Christian Pure

21 Bible Verses About Excellence, Including Daniel’s Excellent Spirit

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • Daniel is twice said to have “an excellent spirit”, in the queen’s words to Belshazzar (Daniel 5:12) and under Darius (Daniel 6:3), and the Aramaic word, yattir, means surpassing.
  • Philippians 4:8 uses arete, the Greek word the ESV translates “excellencies” in 1 Peter 2:9 and “virtue” in 2 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 1:3 applies it to God.
  • “Approve what is excellent” in Philippians 1:10 can also mean approving “the things that differ”, and Thayer’s lexicon records both readings.
  • Colossians 3:23 is addressed to bondservants: work done heartily is done “as for the Lord and not for men”.
  • Paul calls the way of love, described in 1 Corinthians 13, “a still more excellent way” than the gifts he lists in 1 Corinthians 12.

In the Bible, excellence describes God and the character and work he approves. Daniel is twice said to have “an excellent spirit” (Daniel 5:12; 6:3), Paul prays that the Philippians will “approve what is excellent” (Philippians 1:10), and Peter tells believers to “proclaim the excellencies” of God (1 Peter 2:9). Other passages describe excellent work without using the word: working “heartily, as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23) and the man “skillful in his work” (Proverbs 22:29). The Greek word behind…

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Bibliography (Click to show)

Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version.

Strong’s Greek 703, ἀρετή (arete): virtue, excellence, moral goodness; includes Thayer’s notes on Philippians 4:8, 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Peter 1:3, 5. biblehub.com/greek/703

Strong’s Aramaic 3493, יַתִּיר (yattir): excellent, surpassing, preeminent; used in Daniel 5:12, 5:14 and 6:3. biblehub.com/hebrew/3493

Strong’s Greek 1381, δοκιμάζω (dokimazo): to test, to prove, to examine, to approve; used in Romans 12:2 and Philippians 1:10. biblehub.com/greek/1381

Strong’s Greek 1308, διαφέρω (diaphero): to differ, to excel, to surpass; Thayer’s notes on Romans 2:18 and Philippians 1:10. biblehub.com/greek/1308

Strong’s Greek 4052, περισσεύω (perisseuo): to abound, to overflow, to excel; used in 2 Corinthians 8:7. biblehub.com/greek/4052

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