Bible Encyclopedias
Marvel; Marvelous

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mar´vel , mar´vel - us ( תּמהּ , tāmah , פּלא , pālā' ; θαυμάζω , thaumázō , θανμαστός , thaumastós ): "To marvel" is the translation of tāmah , "to wonder" ( Genesis 43:33; Psalm 48:5 , the Revised Version (British and American) "were amazed"; Ecclesiastes 5:8 ); of thaumazō , "to admire," "wonder" (Matthew 8:10 , Matthew 8:27; Mark 5:20; John 3:7; Acts 2:7; Revelation 17:7 the King James Version, etc.); "marvel" (substantive) occurs in the plural as translation of pālā' , "to distinguish," figuratively, "to make wonderful" (Exodus 34:10 , "I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought" (the Revised Version margin "created")); and of thaumastos (thaúma ) (2 Corinthians 11:14 ).

"Marvelous" is the translation of pālā' , "marvelous works" ( 1 Chronicles 16:12 , 1 Chronicles 16:24; Psalm 9:1 ); "marvelous things" (Job 5:9; Job 10:16; Psalm 31:21; Psalm 118:23; Isaiah 29:14; Daniel 11:36; Zechariah 8:6 , bis ); "marvellously," pālā' (Job 37:5; Habakkuk 1:5 twice ( tāmah ), "regard and wonder marvelously," literally, "marvel marvelously"); thaumastos , "admirable," "wonderful," is translated "marvelous" (Matthew 21:42; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 15:1 , Revelation 15:3 , etc.).

In Apocrypha we have "marvel" (Sirach 11:13; 47:17; 2 Maccabees 1:22; 7:12 ); "marvelleth" (Sirach 40:7; 43:18 ); "marvellous" (The Wisdom of Song of Solomon 10:17; 19:8 , etc., mostly thaumazō and compounds).

The Revised Version (British and American) has "wonder" for "marvel" (Revelation 17:7 )' "the marvel" for a "marvellous thing" (John 9:30 ); "marvelled" for "wondered" (Luke 8:25; Luke 11:14 ); "marvelled at" for "admired" (2 Thessalonians 1:10 ); "marveling" for "wondered" (Luke 9:43 ); "marvellous" for "wondrous" (1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 105:2 ); "marvellous things" for "and wonders" (Job 9:10 ); "wonderful" for "marvellous" (Psalm 139:14 ); for "marvelled" (Matthew 9:8 ), "were afraid," and (Mark 12:17 ) "marvelled greatly" (different texts).