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Dance

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G3326

μετά

meta — with/after

μετά (before vowel μετ᾽; on the neglect of elision in certain cases, V. WH, App., 146 b), prep. with genitive, accusative (in poet, also with dative), [in LXX for אַחַד ,עִם ,אֵת, etc.]. I. C. genitive, 1. among, amid: Mrk.1:13, Luk.22:37 (LXX, ἐν) 24:5, Jhn.18:5, al.; διωγμῶν, Mrk.10:30. 2. Of association and companionship, with (in which sense it gradually superseded σύν, than which it is much more frequently in NT; cf. Bl., §42, 3): with genitive of person(s), Mat.8:11 20:20 Mrk.1:29 3:7 Luk.5:30, Jhn.3:22, Gal.2:1, al. mult.; εἶναι μετά, Mat.5:25, Mrk.3:14, al.; metaphorically, of divine help and guidance, Jhn.3:2, Act.7:9, Php.4:9, al.; opposite to εἶναι κατά, Mat.12:30, Luk.11:23; in Hellenistic usage (but see M, Pr., 106, 246f.), πολεμεῖν μετά = cl. π., with dative, to wage war against (so LXX for נִלְחַם עִם, 1Ki.17:33), Rev.2:16, al.; with genitive of thing(s), χαρᾶς, Mat.13:20, Mrk.4:16, al.; ὀργῆς, Mrk.3:5, al. II. C. accusative, 1. of place, behind, after: Heb.9:3. 2. Of time, after: Mat.17:1, Mrk.14:1, Luk.1:24, Act.1:5, Gal.1:18, al.; μετὰ τοῦτο, Jhn.2:12, al.; ταῦτα, Mrk.16:[12], Luk.5:27, Jhn.3:22, al; with inf. artic. (BL, §71, 5; 72, 3), Mat.26:32, Mrk.1:14, al. III. In composition, 1. of association or community: μεταδίδωμι, μετέχω, etc. 2. Exchange or transference: μεταλλάσσω, μετοικίζω, etc. 3. after: μεταμέλομαι. (AS)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3966

מְאֹד

me.od — much

adv 1) exceedingly, much subst 2) might, force, abundance n m 3) muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly 3a) force, might 3b) exceedingly, greatly, very (idioms showing magnitude or degree) 3b1) exceedingly 3b2) up to abundance, to a great degree, exceedingly 3b3) with muchness, muchness

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H4390

מָלֵא

ma.le — to fill

1) to fill, be full 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be full 1a1a) fulness, abundance (participle) 1a1b) to be full, be accomplished, be ended 1a2) to consecrate, fill the hand 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be filled, be armed, be satisfied 1b2) to be accomplished, be ended 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to fill 1c2) to satisfy 1c3) to fulfil, accomplish, complete 1c4) to confirm 1d) (Pual) to be filled 1e) (Hithpael) to mass themselves against Aramaic equivalent: me.la (מְלָא "to fill" H4391)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3519

כָּבוֹד

ka.vod — glory

1) glory, honour, glorious, abundance 1a) abundance, riches 1b) honour, splendour, glory 1c) honour, dignity 1d) honour, reputation 1e) honour, reverence, glory 1f) glory

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H7230

רֹב

rov — abundance

1) multitude, abundance, greatness 1a) multitude 1a1) abundance, abundantly 1a2) numerous 1b) greatness

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3499

יֶ֫תֶר

ye.ter — remainder

1) remainder, excess, rest, remnant, excellence 1a) remainder, remnant 1b) remainder, rest, other part 1c) excess 1d) abundantly (adv) 1e) abundance, affluence 1f) superiority, excellency

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GREEK · G1342

δίκαιος

dikaios — just

δίκαιος, -α, -ον (δίκη), [in LXX chiefly for צַדִּיק (for rendering of צַדִּיק in sense of correct, see Deiss., BS, 115 f.); sometimes for נָקִי as Pro.1:11, al. ;] in early Gk. writers (a) of persons, observant of δίκη, custom, rule, right, righteous in performing duties to gods and men ; (b) of things, righteous, in accordance with right. In NT 1. righteous, chiefly in the broad sense, as above, of the person or thing corresponding to the Divine standard of right (a) of persons: of God, Rom.3:26, 1Jn.2:29 Jn 3:7; of Christ, Act.3:14 7:52 22:14, 1Pe.3:18, 1Jn.2:1; of men, Mat.1:19 (Abbott, Essays, 75 f.) Mat.10:41 13:17, 43 13:49, Luk.1:6, 17, Rom.5:7, 1Ti.1:9, Jas.5:6, 1Pe.3:12, 1Jn.3:7, Rev.22:11, al.; δ. καὶ εὐλαβής, Luk.2:25; ἅγιος, Mrk.6:20; ἀγαθός, Luk.23:50; φοβούμενος τ. θεόν, Act.10:22; opposite to ἀμαρτωλοὶ καὶ ἀσεβεῖς, 1Pe.4:18; ἄδικοι, Mat.5:45, Act.24:15; δ. ἐκ πίστεως, Rom.1:17, Gal.3:11, Heb.10:38" (LXX) ; δ. παρὰ τ. θεῷ, Rom.2:13 (b) of things: ἔργα δ., opposite to πονηρὰ, 1Jn.3:12; ἐντολή, Rom.7:12; metaphorically, αἷμα, Mat.23:35; τὸ δ., Luk.12:57; δ. ἐστιν, Act.4:19, Eph.6:1, Php.1:7; ὅ, Mat.20:4; ὅσα, Php.4:8 2. In narrower sense (a) of persons, as in later cl. writers, just, rendering to each his due: Tit.1:8, 1Jn.1:9; δ. κριτής, 2Ti.4:8 (b) of things: τὸ δ., Col.4:1; δ., sc. ἐστιν, 2Th.1:6; κρίσις δ., Jhn.5:30; ὁδοί, Rev.15:3 SYN.: ἀγαθός (which see), καλός, χρηστός (Cremer, 183, 690). (AS)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H2459

חֵ֫לֶב

che.lev — fat

1) fat 1a) fat (of humans) 1b) fat (of beasts) 1c) choicest, best part, abundance (of products of the land)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H1995

הָמוֹן

ha.mon — crowd

1) murmur, roar, crowd, abundance, tumult, sound 1a) sound, murmur, rush, roar 1b) tumult, confusion 1c) crowd, multitude 1d) great number, abundance 1e) abundance, wealth

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H2342

חוּל

chul — to twist: tremble

: tremble/fear 1) to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to dance 1a2) to twist, writhe 1a3) to whirl, whirl about 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to dance 1b2) to writhe (in travail with), bear, bring forth 1b3) to wait anxiously 1c) (Pulal) 1c1) to be made to writhe, be made to bear 1c2) to be brought forth 1d) (Hophal) to be born 1e) (Hithpolel) 1e1) whirling (participle) 1e2) writhing, suffering torture (participle) 1e3) to wait longingly 1f) (Hithpalpel) to be distressed

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H2461

חָלָב

cha.lav — milk

1) milk, sour milk, cheese 1a) milk 1b) abundance of the land (metaph.) 1c) white (as milk)

