ἀρέσκω
aréskō
G700 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be pleasing or acceptable to someone, to please, to bring satisfaction or contentment. By extension, to act in a manner intended to gain another's approval or favor. In broader contexts, may carry the sense of conforming to someone's desires or will, sometimes with implications of accommodation or ingratiation. The core meaning is to please or to be pleasing.
Semantic Range
to please, to be pleasing or acceptable, to act so as to please, to accommodate, to ingratiate, to conform to another's desires or expectations, to render service that is acceptable
Root / Etymology
From the root ἀρεσκ-, which is cognate with ἁρμός (joint, fitting), possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to join, to fit.' The relationship to αἴρω is not direct; Strong's suggestion reflects a historical hypothesis rather than certain etymology. More likely, ἀρέσκω is related to the notion of 'fitting' or 'suiting.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ἀρέσκω primarily meant 'to please' or 'to be satisfactory,' used with a dative to indicate the person pleased (e.g., to be pleasing to someone). By the Hellenistic and Koine periods (including both the Septuagint and New Testament), the verb maintains this basic sense but can sometimes suggest acting to gain favor, especially when used in ethical or interpersonal contexts. In some passages, particularly in the Pauline letters, it can include the nuance of seeking to placate or accommodate others, sometimes contrasted with pleasing God (e.g., Gal 1:10: 'am I seeking to please people or God?'). English translations sometimes obscure these nuances by rendering it simply as 'please.' There is no direct connotation of entertaining or superficial flattery, though that can be contextually implied. The verb is distinct from terms implying joy or delight (e.g., εὐδοκέω) or deliberate flattery (e.g., κολακεύω). The sense of conforming to someone's will or desires—whether to serve, accommodate, or ingratiate—is contextually significant. In the LXX, ἀρέσκω can occasionally convey the sense of acceptable service or sacrifice (e.g., being pleasing to God), reflecting its broader semantic capacity for denoting acceptability as well as emotional pleasure.
Translation Consistency
The primary sense of G700 is to be pleasing or to cause pleasure/approval. "Please" is the most natural, common English verb that covers both being pleasing and acting to gain approval (pleases, pleased, pleasing). It matches the typical usage across contexts and is the most frequent rendering in the P2 data, so it ensures consistent, idiomatic translations for all forms of this lemma.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from αἴρω (through the idea of exciting emotion); to be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so):--please.
Root Family
ἀρέσκω (areskō) — to please, to be agreeable, to bring satisfaction
Word Forms
10 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G700-03 |
ἀρέσῃ | arese | V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
he may please | may please | he may please | 4 |
G700-04 |
ἀρέσκειν | areskein | V PRS ACT INF |
to please | to be pleasing | to please | 3 |
G700-09 |
ἤρεσεν | eresen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
pleased | he/she/it pleased | he/she/it pleased | 3 |
G700-06 |
ἀρέσκω | aresko | V PRS ACT IND 1P SG |
please | I please | I please | 1 |
G700-08 |
ἀρεσκόντων | areskonton | V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL |
pleasing | of those who are pleasing | of those who are pleasing | 1 |
G700-10 |
ἤρεσκον | ereskon | V IMPF ACT IND 1P SG |
I pleased | I was pleasing | I was pleasing | 1 |
G700-05 |
ἀρεσκέτω | aresketo | V PRS ACT IMP 3P SG |
please | let him be pleasing | let him be pleasing | 1 |
G700-07 |
ἀρέσκοντες | areskontes | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
pleasing | pleasing ones | pleasing ones | 1 |
G700-02 |
ἀρεσάσης | aresases | V AOR ACT PTCP GEN F SG |
having pleased | of a woman having pleased | having pleased | 1 |
G700-01 |
ἀρέσαι | aresai | V AOR ACT INF |
please | to please | to please | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
17 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G700-09 |
Matthew 14:6 | ἤρεσεν | eresen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
pleased | he/she/it pleased | he/she/it pleased |
G700-02 |
Mark 6:22 | ἀρεσάσης | aresases | V AOR ACT PTCP GEN F SG |
having pleased | of a woman having pleased | having pleased |
G700-09 |
Acts 6:5 | ἤρεσεν | eresen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
pleased | he/she/it pleased | it pleased |
G700-01 |
Romans 8:8 | ἀρέσαι | aresai | V AOR ACT INF |
please | to please | to please |
G700-04 |
Romans 15:1 | ἀρέσκειν | areskein | V PRS ACT INF |
to please | to be pleasing | to please |
G700-05 |
Romans 15:2 | ἀρεσκέτω | aresketo | V PRS ACT IMP 3P SG |
please | let him be pleasing | let him be pleasing |
G700-09 |
Romans 15:3 | ἤρεσεν | eresen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
please | he/she/it pleased | he/she/it pleased |
G700-03 |
1 Corinthians 7:32 | ἀρέσῃ | arese | V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
he may please | may please | he may please |
G700-03 |
1 Corinthians 7:33 | ἀρέσῃ | arese | V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
he may please | may please | he may please |
G700-03 |
1 Corinthians 7:34 | ἀρέσῃ | arese | V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG |
she may please | may please | she may please |