Hebrew word · H6149

עָרַב

te'erav

to please

To be sweet, pleasant, agreeable, acceptable. It is a rare word, used of things received with satisfaction. It is a different root from the identical-looking 'arav meaning 'to pledge / stand surety' (H6148) and from 'erev, 'evening'.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) (Qal) to be pleasant, be sweet, be pleasing

1a) (TWOT) sweet, pleasant

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 3:24

Range of meaning

To be sweet, pleasant, agreeable, acceptable. It is a rare word, used of things received with satisfaction. It is a different root from the identical-looking 'arav meaning 'to pledge / stand surety' (H6148) and from 'erev, 'evening'.

Against the English

'Sweet' (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV, NASB) is a good match. NLT's 'sleep soundly' gets the quality of the sleep but loses the sense of pleasure and delight.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jeremiah 31:26: 'my sleep was sweet to me' (ushnati 'arevah li), almost the same phrase. Malachi 3:4 and Jeremiah 6:20 use it of offerings that are (or are not) pleasing to God. Proverbs 13:19: 'desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul'. Psalm 104:34: 'may my meditation be pleasing to him'.

From the study of Jeremiah 31:26

Range of meaning

BDB lists this as a separate root (ʿārab III) from the identical-looking roots meaning "to pledge" or "to mix". It means to be sweet, pleasant or agreeable, to be welcome. It is used of sleep (Prov 3:24), of bread got by fraud that is sweet at first (Prov 20:17), of meditation pleasing to God (Ps 104:34), and of offerings acceptable to God (Jer 6:20; Mal 3:4; Hos 9:4).

Against the English

KJV and WEB have "sweet", ESV, NASB and NIV "pleasant", and BSB "most pleasant". "Sweet" keeps the sensory picture. "Pleasant" is accurate but flatter. BSB's "most" is an intensifier the Hebrew does not have.

Used elsewhere in the period

The parallel in Jeremiah 6:20 is close: "your sacrifices do not please me" (lōʾ-ʿārĕbû lî), the same verb with the same "to me". In Malachi 3:4 the restored offering of Judah "will be pleasing (wĕʿārĕbāh) to the LORD as in the days of old". The word belongs to the language of welcome and acceptance.

From the study of Psalm 104:34

Range of meaning

Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) separate several roots spelled ערב: to pledge, to mix, to become evening, and this one, to be sweet or pleasant. It is used of things that taste or feel good (sleep, stolen bread) and of offerings that are acceptable and pleasing to God.

Against the English

"Pleasing" (BSB, WEB-type renderings) is accurate but flat. "Sweet" (KJV, YLT, WEB) keeps the sensory, taste-like picture. Neither English word carries the sacrificial echo on its own.

Used elsewhere in the period

Of sleep: Jer 31:26 ("my sleep was sweet to me"), Prov 3:24. Of what deceives: Prov 20:17 ("bread gained by deceit is sweet"). Of worship: Jer 6:20 ("your sacrifices are not pleasing to me"), Hos 9:4 ("their sacrifices will not please him"), Mal 3:4 ("the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD"). The Greek Septuagint renders it hēdyntheiē, "may it be made sweet."

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 104:34 יֶעֱרַ֣ב may it be pleasing

    May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

    Here: A wish: "may it be sweet / may it go down well." The verb is used of sweet sleep and, importantly, of sacrifices that God accepts with pleasure, so the psalmist offers his words the way a worshipper offers a gift at the altar.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 3:24 וְֽעָרְבָ֥ה and it will be pleasing

    When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

    Here: 'And it will be sweet / pleasing.' Elsewhere the word is used of an offering God accepts with pleasure and of a wish that comes true. Here it means sleep that is agreeable and satisfying.

  2. Proverbs 13:19 תֶּעֱרַ֣ב <it> is pleasing

    Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.

    Here: 'Is sweet' or 'tastes pleasant.' It is a word for taste: sleep is 'sweet' in Proverbs 3:24, and an offering is 'pleasing' to God in Malachi 3:4. The fulfilment is pictured as something you savour.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 6:20 עָ֥רְבוּ they are pleasing

    What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”

    Here: 'They have not been sweet.' The word is used for what is pleasant to the senses or agreeable: sweet sleep, pleasing words. The form describes a settled state: they have not been, and are not, pleasing. After all the fragrance named in this verse, God says none of it is sweet to him.

  2. Jeremiah 31:26 עָ֥רְבָה it was pleasing

    At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.

    Here: "Was sweet" or "was pleasing." This verb is used for what is agreeable and welcome, such as sleep (Prov 3:24) or an offering God accepts (Jer 6:20; Mal 3:4). Here it says the sleep was good and restful.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 16:37 עָרַ֣בְתְּ you were pleasing

    therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked.

    Here: 'You were sweet / pleasing.' The form is feminine 'you', addressed to the woman Jerusalem. The phrase most likely means she made herself agreeable to them, or found them agreeable. The ancient Greek translators instead heard a look-alike verb meaning 'mix, mingle'.

Hosea · 1

  1. Hosea 9:4 יֶֽעֶרְבוּ־ they will be pleasing

    They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled. For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the house of the LORD.

    Here: Literally 'be sweet' or 'be agreeable'. It is the language of an offering God gladly accepts, as in Jer 6:20 and Mal 3:4. Here it is denied: nothing they offer will taste good to him.

Malachi · 1

  1. Malachi 3:4 וְעָֽרְבָה֙ and it will be pleasing

    Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone by.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.