Topical Encyclopedia
The term "honorable" in the biblical context refers to qualities of integrity, respect, and moral uprightness that are esteemed by God and society. It is often associated with actions, character, and positions that reflect righteousness and virtue. The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings that highlight the importance of living an honorable life.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, the concept of honor is deeply rooted in the Hebrew culture and is often linked with the fear of the Lord and obedience to His commandments.
Proverbs 21:21 states, "He who pursues righteousness and loving devotion finds life, righteousness, and honor." This verse underscores the connection between living a life of righteousness and being regarded as honorable.
The patriarchs and leaders of Israel, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, are often depicted as honorable figures due to their faithfulness and obedience to God. For instance, David, despite his failings, is described as a man after God's own heart (
1 Samuel 13:14), highlighting the honor associated with his sincere devotion and repentance.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of being honorable is further expanded through the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.
Philippians 4:8 encourages believers to focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, which are all aspects of an honorable life: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things."
The apostle Paul often exhorts Christians to live honorably in their conduct and relationships. In
Romans 12:17 , he advises, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody." This instruction emphasizes the importance of maintaining an honorable reputation even in the face of adversity.
Honorable ConductHonorable conduct is characterized by honesty, integrity, and a commitment to doing what is right, even when it is difficult. The Bible frequently contrasts honorable behavior with dishonorable actions, urging believers to choose the former. In
1 Peter 2:12 , Peter writes, "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."
Honorable Positions and TitlesThe Bible also recognizes certain positions and titles as honorable, often due to the responsibilities and service associated with them. Elders and deacons in the early church, for example, were to be men of honorable character, as outlined in
1 Timothy 3:8-13. These roles required individuals to be "worthy of respect" and "sincere," reflecting the high standards expected of those in leadership.
ConclusionThe biblical concept of being honorable is multifaceted, encompassing personal integrity, righteous living, and the fulfillment of roles and responsibilities with dignity. It is a quality that is highly valued in Scripture and is seen as a reflection of one's relationship with God and commitment to His ways.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Worthy of honor; fit to be esteemed or regarded; estimable; illustrious.
2. (a.) High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation.
3. (a.) Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed to a just and proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair; as, an honorable motive.
4. (a.) Conferring honor, or produced by noble deeds.
5. (a.) Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem; to be commended; consistent with honor or rectitude.
6. (a.) Performed or accompanied with marks of honor, or with testimonies of esteem; an honorable burial.
7. (a.) of reputable association or use; respectable.
8. (n.) An epithet of respect or distinction; as, the honorable Senate; the honorable gentleman.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
HONORABLEon'-er-a-b'-l (kabhedh; euschemon): In the Old Testament "honorable" is for the most part the translation of kabhedh, properly, "to be heavy," "weighty" (Genesis 34:19, the Revised Version (British and American) "honored";Numbers 22:151 Samuel 9:6;Isaiah 3:5, etc.); kabhodh, "weight," "heaviness," etc., occurs inIsaiah 5:13; hodh, "beauty," "majesty," "honor" (Psalm 111:3, the Revised Version (British and American) "honor"); 'adhar, "to make honorable," "illustrious" (Isaiah 42:21, "magnify the law, and make it honorable," the Revised Version margin "make the teaching great and glorious"); yaqar}, "precious" (Psalm 45:9); nasa' panim, "lifted up of face" (2 Kings 5:1Isaiah 3:3;Isaiah 9:15); nesu phanim (Job 22:8, the Revised Version margin "he whose person is accepted"); euschemon, literally, "well fashioned," is translatedMark 15:43, the King James Version "honorable," the Revised Version (British and American) "of honorable estate"; compareActs 13:50;Acts 17:12; endoxos, "in glory," occurs1 Corinthians 4:10, the Revised Version (British and American) "glory"; timios, "weighty" (Hebrews 13:4, the Revised Version (British and American) "had in honor"); atimos, "without weight or honor" (1 Corinthians 12:23, "less honorable"); entimos, "in honor" (Luke 14:8), "more honorable."
The Revised Version (British and American) gives for "honorable" (1 Samuel 9:6), "held in honor"; for "Yet shall I be glorious" (Isaiah 49:5), "I am honorable"; "honorable" for "honest" (Romans 12:172 Corinthians 13:7Philippians 4:8, margin "reverend"); for "honestly" (Hebrews 13:18) the American Standard Revised Version has "honorably."
In Apocrypha we have endoxos translated "honorable" (Tobit 12:7, the Revised Version (British and American) "gloriously"); endoxos (Judith 16:21), timios (The Wisdom of Solomon 4:8), doxazo (Ecclesiasticus 24:12, the Revised Version (British and American) "glorified"), doxa (29:27, the Revised Version (British and American) "honor"), etc.
W. L. Walker
Greek
4586. semnos -- reverend, ie venerable, spec. serious... serious. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: semnos Phonetic Spelling:
(sem-nos') Short Definition:
honorable Definition: venerable,
honorable, grave
...2570. kalos -- beautiful, good
... Spelling: (kal-os') Short Definition: beautiful, good, worthy Definition: beautiful,
as an outward sign of the inward good, noble,honorable character; good...
2158. euschemon -- comely
... comely. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: euschemon Phonetic Spelling:
(yoo-skhay'-mone) Short Definition: comely,honorable Definition: (a) comely...
2567. kalodidaskalos -- a teacher of good
... Phonetic Spelling: (kal-od-id-as'-kal-os) Short Definition: a teacher of that which
is noble Definition: a teacher of that which is noble (honorable) and good....
511. anoteros -- higher
... higher. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: anoteros Phonetic Spelling:
(an-o'-ter-os) Short Definition: higher, to a morehonorable place, previously...
820. atimos -- without honor, dishonored
... prefix) and time Definition without honor, dishonored NASB Word Usage less (1),
lesshonorable (1), without honor (3). despised, without honor, lesshonorable....
1784. entimos -- valued, precious
... precious. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: entimos Phonetic Spelling:
(en'-tee-mos) Short Definition: precious, honored,honorable Definition: (held...
5092. time -- a valuing, a price
... Word Origin akin to tio (to value, honor) Definition a valuing, a price NASB Word
Usage honor (28),honorable use (1), marks of respect (1), precious value (1...
2903. kratistos -- strongest, noblest
... most excellent, noble. Superlative of a derivative of kratos; strongest, ie (in
dignity) veryhonorable -- most excellent (noble). see GREEK kratos....
5389. philotimeomai -- to love or seek after honor
... is (). 5389 ("aspiring for what ishonorable") refers to pursuing (devoting
oneself to) what has . Word Origin mid. from a comp....
Strong's Hebrew
3358. yaqqir --honorable, difficult... 3357, 3358. yaqqir. 3359 .
honorable, difficult. Transliteration: yaqqir
Phonetic Spelling: (yak-keer') Short Definition: difficult.
...3513. kabad -- to be heavy, weighty, or burdensome
... 1), grave (1), grew strong (1), harden (1), hardened (6), heavier (2), heavy (6),
held in honor (1), honor (17), honor you greatly (1),honorable (4), honored...
5375. nasa -- to lift, carry, take
... forget (1), forgive (8), forgiven (3), forgives (1), forgiving (2), found (3), grant
(1), granted (1), have (1), high (1), honor* (1),honorable* (3), incur (2...
3519. kabowd -- glorious
... 3518, 3519. kabowd. 3519a . glorious. Transliteration: kabowd Phonetic Spelling:
(kaw-bode') Short Definition: glorious. gloriously, glory,honorable...
6440. panim -- face, faces
... former times (2), formerly (14), forward (3), front (86), front line (1), gaze
(1), ground* (1), head (2), headlong (1), honor* (1),honorable* (3), humiliation...
3519b. kabod -- abundance, honor, glory
... Word Origin from kabad Definition abundance, honor, glory NASB Word Usage bosom
(1), glorious (8), glory (147), honor (33),honorable (1), honored (1), riches...
5057. nagid -- a leader, ruler, prince
... nagid {naw-gheed'}; from nagad; a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military
or religious; generally (abstractly, plural),honorable themes -- captain...
142. adar -- wide, great
... become glorious,honorable. A primitive root; to expand, ie Be great or (figuratively)
magnificent -- (become) glorious, honourable. 141, 142. adar. 143 ....
7336. razan -- to be weighty, judicious or commanding
... prince, ruler. A primitive root; probably to be heavy, ie (figuratively)honorable --
prince, ruler. 7335, 7336. razan. 7337 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
"Honorable," Therefore, "Is Marriage in All, and the Bed Undefiled...
... Section 8. "Honorable," therefore, "is marriage in all, and the bed
undefiled.? 8. "Honorable," therefore, "is marriage in all...
"I am Become anHonorable Man"
... Collects Money for the Poor; Visits the House of Lords; His Reasons for his Long
Life; "How is the Tide Turned;" Last Entries "I Am Become anHonorable Man"....
Honorable Submission
... CHAPTER VIIIHonorable Submission. There was a time when the Eastern part
of the United States looked upon San Francisco as the coming...
Nuremberg Sept. 15, 1530. To theHonorable and Worthy N. , My...
... Nuremberg Sept. 15, 1530. To theHonorable and Worthy N., my favorite lord and friend.
Grace and peace in Christ,honorable, worthy and dear Lord and friend....
As Concerning Purity of Body; Here Indeed a VeryHonorable Regard...
... Section 10. As concerning purity of body; here indeed a veryhonorable regard
seems to come? 10. As concerning purity of body; here...
Our Status.
... In this case he is dishonorable, but he is countedhonorable.... Tho he asserted a hundred
times, "I am anhonorable citizen," they would pay no attention to it....
Justification from Eternity
... our earthly relations. In order to do business on the floor of the exchange,
a trader must be anhonorable citizen. If convicted...
Third Sunday after Epiphany
... Take thought for thingshonorable in the sight of all men.18 If it be possible,
as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.19 Avenge not yourselves...
1 Cor. xii. 21
... For what is meaner than the foot? Or what morehonorable and more necessary than
the head?... Thus what in us is esteemed lesshonorable than our genital members?...
The Holy Spirit in Relation to the Father and the Son. ...
... thousand thousands and myriad myriads of angels, archangels, thrones, dominions,
principalities, powers: beside thee stand the two mosthonorable six-winged...
Thesaurus
Honorable (42 Occurrences)... 3. (a.) Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed to a just and
proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair; as, an
honorable motive.
...Included (17 Occurrences)
... (WEB). 2 Samuel 23:19 Wasn't he mosthonorable of the three?... 2 Samuel 23:23 He was
morehonorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the first three....
Renowned (15 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). 2 Samuel 23:19 Wasn't he mosthonorable of the three?... 2 Samuel 23:23 He
was morehonorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the first three....
Attained (20 Occurrences)
... (YLT). 2 Samuel 23:19 Was he not mosthonorable of three?... 2 Samuel 23:23 He was more
honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three....
Honest (34 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Decent;honorable; suitable; becoming.... 5. (v.)
To adorn; to grace; to honor; to make becoming, appropriate, orhonorable....
Attain (30 Occurrences)
... (DBY). 2 Samuel 23:19 Wasn't he mosthonorable of the three?... 2 Samuel 23:23 He was
morehonorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the first three....
Good (8348 Occurrences)
... 10. (superl.) Not blemished or impeached; fair;honorable; unsullied; as in
the phrases a good name, a good report, good repute, etc. 11....
Estate (40 Occurrences)
... Mark 15:43 there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a councillor ofhonorable estate, who
also himself was looking for the kingdom of God; and he boldly went in unto...
Esteem (25 Occurrences)
... es-tem' (chashabh; hegeomai): "To esteem" means sometimes simply "to think" or
"reckon"; in other connections it means "to regard ashonorable" or "valuable...
Rank (42 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 11:21 Of the three, he was morehonorable than the two, and was made
their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three. (See JPS NAS)....
Resources
What does the Bible say about reputation? | GotQuestions.orgIs being holy even possible, since only God is holy? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the prayer of Jabez? | GotQuestions.orgHonorable: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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