rē´z ' n , rē´z ' n - a - b ' 50 , rē´z ' n - ing ( יכח , yākhaḥ , etc.; λόγος , lógos , διαλογίζομαι , - ισμός , dialogı́zomai , - ismós , etc.): "Reason" with related terms, has a diversity of meanings, representing a large number of Hebrew and Greek words and phrases. In the sense of "cause" or "occasion" it stands in 1 Kings 9:15 for dābhār , "a word" (the Revised Version margin "account"), but in most cases renders prepositional forms as "from," "with," "because of," "for the sake," etc. As the ground or argument for anything, it is the translation of ta‛am (Proverbs 26:16 , the Revised Version margin "answers discreetly"), of yākhaḥ , as in Isaiah 1:18 , "Come now, and let us reason together" (compare Job 13:3; Job 15:3 ); in 1 Samuel 12:7 , the word is shāphaṭ , the Revised Version (British and American) "that I may plead," etc. The principal Greek words for "reason," "reasoning," are those given above. The Christian believer is to be ready to give a reason (logos ) for the hope that is in him (1 Peter 3:15 the King James Version). "Reason" as a human faculty or in the abstract sense appears in Apocrypha in The Wisdom of Solomon 17:12 ( logismós ); Ecclesiasticus 37:16, "Let reason (logos ) go before every enterprise," the Revised Version (British and American) "be the beginning of every work." In Acts 18:14 , "reason would" is literally, katá lógon , "according to reason"; in Romans 12:1 , for "reasonable (logikós ) service," the Revised Version (British and American) has "spiritual," and in the margin "Greek 'belonging to the reason.' " In the Revised Version (British and American) "reason," etc., occurs much oftener than in the King James Version (compare Leviticus 17:11; Deuteronomy 28:47; Judges 5:22; Job 20:2; Job 23:7 , etc.; Luke 3:15; Luke 12:17; Acts 17:17 , etc.).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
But as with any writings of men, the careful student of the Bible must always compare them with Scripture. As you use this helpful study resource, remember that only God's word is pure.
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