ἀρέσκω G0700
To please or be pleasing to someone; to act so as to win favor or satisfy another's expectations.
In the New Testament, areskō describes the deliberate effort of making oneself agreeable to another, whether God or human beings. Paul draws a sharp line between pleasing God and pleasing people (Gal 1:10; 1 Thess 2:4), while in Rom 15:1-3 he urges believers to please their neighbors for their good. The word carries an active, volitional force — not merely being likable but purposefully seeking another's approval. Spanish 'agradar' and German 'gefallen' both capture this relational dynamic of acting to satisfy someone else.
Senses
1. please, be pleasing to — To cause satisfaction or delight in someone, to act in a way that wins favor or approval. The verb always implies intentional effort directed toward another party. In Rom 8:8 Paul insists that those in the flesh cannot please God, while in 1 Cor 7:33-34 he contrasts pleasing the Lord with pleasing a spouse. Cross-linguistically uniform: French 'plaire,' Spanish 'agradar,' German 'gefallen' all point to one consistent semantic core of seeking approval. 17×
AR["أن-أُرضِيَ","أَرْضَتْ","أَعْجَبَتْ","أَنْ-يُرْضُوا","أُرضي","تُرْضوا","تُرْضيَ","حَسُنَ","كُنتُ-أُرضي","لِيُرْضِيَ","مُرْضينَ","نُرْضِيَ","يُرْضونَ","يُرْضيَ","يُرْضِيَ"]·ben["আমি-সন্তুষ্ট-করতাম,","আমি-সন্তুষ্ট-করি;","খুশি-করল","পছন্দ-হল","সন্তুষ্ট-করছি","সন্তুষ্ট-করতে","সন্তুষ্ট-করতে?","সন্তুষ্ট-করতে।","সন্তুষ্ট-করবে","সন্তুষ্ট-করল","সন্তুষ্ট-করুক,","সন্তুষ্ট-করে।","সন্তুষ্ট-করেছিলেন;","সন্তুষ্টকারী"]·DE["gefallen","ἤρεσεν"]·EN["I-was-pleasing","he-may-please","he-might-please","let-please","please","pleased","pleasing","she-might-please","to-please"]·FR["plaire"]·heb["הִיטִיבָה","הָיִיתִי-מַחֲנִיף","יְרַצֶּה","יִמְצָא-חֵן","יִרְצֶה","יָשַׁר","לְהַחֲנִיף","לְהַנְעִים","לִרְצוֹת","מְרַצִּים","מָצְאָה-חֵן","מוֹצֵא-חֵן","רָצָה","תְּרַצֶּה"]·HI["अच्छा-लगा","प्रसन्न-करता-हूँ","प्रसन्न-करते","प्रसन्न-करते-हुए","प्रसन्न-करन","प्रसन्न-करन?","प्रसन्न-करना","प्रसन्न-करे","प्रसन्न-करे.","प्रसन्न-किय","प्रसन्न-किया","मैन-प्रसन्न-करत,"]·ID["aku-menyenangkan","hendaklah-menyenangkan,","menyenangkan","menyenangkan.","menyenangkan;"]·IT["piacere"]·jav["kedah-nyenengaken,","kula-damel-rena;","kula-ndadosaken-rena,","ndadosaken-mareming","ndadosaken-remen","ndadosaken-remèn","ndamel-renaning-penggalih","nglegakaken","nglegakaken,","nglegakaken;","ngremenaken.","ngremeni","nyenengaken.","nyenengaken;","supados-ndadosaken-rena?"]·KO["기뻘게-하리라","기쁘게-여겼다","기쁘게-하기를.","기쁘게-하기를?","기쁘게-하나니","기쁘게-하다","기쁘게-하라","기쁘게-하려는-자들로","기쁘게-함","기쁘게-했다","기쁘게-했다면,","기쁘시게-하기를","기쁘시게-하는"]·PT["agradando","agradar","agradar.","agradasse","agrade","agrade,","agrado;","agradou","agradou;"]·RU["для-","не-","но","понравилась","понравилось","угодила","угодить","угождал-бы","угождать","угождаю;","угождающие","угождающих"]·ES["agradando","agradar","agradara","agrade","agrado","agradó"]·SW["akampendeza","alimpendeza","ampendeze","kujipendeza.","kumpendeza","kuwapendeza","lilipendeza","mwenyewe;","na-ampendeze,","ninawapendeza;","ningewapendeza","ompendeza","ya-kumpendeza"]·TR["hoş-göründü","hoş-görünmeyi","hoş-görünsün","hoşnut ediyorum","hoşnut etsin","hoşnut-eden","hoşnut-etmek","hoşnut-etsin","hoşnut-etti","hoşuna-gitti","kocayı-","memnun-ediyordum","memnun-etmek"]·urd["خوش-کرتا","خوش-کرتا-ہوں","خوش-کرنا","خوش-کرنے-والے","خوش-کرے","خوش-کیا","پسند-آئی","پسند-آئے"]
Matt 14:6, Mark 6:22, Acts 6:5, Rom 8:8, Rom 15:1, Rom 15:2, Rom 15:3, 1 Cor 7:32, 1 Cor 7:33, 1 Cor 7:34, 1 Cor 10:33, Gal 1:10 (+5 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀρέσκω [ᾰ], imperfect ἤρεσκονRefs 5th c.BC+: future ἀρέσωRefs 4th c.BC+ (συν-) Refs 3rd c.BC+: aorist ἤρεσαRefs 5th c.BC+., etc., Epic dialect ἄρεσσαRefs 3rd c.BC+, infinitive ἀρέσαιRefs 8th c.BC+: perfect ἀρήρεκαRefs 1st c.AD+:—middle, future ἀρέσομαιRefs 4th c.BC+, Epic dialect ἀρέσσομαιRefs 8th c.BC+aorist ἠρεσάμην, Epic dialect ἀρ-Refs 8th c.BC+, Epic dialect participle ἀρεσσάμενοςRefs 8th…