The meaning of Marvel; Marvelous in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
mar'-vel, mar'-vel-us (tamah, pala'; thaumazo, thaumastos): "To marvel" is the translation of tamah, "to wonder" (Genesis 43:33; Psalms 48:5, the Revised Version (British and American) "were amazed"; Ecclesiastes 5:8); of thaumazo, "to admire," "wonder" (Matthew 8:10, Matthew 8:27; Mark 5:20; John 3:7; Acts 2:7; Revelation 17:7 the King James Version, etc.); "marvel" (substantive) occurs in the plural as translation of pala', "to distinguish," figuratively, "to make wonderful" (Exodus 34:10, "I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought" (the Revised Version margin "created")); and of thaumastos (thauma) (II Corinthians 11:14).
"Marvelous" is the translation of pala', "marvelous works" (I Chronicles 16:12, I Chronicles 16:24; Psalms 9:1); "marvelous things" (Job 5:9; Job 10:16; Psalms 31:21; Psalms 118:23; Isaiah 29:14; Daniel 11:36; Zechariah 8:6, bis); "marvellously," pala' (Job 37:5; Habakkuk 1:5 twice (tamah), "regard and wonder marvelously," literally, "marvel marvelously"); thaumastos, "admirable," "wonderful," is translated "marvelous" (Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:9; Revelation 15:1, Revelation 15:3, etc.).
In Apocrypha we have "marvel" (Ecclesiasticus 11:13; 47:17; 2 Macc 1:22; 7:12); "marvelleth" (Ecclesiasticus 40:7; 43:18); "marvellous" (The Wisdom of Solomon 10:17; 19:8, etc., mostly thaumazo and compounds).
The Revised Version (British and American) has "wonder" for "marvel" (Revelation 17:7)' "the marvel" for a "marvellous thing" (John 9:30); "marvelled" for "wondered" (Luke 8:25; Luke 11:14); "marvelled at" for "admired" (II Thessalonians 1:10); "marveling" for "wondered" (Luke 9:43); "marvellous" for "wondrous" (I Chronicles 16:9; Psalms 105:2); "marvellous things" for "and wonders" (Job 9:10); "wonderful" for "marvellous" (Psalms 139:14); for "marvelled" (Matthew 9:8), "were afraid," and (Mark 12:17) "marvelled greatly" (different texts).
W. L. Walker
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