Pleasure

PLEASURE plezh'-ur (chephets, ratson; eudokia, hedone:

"Pleasure" is the translation of various Hebrew words, chiefly of chephets, "inclination," hence, "pleasure," "delight" (Job 21:21, "What pleasure hath he in his house?" the American Standard Revised Version "what careth he for"; Job 22:3, "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty?"; Psalms 111:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4; 12:1; in Isaiah 44:28; 46:10; 48:14; 53:10, it has the sense of will or purpose, "He shall perform all my pleasure," etc.); of ratson, "delight," "acceptance," "good will" (Ezra 10:11; Nehemiah 9:37; Esther 1:8; Psalms 51:18; 103:21, etc.); nephesh, "soul," "desire" is translated "pleasure" (Deuteronomy 23:24; Psalms 105:22; Jeremiah 34:16).

In the New Testament "pleasure" is the translation of eudokia, "good thought or will," "good pleasure" (Luke 2:14 the Revised Version margin; Ephesians 1:5,9; Philippians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:11 the Revised Version (British and American) "every desire of goodness," margin "Greek:

`good pleasure of goodness.' Compare Romans 10:1").

"To take pleasure or to have pleasure" is eudokeo (2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 10:6,8,38); eudokeo is once translated "good pleasure" (Luke 12:32, "It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom"); the neuter participle of dokeo, "to think," etc.--meaning "it seems good to me"--to dokoun, is translated "pleasure" (Hebrews 12:10, "after their pleasure," the Revised Version (British and American) "as seemed good to them"); hedone, "sweetness," "pleasure," occurs in Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3; 2 Peter 2:13 (referring to the lower pleasures of life); thelema, "wish," "will" (Revelation 4:11, the Revised Version (British and American) "because of thy will"); charis, "favor" (Acts 24:27; 25:9, the Revised Version (British and American) "favor"); spatalao "to live voluptuously" (1 Timothy 5:6, the Revised Version (British and American) "she that giveth herself to pleasure"); suneudokeo, "to think well with," "to take pleasure with others" (Romans 1:32, the Revised Version (British and American) "consent with"); truphao, "to live luxuriously" (James 5:5, the Revised Version (British and American) "lived delicately").

The verb "to pleasure" occurs in 2 Macc 2:27 as the translation of eucharistia, the Revised Version (British and American) "gratitude"; 12:11, ophelesein, the Revised Version (British and American) "to help."

W. L. Walker

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Bibliography Information

Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'PLEASURE'".  "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia".  1915.