Godliness, Godly
Godliness, Godly
godli-nes, godli (, eusebeia, , eusebes, , eusebos): In the Old Testament the word rendered godly in Psa 4:3; Psa 32:6 (, hasdh) is literally, kind, then pious (the Revised Version, margin renders it in the former passage, one that he favoreth). Sometimes in both the Old Testament and the New Testament a periphrasis is employed, of God, according to God (e.g. godly sorrow, 2Co 7:10). Godliness, as denoting character and conduct determined by the principle of love or fear of God in the heart, is the summing up of genuine religion. There can be no true religion without it: only a dead form (2Ti 3:5). The term is a favorite one in the Pastoral Epistles. The incarnation is the mystery of godliness (1Ti 3:16).
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Godliness, Godly
from eu, “well,” and sebomai, “to be devout,” denotes that piety which, characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him. This and the corresponding verb and adverb (see below) are frequent in the Pastoral Epistles, but do not occur in previous Epistles of Paul. The Apostle Peter has the noun four times in his 2nd Epistle, 2Pe 1:3,6,7; 2Pe 3:11. Elsewhere it occurs in Act 3:12; 1Ti 2:2; 1Ti 3:16; 1Ti 4:7,8; 1Ti 6:3,5,6,11; 2Ti 3:5; Tit 1:1. In 1Ti 6:3 “the doctrine which is according to godliness” signifies that which is consistent with “godliness,” in contrast to false teachings; in Tit 1:1, “the truth which is according to godliness” is that which is productive of “godliness” in 1Ti 3:16, “the mystery of godliness” is “godliness” as embodied in, and communicated through, the truths of the faith concerning Christ; in 2Pe 3:11, the word is in the plural, signifying acts of “godliness.”
denotes “the fear or reverence of God,” from theos, “god,” and sebomai (see No. 1), 1Ti 2:10. Cp. the adjective theosebes, “God-fearing,” Joh 9:31. In the Sept. Gen 20:11; Job 28:28.
Note: For eulabeia, “godly fear,” Heb 5:7; Heb 12:28 see FEAR, A, No. 3; for eulabeomai, “to reverence,” Heb 11:7 (“for His godly fear”) see FEAR, D, No. 2; for the verb eusebeo, “to show piety,” 1Ti 5:4; “to worship,” Act 17:23, see PIETY and WORSHIP.
akin to A, No. 1, denotes “pious, devout, godly,” indicating reverence manifested in actions; it is rendered “godly” in 2Pe 2:9. See DEVOUT.
denotes “piously, godly;” it is used with the verb “to live” (of manner of life) in 2Ti 3:12; Tit 2:12.
Notes: (1) In the following the word “godly” translates the genitive case of the noun theos, lit., “of God,” 2Co 1:12, AV, “godly (sincerity),” RV, “(sincerity) of God;” 2Co 11:2, “a godly jealousy,” lit., “a jealousy of God” (RV, marg.); 1Ti 1:4, RV, “a dispensation of God” (oikonomia, in the best mss.), AV, “godly edifying” (oikodome lit., “an edifying of, i.e., by, God”). (2) In 2Co 7:10, “godly (sorrow),” and in 2Co 7:9, 2Co 7:11, “after a godly sort,” are in all three place, lit., “according to God.” (3) In 3Jo 1:6, where the AV translates the adverb axios, with the noun theos, “after a godly sort,” the RV rightly substitutes “worthily of God.”