What does ἀρέσκω (aréskō) mean in the Bible?
Ἀρέσκω means to please, satisfy, or act in a way found acceptable by another. Herod is pleased by a dance and makes a reckless promise, showing that pleasing a ruler may feed vanity and injustice.
Greek · G700
ἀρέσκω
To be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἀρέσκω G700
Pronunciation aréskō
What does ἀρέσκω (aréskō) mean in the Bible?
Ἀρέσκω means to please, satisfy, or act in a way found acceptable by another. Herod is pleased by a dance and makes a reckless promise, showing that pleasing a ruler may feed vanity and injustice.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀρέσκω (G700) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G700?
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include please (3), to please (3), he can please (2), pleased (2), [try to] please (1).
Where does ἀρέσκω (aréskō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 14:6. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (4), Romans (4), 1 Thessalonians (3), Galatians (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἀρέσκω means to please, satisfy, or act in a way found acceptable by another. Herod is pleased by a dance and makes a reckless promise, showing that pleasing a ruler may feed vanity and injustice. The Jerusalem congregation is pleased with a wise proposal that protects unity and service. Paul places the decisive contrast between life in the flesh, which cannot please God, and devoted concern for the Lord.
The verb does not define the standard of approval; the person pleased and the reason for approval must be named. Christian faithfulness is not indifference to others, yet it refuses to make human satisfaction the controlling measure when God's will is at stake.
How the Bible Uses It
Ἀρέσκω concerns approval or satisfaction. Its uses expose the difference between gratifying corrupt desire, reaching wise agreement, and living in a way acceptable to God.
- Matt.14.6
On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
Herod's pleasure becomes the setting for a rash oath and John's death, showing how a ruler's appetite can turn entertainment into injustice.
- Mark.6.22
When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
Mark includes the guests in the scene of approval, sharpening the social pressure surrounding Herod's destructive promise.
- Acts.6.5
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
The congregation receives the apostles' proposal favorably and chooses qualified servants, an example of corporate approval ordered toward justice and unity.
- Rom.8.8
Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.
Paul says flesh-governed people cannot please God because their mind resists His rule; the issue is spiritual allegiance, not personality.
- 1Cor.7.32
I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
Paul describes undivided concern for pleasing the Lord, while the chapter still honors marriage and its real obligations rather than creating a universal hierarchy of worth.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It please 3× Romans 8:8, Romans 15:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:4
to please 3× Romans 15:1, Galatians 1:10, 2 Timothy 2:4
he can please 2× 1 Corinthians 7:32, 1 Corinthians 7:33
pleased 2× Matthew 14:6, Acts 6:5
[try to] please 1× 1 Corinthians 10:33
I were still trying to please 1× Galatians 1:10
she can please 1× 1 Corinthians 7:34
she pleased 1× Mark 6:22
should please 1× Romans 15:2
that is pleasing 1× 1 Thessalonians 4:1
They are displeasing 1× 1 Thessalonians 2:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 14:6 ἤρεσεν to pleased Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 6:22 ἤρεσεν to she pleased Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 6:5 ἤρεσεν to pleased Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 8:8 ἀρέσαι to please Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Romans 15:1 ἀρέσκειν to to please Verb - Present Infinitive Active Romans 15:2 ἀρεσκέτω to should please Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 15:3 ἤρεσεν to please Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 7:32 ἀρέσῃ to he can please Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 7:33 ἀρέσῃ to he can please Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 7:34 ἀρέσῃ to she can please Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 14:6
Aligned rows 17
Books represented 8
Matthew 1 Mark 1 Acts 1 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 4 Galatians 2 1 Thessalonians 3 2 Timothy 1
Source forms
ἀρέσῃ 4x aresē 1 Corinthians 7:32, 1 Corinthians 7:33, 1 Corinthians 7:34, 2 Timothy 2:4
ἤρεσεν 4x ēresen Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:22, Acts 6:5, Romans 15:3
ἀρέσκειν 3x areskein Romans 15:1, Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1
ἀρέσαι 1x aresai Romans 8:8
ἀρεσκέτω 1x aresketō Romans 15:2
ἀρέσκοντες 1x areskontes 1 Thessalonians 2:4
ἀρεσκόντων 1x areskontōn 1 Thessalonians 2:15
ἀρέσκω 1x areskō 1 Corinthians 10:33
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 4x Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:22, Acts 6:5, Romans 15:3
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 4x 1 Corinthians 7:32, 1 Corinthians 7:33, 1 Corinthians 7:34, 2 Timothy 2:4
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 3x Romans 15:1, Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x Romans 8:8
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x Galatians 1:10
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Romans 15:2
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 10:33
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural 1x 1 Thessalonians 2:15
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not make God's pleasure sound like a wage that purchases salvation; in Paul, acceptable living flows from belonging to Christ and walking by the Spirit.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that considering another person's good is always sinful people-pleasing.
- Do not treat group approval as proof of wisdom apart from Scripture, character, and the proposal's fruit.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Seeking to please others; in NT often implies accommodating their wishes rather than serving God's will.
Strong's G700
Lexical occurrences 17 verses Greek text appearances 17 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 17 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Source Gloss
to be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 14:6 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤρεσε hresen
I please, serve
Read verse Mark 6:22 Verb Aorist Active Participle Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀρεσάσης aresashv
I please, serve
Read verse Acts 6:5 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤρεσεν hresen
I please, serve
Read verse Romans 8:8 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
ἀρέσαι aresai
I please, serve
Read verse Romans 15:1 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἀρέσκειν. areskein
I please, serve
Read verse Romans 15:2 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
ἀρεσκέτω aresketw
I please, serve
Read verse Romans 15:3 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἤρεσεν, hresen
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:32 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
ἀρέσει aresei
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:33 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
ἀρέσει aresei
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:34 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
ἀρέσει aresei
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:33 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἀρέσκω, areskw
I please, serve
Read verse Galatians 1:10 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἀρέσκειν; areskein
I please, serve
Read verse Galatians 1:10 Verb First Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἤρεσκον, hreskon
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀρέσκοντες, areskontev
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 2:15 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀρεσκόντων, areskontwn
I please, serve
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἀρέσκειν areskein
I please, serve
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 17 Tenses Aorist, Present, Imperfect Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 4×
Aorist Active 1 Cor 7:32 · 1 Cor 7:33 · 1 Cor 7:34 · 2 Tim 2:4 4×
Indicative states a fact or reality 5×
Aorist Active Matt 14:6 · Acts 6:5 · Rom 15:3 3×
Present Active 1 Cor 10:33 1×
Imperfect Active Gal 1:10 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 4×
Present Active Rom 15:1 · Gal 1:10 · 1 Thess 4:1 3×
Aorist Active Rom 8:8 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 3×
Present Active 1 Thess 2:4 · 1 Thess 2:15 2×
Aorist Active Mark 6:22 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Present Active Rom 15:2 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 17 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 9 present 7 imperfect 1
Voice
active 17
Mood
indicative 5 subjunctive 4 infinitive 4 participle 3 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 14:6 ἤρεσεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 6:22 ἀρεσάσης aorist active participle participle Acts 6:5 ἤρεσεν aorist active indicative completed Romans 8:8 ἀρέσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Romans 15:1 ἀρέσκειν present active infinitive infinitive Romans 15:2 ἀρεσκέτω present active imperative imperative Romans 15:3 ἤρεσεν aorist active indicative completed 1 Corinthians 7:32 ἀρέσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 7:33 ἀρέσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 7:34 ἀρέσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 10:33 ἀρέσκω present active indicative ongoing Galatians 1:10 ἀρέσκειν present active infinitive infinitive Galatians 1:10 ἤρεσκον imperfect active indicative background 1 Thessalonians 2:15 ἀρεσκόντων present active participle participle 1 Thessalonians 2:4 ἀρέσκοντες present active participle participle 1 Thessalonians 4:1 ἀρέσκειν present active infinitive infinitive 2 Timothy 2:4 ἀρέσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
seeking to be pleasing or agreeable to another person
being agreeable or acceptable in the sight of God and others
rendering service or being agreeable to those in authority
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 17 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀρέσκω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Approval reveals an authority structure. Herod's pleasure and the gaze of his guests help trap him inside a foolish promise, while Acts 6 shows a congregation pleased by a proposal that addresses neglected widows with Spirit-filled wisdom. Paul then directs the deepest question toward God. The flesh cannot please Him because it refuses His rule, but the Spirit reorients desire and obedience.
Pleasing the Lord is not a technique for earning adoption; it is the responsive aim of those who belong to Christ. Nor does loyalty to God excuse needless offense or neglect of people. Christian servants may seek a neighbor's good and welcome congregational agreement while refusing flattery, manipulation, or approval purchased through disobedience.
Anchor passage
Matt.14.6
Doctrinal connections
- Mark 6:17-29, corrupt pleasure and fear of the crowd
- Acts 6:1-7, Spirit-led wisdom and congregational agreement
- Romans 8:5-11, flesh, Spirit, and God's pleasure
- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, devoted concern for the Lord
- Galatians 1:10, serving Christ rather than seeking human approval
- Romans 15:1-3, pleasing the neighbor for edification
Ἀρέσκω normally takes the person pleased in the dative and may be qualified by an action or purpose. The construction identifies an audience but does not tell whether that audience's satisfaction is morally right.
From Old to New Testament
Israel is called to do what is right in the Lord's sight, while kings and crowds often reward what flatters them. Jesus perfectly pleases the Father and forms Spirit-led servants.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain