H4574 H4574
dainties, delicacies, luxurious food
Refined or luxurious food, particularly that served in royal settings or enjoyed by the wealthy. The term appears in Jacob's blessing of Asher: 'his food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties' (Genesis 49:20). Agag the Amalekite king may have approached Samuel 'cheerfully' or 'delicately' (1 Samuel 15:32), though the text is difficult. Proverbs promises that disciplining a child will 'give delight to your soul' (Proverbs 29:17). Lamentations describes the reversal of fortune: those who once 'ate daintily' now perish in the streets (Lamentations 4:5).
Senses
1. sense 1 — Luxurious food or delicate living, associated with prosperity and often with royal settings. The cross-linguistic evidence shows some interpretive divergence: 'dainties/delicacies' (food) vs. 'cheerfully' (manner). Most contexts emphasize rich food as a symbol of blessing or wealth. Lamentations' reference to those who formerly ate delicacies now desolate demonstrates how judgment reverses social fortunes—what was once taken for granted becomes a memory of lost privilege. 4×
AR["أَطْعِمَةَ-", "الأَطْعِمَةَ-الشَّهِيَّةَ", "بِـ-تَنَعُّمٍ", "لَذَّاتٍ"]·ben["সুখে", "সুস্বাদু-", "সুস্বাদু-খাদ্য", "সুস্বাদু-খাবার"]·DE["Leckerbissen-eines", "[למעדנים]", "[מעדנים]", "cheerfully"]·EN["cheerfully", "delicacies", "delicacies-of-", "delights"]·FR["[למעדנים]", "cheerfully", "delicacies-de-", "מעדנים"]·heb["ל-מעדנים", "מעדנות", "מעדני", "מעדנים"]·HI["नरमत-से", "स्वादिष्ट-भोजन", "स्वादिष्ट-भोजन-", "स्वादिष्ट-वस्तुएं"]·ID["dengan-langkah-riang", "kelezatan", "makanan-lezat"]·IT["[למעדנים]", "cheerfully", "delicacies-di-", "delights"]·jav["alon-alon", "dhahar-enak", "kasengseman", "tedha-enak"]·KO["기쁘게", "기쁨들을", "진미들-을", "진미들을-"]·PT["alegremente", "delícias", "delícias-de", "iguarias"]·RU["изнеженно", "лакомства", "наслаждение", "яства-"]·ES["delicadamente", "delicias", "delicias-de", "manjares"]·SW["furaha", "kwa-furaha", "rafiki-ya-mfalme", "vyakula-vitamu"]·TR["lezzetler", "lezzetleri-", "lezzetliler", "sevinçle"]·urd["آرام-سے", "لذتیں", "لذیذ-خوراک", "لزیز-کھانے"]
Related Senses
H8081 1. oil (substance) (180×)H3196 1. wine (fermented grape juice) (141×)H1706 1. honey (54×)H4682 1. unleavened bread/cakes (53×)H2461 1. milk (42×)H8492 1. new wine / must (38×)H0400 1. food, nourishment (36×)G3631 1. wine (34×)H3978 1. food, nourishment (30×)H1314 1. spice / perfume / balsam (29×)H7416 1. pomegranate (fruit/ornament) (28×)H3323 1. fresh oil, olive oil (23×)H2964 1. prey, torn flesh (19×)H3899 2. food, sustenance (19×)G1033 1. food (17×)G5160 1. food (16×)H5561 1. spices, aromatic substances (16×)H0402 1. food, nourishment (14×)G2219 1. leaven (13×)H4478a 1. manna (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מַעֲדָן] n.[m.] dainty (food), delight;—only pl.;—מַעֲדַנֵּי מֶלֶךְ Gn 49:20 (poem) royal dainties; הָאֹכְלִים לְמַעֲדַנִּים La 4:5 those who ate (according to dainties) daintily; more gen. וְיִתֵּן מַעֲדַנִּים לְנַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ Pr 29:17 he shall give delight to thy soul (‖ וִינִיתֶ֑ךָ).—מַעֲדַנּוֹת, v. p. 588 and p. 772.