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GREEK · G3936

παρίστημι

paristēmi — to stand by

παρ-ίστημι [in LXX for עָמַד, etc. ;] I. Transitive verb. in present tense., imperfect., future tense., 1 aorist.; 1. to place beside, present, provide: with accusative, Act.9:41 23:24, 2Co.4:14, Col.1:28; with accusative and dative, Mat.26:53, Luk.2:22, Act.1:3 23:33, 1Co.8:8; before accusative pred., Rom.6:13, 16 (late pres., παριστάνετε), Rom.6:19 12:1, 2Co.11:2, Eph.5:27, Col.1:22, 2Ti.2:15. 2. to present to the mind (cl.) : by argument, to prove (Xen., FlJ, al.), with accusative, Act.24:13. II. Intransitive. in perfect., pluperfect., 2 aorist.; 1. to stand by or beside one : with dative of person(s), Act.1:10 9:39 23:2 27:23; ptcp., Mrk.14:47, 69-70 15:35, 39 Jhn.18:22 19:26. 2. to appear: with nom. pred., before ἐνώπιον, Act.4:10; with dative of person(s), Act.27:24; so fut. mid. (of. LS, see word, B, ii, 2), Rom.14:10. 3. to be at hand, be present, have come: Act.4:26 (LXX); of servants in attendance, ἐνώπιον τ. θεοῦ, Luk.1:19; absol., οἱ παρεστῶτες, Luk.19:24; before αὐτῷ, Act.23:2, 4; of time, Mrk.4:29 4. to stand by for help or defence (Hom., Dem., Xen., al.): with dative of person(s), Rom.16:2, 2Ti.4:17.† (AS)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H8098

שְׁמַעְיָ֫הוּ

she.ma.yah — Shemaiah

A prophet living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.12.22 § Shemaiah = "heard by Jehovah" 1) a prophet of the Lord in the reign of king Rehoboam of Judah 2) the Nehelamite, a false prophet in the time of the prophet Jeremiah 3) father of Delaiah, one of the princes of Judah in the time of the prophet Jeremiah 4) an inhabitant of Kirjathjearim and father of Urijah, a prophet of the Lord in the time of the prophet Jeremiah 5) a Judaite, son of Shechaniah, father of Hattush, and descendant of Zerubbabel 6) a Simeonite, father of Shimri 7) a Reubenite, son of Joel and father of Gog 8) a Merarite Levite, son of Hasshub in the time of Nehemiah 9) a Levite, son of Galal and father of Obadiah 10) a Levite and head of the family of the sons of Elizaphan who were commissioned to bring the ark to Jerusalem in the time of David 11) a Levite and scribe, son of Nethaneel in the time of David 12) a Levite, 1st son of Obed-Edom in the time of David 13) a Levite, descendant of Jeduthun the singer in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah 14) a Levite, one of the messengers of Ezra to Iddo 15) a Levite in the time of king Jehoshaphat of Judah 16) a Levite, one of several in charge of distributing the free will offerings brought to God to their Levite brethren in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah 17) a Levite in the time of king Josiah of Judah 18) head of a family of exiles who returned with Ezra 19) a priest, of the sons of Harim who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra 20) an Israelite of the sons of Harim who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra 21) son of Delaiah, grandson of Mehetabeel, and a false prophet hired by Tobiah and Sanballat to give false guidance to Nehemiah 22) a priest who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah and participated in the dedication of the wall 23) a priest who returned from exile with Zerubbabel 24) a leader of the people at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah 25) grandfather of the priest Zechariah who participated in the dedication of the wall in the time of Nehemiah 26) another of the priests who along with 25 took part in the dedication of the wall in the time of Nehemiah

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GREEK · G4052

περισσεύω

perisseuō — to exceed

περισσεύω (περισσός), [in LXX: 1Ki.2:33 (מַרְבִּית), 1Ki.2:36 Ecc.3:19 (יָתַר ni., יוׄתֵר), Tob.4:16, Sir.10:27 11:12 19:24, Sir 30:38 (Sir.33:29), 1Ma.3:30 * ;] I. Prop., intrans., 1. of things, to be over and above the number (Hes.), hence, (a) to be or remain over: Mat.14:20 15:37, Luk.9:17, Jhn.6:12-13; (b) to abound, be in abundance: Mrk.12:44, Luk.12:15 21:4, Act.16:5, Rom.3:7 5:15, 2Co.1:5 8:2 9:12, Php.1:26. 2. Of persons, (a) to abound in, have in abundance: 1Co.14:12 15:58, Php.4:12, 18; with genitive, Luk.15:17 T; (b) to be superior or better, to excel: absol., 1Co.3:9 8:8; with dative ref., 2Co.3:9; before ἐν, Rom.15:13, 1Co.15:58, 2Co.3:9 8:7, Col.2:7; μᾶλλον, 1Th.4:1 4:10; μ καὶ μ., Php.1:9; πλεῖον, Mat.5:20. II. In late writers (Lft., Notes, 48 f.), trans., (a) to make to abound: with accusative before εἰς, 2Co.4:15 9:8, Eph.1:8; pass., Mat.13:12 25:29; with genitive of thing(s), Luk.15:17, WH; (b) to make to excel: with accusative of person(s), dative of thing(s), 1Th.3:12 (cf. ὑπερ-περισσεύω).† SYN.: πλεονάζω (AS)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H1767

דַּי

day — sufficiency

1) sufficiency, enough 1a) enough 1b) for, according to the abundance of, out of the abundance of, as often as

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H2287

חָגַג

cha.gag — to celebrate

1) to hold a feast, hold a festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate, dance, stagger 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to keep a pilgrim-feast 1a2) to reel

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3503

יִתְרוֹ

yit.ro — Jethro

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.18; father of: Zipporah (H6855) and Hobab (H2246); also called Reuel (KJV: Raguel) at Num.10.29; § Jethro = "his abundance" father-in-law of Moses; also 'Jether'

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3500

יֶ֫תֶר

ye.ter — Jether

A man living before Israel's Monarchy, only mentioned at Jdg.8.20; son of: Gideon (H1439); brother of: Abimelech (H0040H) and Jotham (H3147) § Jether = "abundance" 1) father-in-law of Moses 2) oldest son of Gideon 3) father of Jephunneh and the chief of a line of warriors of the line of Asher 4) father of Amasa, the commander of Absalom's army 5) son of Jada, a descendant of Hezron, of the tribe of Judah 6) a son of Ezra, a Judaite

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H7540

רָקַד

ra.qad — to skip about

1) to skip about 1a) (Qal) to skip about 1b) (Piel) to dance, leap 1c) (Hiphil) to make to skip

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H8458

תַּחְבֻּלָה

tach.bu.lah — counsel

1) direction, counsel, guidance, good advice, (wise) counsel 1a) direction, guidance 1b) counsel 1b1) good or wise counsel 1b2) of the wicked

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Historical dictionary entry

Found in Judg. 21:21, 23; Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Jer. 31:4, 13, etc., as the translation of hul, which points to the whirling motion of Oriental sacred dances. It is the rendering of a word (rakad’) which means to skip or leap for joy, in Eccl. 3:4; Job 21:11; Isa. 13:21, etc. In the New Testament it is in like manner the translation of different Greek words, circular motion (Luke 15:25); leaping up and down in concert (Matt. 11:17), and by a single person (Matt. 14:6). It is spoken of as symbolical of rejoicing (Eccl. 3:4. Comp. Ps. 30:11; Matt. 11: 17). The Hebrews had their sacred dances expressive of joy and thanksgiving, when the performers were usually females (Ex. 15:20; 1 Sam. 18:6). The ancient dance was very different from that common among Western nations. It was usually the part of the women only (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34; comp. 5:1). Hence the peculiarity of David’s conduct in dancing before the ark of the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14). The women took part in it with their timbrels. Michal should, in accordance with the example of Miriam and others, have herself led the female choir, instead of keeping aloof on the occasion and “looking through the window.” David led the choir “uncovered”, i.e., wearing only the ephod or linen tunic. He thought only of the honour of God, and forgot himself. From being reserved for occasions of religious worship and festivity, it came gradually to be practised in common life on occasions of rejoicing (Jer. 31:4). The sexes among the Jews always danced separately. The daughter of Herodias danced alone (Matt. 14:6).

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Dance in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →