivate a delicate conscience, sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In
Romans 14:21, Paul advises believers to be considerate of others' consciences, even in matters of personal liberty: "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble" . This reflects a spiritual delicacy that prioritizes love and unity within the body of Christ.
In summary, the concept of delicacy in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from physical beauty and emotional sensitivity to moral vulnerability and spiritual sensitivity. It serves as a reminder of the balance between strength and gentleness, urging believers to cultivate a heart that is both tender and resilient in their walk with God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
2. (a.) Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor.
3. (a.) Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, a delicate creature.
4. (a.) Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.
5. (a.) Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.
6. (a.) Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.
7. (a.) Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue.
8. (a.) Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness.
9. (a.) Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health.
10. (a.) Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question.
11. (a.) of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
12. (a.) Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music.
13. (a.) Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.
14. (n.) A choice dainty; a delicacy.
15. (n.) A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
DELICATE; DELICATELYdel'-i-kat, del'-i-kat-li (`edhen, `anogh; en truphe): "Delicate" usually an adjective, but once a substantive (Jeremiah 51:34 the King James Version). "He hath filled his belly (the Revised Version (British and American) "maw") with my delicates." the Revised Version (British and American) retains the word, but the American Standard Revised Version very properly has replaced it with "delicacies." In Sirach 30:18, the Revised Version (British and American) agatha, "good things." The adjective seems to have two meanings, though not easily distinguished:
(1) tenderly reared, and
(2) wanton or voluptuous. InDeuteronomy 28:54, 56Isaiah 47:1Jeremiah 6:2, "luxurious" or "daintily bred" would certainly be nearer the original than "delicate." "Delicate children" ofMicah 1:16, the King James Version, is changed by the Revised Version (British and American) to "children of thy delight," i.e. beloved children, rather than children begotten in passion. The adverb "delicately" is employed in the same sense as the adjective (Lamentations 4:5Luke 7:25). In the old English writers "delicate" is often used for voluptuous: "Dives for his delicate life to the devil went" (Piers Ploughman). The meaning of "delicately" (ma`adhan) in1 Samuel 15:32 (the King James Version) is a real puzzle. The King James Version reads, "And Agag came unto him delicately," with a possible suggestion of weakness or fear. the American Standard Revised Version and the Revised Version, margin substitute "cheerfully." Others, by metathesis or change of consonants in the Hebrew word, translation "in bonds" or "fetters."
W. W. Davies
Greek
3120. malakos -- soft, effeminate... Transliteration: malakos Phonetic Spelling: (mal-ak-os') Short Definition: soft,
effeminate Definition: (a) soft, (b) of persons: soft,
delicate, effeminate.
...5172. truphe -- softness, daintiness, luxuriousness
... brought on by self-indulgence (luxury); (figuratively) moral and spiritual breakdown
("enfeeblement") from over-indulging in dainty ("delicate") things, ie...
1040. bussos -- byssus (a species of flax), also (the) linen (made...
... ie a very expensive (sought-after) form of linen -- "a specific species of Egyptian
flax or linen made from it that is very costly,delicate" (J. Thayer)....
Strong's Hebrew
6026. anog -- to be soft,delicate, dainty... 6025, 6026. anog. 6027 . to be soft,
delicate, dainty. Transliteration: anog
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-nag') Short Definition: delight. Word Origin a prim.
...7390. rak -- tender,delicate, soft
... 7389, 7390. rak. 7391 . tender,delicate, soft. Transliteration: rak Phonetic
Spelling: (rak) Short Definition: tender. Word Origin...
6028. anog -- dainty
... 6027, 6028. anog. 6029 . dainty. Transliteration: anog Phonetic Spelling:
(aw-nogue') Short Definition:delicate....delicate. From anag; luxurious --delicate...
5730. eden -- a luxury, dainty, delight
... 5729, 5730. eden. 5730a . a luxury, dainty, delight. Transliteration: eden
Phonetic Spelling: (ay'-den) Short Definition:delicate.delicate, delight, pleasure...
8588. taanug -- daintiness, luxury, exquisite delight
...delicate, delight, pleasant. Or taanug {tah-an-oog'}; and (feminine) taeanugah
{tah-ah-oog-aw'}; from anag; luxury --delicate, delight, pleasant....
Library
Continues the Same Subject: Explains the Prayer of Union by a...
... CONTINUES THE SAME SUBJECT: EXPLAINS THE PRAYER OF UNION BY ADELICATE
COMPARISON AND SPEAKS OF THE EFFECTS IT LEAVES UPON THE SOUL....
It is Admitted, one May Hope, that Common Things are Never...
... Or to take another obvious instance: the jokes about a mother-in-law are scarcely
delicate, but the problem of a mother-in-law is extremelydelicate....
The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
... In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific pen and fertile imagination
of Bunyan, in which he uses terms that, in thisdelicate and refined age...
Sober Thinking
... Paul does so here, led by thedelicate perception which comes from a loving heart,
compared with which deliberate 'tact' is cold and clumsy....
Whether Effeminacy* is Opposed to Perseverance? [*Mollities...
... Objection 2: Further, the Philosopher says (Ethic. vii, 7) that "delicacy is a kind
of effeminacy." But to bedelicate seems akin to intemperance....
Port of Spain
... Here passes an old Coolie Hindoo, with nothing on but his lungee round his loins,
and a scarf over his head; a white- bearded,delicate-featured old gentleman...
Letter of Martin Luther to Pope Leo X.
... deceivers. In the opinion of thosedelicate-eared persons, nothing could
be more bitter or intemperate than Paul's language. What...
David's Strength
... David was not likely to have been a man of brute gigantic strength. So
delicate a brain was probably coupled to adelicate body....
The Cure of Simon's Wife's Mother.
... It is an unlovely, an ugly, abhorrent thing. The more true anddelicate the bodily
and mental constitution, the more must it recoil from pain....
Soul-Rest.
... It is said that down there the most fragile of frail anddelicate organisms grow
in safety.... There thedelicate graces of the Spirit thrive and luxuriate....
Thesaurus
Delicate (32 Occurrences)... 2. (a.) Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a
nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a
delicate dish;
delicate...Delicately (11 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (adv.) In adelicate manner. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia.DELICATE; DELICATELY. del'-i-kat, del'-i...
Dainty (7 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) That which is delicious ordelicate; a delicacy.... 6. (superl.) Nice;delicate;
elegant, in form, manner, or breeding; well-formed; neat; tender....
Refined (26 Occurrences)
... & pp) of Refine. 2. (a.) Freed from impurities or alloy; purified; polished; cultured;
delicate; as; refined gold; refined language; refined sentiments....
Delicacies (7 Occurrences)
... Genesis 49:20 Asher's bread is fat; he givesdelicate food for kings.... Proverbs
23:3 Have no desire for hisdelicate food, for it is the bread of deceit....
Bred (7 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:54 The man who is tender among you, and verydelicate, his eye shall
be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward...
Soft (36 Occurrences)
... or metal. 2. (superl.) Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth;delicate;
fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin. 3. (superl.) Hence...
Delicacy (1 Occurrence)
... 7. (a.) That which is alluring,delicate, or refined; a luxury or pleasure; something
pleasant to the senses, especially to the sense of taste; a dainty; as...
Tender (66 Occurrences)
... 9. (superl.) Easily impressed, broken, bruised, or injured; not firm or hard;
delicate; as, tender plants; tender flesh; tender fruit. 10....
Nice (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (superl.) Over scrupulous or exacting; hard to please or satisfy; fastidious
in small matters. 4. (superl.)Delicate; refined; dainty; pure....
Resources
Is it wrong for men to be effeminate or for women to be masculine? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is chivalry? Does the Bible instruct men to be chivalrous? | GotQuestions.orgWhen should a Christian try to correct another Christian? | GotQuestions.orgDelicate: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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