### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Aramaic word **shᵉphar**, represented by `{{H8232}}`, corresponds to a root meaning to be beautiful. It is used to convey what is **acceptable**, what is **pleasing**, or what one may **think good**. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible, exclusively within the book of Daniel, often in the context of royal decisions and counsel.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its biblical usage, `{{H8232}}` is tied to the perspective of powerful rulers. In Daniel's appeal to King Nebuchadnezzar, he hopes his counsel will be **acceptable** to the king as a path to tranquility [[Daniel 4:27]]. The same king, after witnessing God's power, declares, "I **thought** it **good** to shew the signs and wonders" God had performed [[Daniel 4:2]]. Similarly, the decision to organize the kingdom under King Darius is described with the phrase, "It **pleased** Darius to set over the kingdom" an hundred and twenty princes [[Daniel 6:1]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related Aramaic words clarify the context in which something is considered acceptable or good:
* `{{H6925}}` **qŏdâm** (before; [idiom] I thought; [idiom] it pleased): This word is used idiomatically with `{{H8232}}` to form phrases like "it **pleased**" [[Daniel 6:1]] and "I **thought** it good" [[Daniel 4:2]], indicating a personal judgment or decision made by a king.
* `{{H4431}}` **mᵉlak** (advice; counsel): This word appears directly with `{{H8232}}` in Daniel's plea, "let my **counsel** be acceptable unto thee" [[Daniel 4:27]], highlighting that advice itself can be the object of what is found pleasing.
* `{{H6966}}` **qûwm** (appoint, establish, make, set (up)): This word often describes the action that follows a pleasing thought. After it "pleased" Darius, he proceeded "to **set**" princes over the kingdom [[Daniel 6:1]].
* `{{H2604}}` **chănan** (shew mercy, make supplication): Daniel’s counsel becomes acceptable by urging the king to break off sins by "shewing **mercy** to the poor" [[Daniel 4:27]], linking moral action to what is pleasing.
### Theological Significance
The conceptual weight of `{{H8232}}` is centered on authority and moral judgment.
* **Royal Prerogative:** The term is consistently used to express the will and judgment of a king. What is deemed "good" or "acceptable" is what aligns with the king's decision, whether in administration [[Daniel 6:1]] or personal conviction [[Daniel 4:2]].
* **Conditions for Acceptance:** In Daniel's counsel to Nebuchadnezzar, the path for his advice to be "acceptable" `{{H8232}}` is through righteousness `{{H6665}}` and mercy `{{H2604}}`. This suggests that true acceptability is tied to just and compassionate actions [[Daniel 4:27]].
* **Proclamation of Divine Acts:** The word is used when a human king decides it is "good" to declare the works of the "high God" [[Daniel 4:2]]. This connects a ruler's pleasure to the acknowledgment of a higher, divine authority.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H8232}}` is a specific Aramaic term that, while appearing infrequently, provides significant insight into the nature of royal authority and judgment in the book of Daniel. It defines what is considered good or acceptable from a position of power, whether it be a king's administrative decision, his response to divine wonders, or his reception of righteous counsel. The word illustrates the intersection of human will and the moral conditions that make an action truly pleasing.
TRV