Bible Lexicons

ἀρεστός [ ᾰ], ή, όν,

acceptable, pleasing, Semon. 7.46, Hdt. 1.119, Men. Epit. 71, Phld. Po. 1676.1, etc.; ἔμοιγε οὐκ ἀρεστά Hdt. 2.64; τῶν σῶν λόγων ἀ. οὐδέν S. Ant. 500, cf. OT 1096 (lyr.); τἀρεστὰ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς αἱρεῖσθαι Lys. 14.15; τὸ αἱρετὸν ἀρεστόν Chrysipp.Stoic. 3.9; οἴνου παρέχειν ἀρεστόν a sufficient quantity, IG 12(5).647.17 (Ceos); satisfactory, PSI 3.171.16 (ii B. C.); of persons, acceptable, approved, τινί X. Cyr. 2.3.7, SIG 577.58 (Milet., iii/ii B. C.), etc. Adv., ἑωυτῷ ἀρεστῶς quite to his own satisfaction, Hdt. 6.129; ἀ. τοῖς ναοποιοῖς IG 7.3073.52 (Lebad.); ὄχλοις ἀρεστῶς λέγειν Plu. 2.6b; ἐσθίειν ἀ. θεοῖς Arr. Epict. 1.13.1.

ἀρεστός, ἀρεστή, ἀρεστόν (ἀρέσκω), pleasing, agreeable: τίνι, John 8:29; Acts 12:3; ἐνώπιον τίνος, 1 John 3:22 (cf. ἀρέσκω, a.); ἀρεστόν ἐστι followed by an accusative with an infinitive it is fit, Acts 6:2 (yet cf. Meyer at the passage). (In Greek writings from (Sophocles) Herodotus down.)

ἀρεστός , -ή , -όν

(< ἀρέσκω ),

[in LXX for H3477, etc.;]

pleasing, agreeable (Hdt., Xen., and later writers; v. Cremer, 641 f; MM, s.v.): c. dat. pers., John 8:29, Acts 12:3; seq. ἐνώπιον , c. gen. (Bl., § 37, 1; 40, 7), 1 John 3:22; ἀρεστόν ἐστιν , c. acc et inf (El., § 69, 5; 72, 5), Acts 6:2.†

The adj. is very common. P Hib I. 51.4 (B.C. 245) πρι ]α ̣μενος ̣λάμβανε ἀρεστὰς ̣τ [ι ]μ ̣ω ̣ν ̣ ὑπογεγραμμένων, ";accept, if satisfactory, and buy at the prices below written"; (Edd.). P Grenf II. 24.14 (B.C. 105) παρεχέσθω (sc. τὸν οἶνον) μόνιμον καὶ ἀρεστὸν ἕως Ἀθὺρ α ̄, ";wine that will keep and be satisfactory till Athyr 1st."; P Amh II. 48.8 (B.C. 106) χορηγοῦντες κενώματα ἀρεστά, ";providing acceptable vessels"; (Edd.). In P Tebt II. 342.17 (late ii/A.D.) a pottery is described as λίθοις ἀρεστοῖς ἐξηρτισ (μένον), ";newly fitted with stones in good order"; : so .22, .25. Cf. Syll 522.17 (iii/B.C.) οἴνο [υ ] παρέχειν ἀρεστόν, and for the adverb Michel 456.15 ff. (ii/B.C.) ἀποδεδείχασιν οἱ ἐπιμεληταὶ τῆι βουλ [ῆι ] συντετελεσμένα πάντα τὰ ἔργα ἀρεστῶς, BGU IV. 1119.21 (B.C. 5) τὰ προσήκοντα ἔργα π ̣α ̣ν ̣τα καθ᾽ ὥρα [ν ] καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν ἀρεστῶς. The collocation of εὐάρεστος and δόκιμος in Romans 14:18 is closely paralleled in P Amh II. 89.8 (A.D. 121) τὸ (l. τὸν) δὲ ἀργυρικὸν φόρον δόκιμον ἄριστον (l. ἀρεστόν), if the editors’ certain emendation be accepted. So P Flor I. 1.6 (A.D. 153) ἀργύριον δόκιμον νομειτευόμενον ἀρεστόν : P Lond 938.6 (A.D. 225) (= III. p. 150), al.