Topical Encyclopedia
The term "graceful" is not directly found in the Bible; however, the concept of grace and its manifestations can be seen throughout Scripture. Grace, in a biblical sense, often refers to the unmerited favor of God towards humanity. When we consider "graceful," we can think of it as the outward expression of this divine grace in a person's life, characterized by elegance, kindness, and a spirit that reflects God's love and mercy.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, grace is often associated with God's favor and blessing upon individuals. For example, in
Genesis 6:8, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." This favor, or grace, is what set Noah apart and led to his salvation from the flood. The Hebrew word often translated as "favor" or "grace" is "chen," which conveys a sense of beauty and pleasantness, attributes that can be associated with being graceful.
Proverbs 11:16 states, "A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches." Here, the term "gracious" can be understood as embodying gracefulness, suggesting that a woman who is kind and elegant in her demeanor is honored, contrasting with the harshness of ruthless men.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of grace becomes more pronounced with the coming of Jesus Christ.
John 1:14 describes Jesus as "full of grace and truth." The grace of God is made manifest in the person of Jesus, who embodies the ultimate expression of divine favor and love. This grace is transformative, enabling believers to live lives that reflect God's character.
The Apostle Paul frequently speaks of grace in his epistles. In
Colossians 4:6, he advises, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Here, gracious speech can be seen as an aspect of being graceful, where one's words are kind, thoughtful, and edifying.
Spiritual ImplicationsA graceful life, in the Christian context, is one that mirrors the grace received from God. It involves living in a way that is pleasing to God and beneficial to others. This includes exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, as outlined in
Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." These attributes contribute to a life that is both graceful and grace-filled.
Practical ApplicationBelievers are called to be imitators of Christ, who is the epitome of grace. This involves cultivating a demeanor that is gentle, humble, and compassionate.
Ephesians 4:29 encourages, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Such behavior reflects a graceful spirit, one that seeks to uplift and encourage others.
In summary, while the Bible may not explicitly use the term "graceful," the concept is deeply embedded in the Christian life. It is the outward expression of the inward grace received from God, manifesting in actions, words, and attitudes that reflect His love and mercy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
a.) Displaying grace or beauty in form or action; elegant; easy; agreeable in appearance; as, a graceful walk, deportment, speaker, air, act, speech.
Greek
5487. charitoo -- to makegraceful, endow with grace... to make
graceful, endow with grace. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: charitoo
Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ee-to'-o) Short Definition: I favor, bestow freely
...Strong's Hebrew
2580. chen -- favor, grace... Origin from chanan Definition favor, grace NASB Word Usage adornment (1), charm
(1), charm* (1), charming* (1), favor (51), grace (8),
graceful (2), gracious (3
...Library
Hiram, the Inspired Artificer
... "Like some tall palm, thegraceful fabric grew,".... The decoration was equally
graceful and elaborate, especially upon the capitals....
Practical Hints for Speakers
... in the use of English are the simple, plain, exact, lucid, concise, trenchant, vigorous,
impressive, lively, figurative, polished,graceful, fluent, rhythmical...
The Surprise Party.
... When asked why they think so, they hardly know what to answer, but generally
speak of the music and thegraceful motions.". "Oh, Mama...
Introduction
... To be true, renderings can hardly begraceful, and they must lack much of the literary
charm which attaches itself to productions which are more untrammelled....
January 10. "Charity Doth not Behave Itself Unseemly" (I. Cor....
... xiii.5). In the dress of a Hindu woman, hergraceful robe is fastened upon
her person entirely by means of a single knot. The long...
Grace
... And they meant by it just what we mean, when we talk of agraceful person, or a
graceful tree or flower; and what we mean, too, when we say that any one is...
The Next Morning Dawned with all the Strange Half Mystical Glow of...
... She, who seemed by hergraceful mignonne fascinations and elegant toilettes, just
a butterfly of fashion and no more, was truly of a dreamy and poetic nature...
Felicitous Phrases
... barbarous, shapeless, and irregular. beautiful,graceful, and accomplished. beggar,
thief, and impostor.... erect, elastic, andgraceful. error, ignorance, and strife...
Introduction
... Dr. Littledale's renderings"which are, needless to say, very true"are in most cases
graceful and winning, and do not deserve the neglect which they have...
Composition and Style
... whirled about, dart through the air with the best effect; and in managing a bow
and arrow, is not the beauty of the attitude as much moregraceful as the aim...
Thesaurus
Graceful (6 Occurrences)... (a.) Displaying grace or beauty in form or action; elegant; easy; agreeable in
appearance; as, a
graceful walk, deportment, speaker, air, act, speech.
...Ungraceful (1 Occurrence)
... (a.) Notgraceful; not marked with ease and dignity; deficient in beauty and elegance;
inelegant; awkward; as, ungraceful manners; ungraceful speech....
Gracious (106 Occurrences)
... his most gracious majesty. 2. (a.) Abounding in beauty, loveliness, or
amiability;graceful; excellent. 3. (a.) Produced by divine...
Lovely (19 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Proverbs 5:19 As a lovely hind and agraceful roe, let her breasts satisfy
thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love....
Gracefully (1 Occurrence)
Goodly (46 Occurrences)
... 1. (adv.) Excellently. 2. (superl.) Pleasant; agreeable; desirable. 3. (superl.)
of pleasing appearance or character; comely;graceful....
Greyhound (1 Occurrence)
... Egyptian monuments. Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) A slender,graceful breed
of dogs, remarkable for keen sight and swiftness. It is...
Wreath (21 Occurrences)
... pillars. (Root in KJV WBS YLT). Proverbs 1:9 For agraceful wreath 'are' they
to thy head, And chains to thy neck. (YLT NAS). Proverbs...
Flourish (26 Occurrences)
... and irregular motion. 5. (vi) To make ornamental strokes with the pen;
to writegraceful, decorative figures. 6. (vi) To execute...
Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)
... It is a "verygraceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts closely clad
with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful...
Resources
What does it mean that God makes our feet like the feet of a deer (Habakkuk 3:19)? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the leviathan? | GotQuestions.orgHow and when should we overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11)? | GotQuestions.orgGraceful: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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