Bible Dictionary: Liken

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (v.) To allege, or think, to be like; to represent as like; to compare; as, to liken life to a pilgrimage.

2. (v.) To make or cause to be like.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

LIKE; LIKEN; LIKENESS; LIKING

lik, lik'-n, lik'-nes, lik'-ing:

(1) As a noun, "like" in modern English is virtually obsolete, except in the phrase "and the like," which is not found in English Versions of the Bible. "The like," however, occurs in 1 Kings 10:20 parallel 2 Chronicles 9:19 2 Chronicles 1:12; Ezekiel 5:9; Ezekiel 18:10 (the Revised Version (British and American) "any one of these things"-the text is uncertain); 45:25:00; Joel 2:2; The Wisdom of Solomon 16:1 (the Revised Version (British and American) "creatures like those"); Sirach 7:12. "His like" is found in Job 41:33; Sirach 13:15; "their like" in Sirach 27:9. "And such like" (Galatians 5:21) is only slightly archaic, but "doeth not such like" (Ezekiel 18:14) is quite obsolete.

(2) As an adjective "like" is common in the King James Version in such combinations as "like manner" (frequently), "like weight" (Exodus 30:34), "like occupation" (Acts 19:25), etc. Modern English would in most cases replace "like" by "the same," as has been done in 1 Thessalonians 2:14 the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Romans 15:5 Philippians 2:2). So the Revised Version (British and American) has modernized the archaic "like precious faith" of 2 Peter 1:1 by inserting "a" before "like." The King James Version's rendering of 1 Peter 3:21, "the like figure whereunto," could not have been very clear at any time, and the Revised Version (British and American) has revised completely into "after a true likeness" (margin, "in the antitype").

(3) As an adverb "like" is used in Jeremiah 38:9, "He is like to die"; Jonah 1:4, "like to be broken." the Revised Version (British and American) could have used "likely" in these verses. Most common of all the uses of "like" is the quasi-prepositional construction in "He is like a man," etc. This is of course good modern English, but not so when "like" is enlarged (as it usually is in the English Versions of the Bible) into the forms "like to" (Daniel 7:5), "like unto" (very common), "like as" (Isaiah 26:17, etc.). These forms and the simple "like" are interchanged without much distinction, and the Revised Version (British and American) has attempted little systematizing beyond reducing the occurrences of "like as" (compare Matthew 12:13, and the American Standard Revised Version Isaiah 13:4 Jeremiah 23:29).

(4) The verb "like" has two distinct meanings, "be pleased with" and "give pleasure to." The latter sense occurs in Deuteronomy 23:16 (The King James Version, the English Revised Version), "in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best," and in Esther 8:8 Amos 4:5 the King James Version; Sirach 33:13 (the American Standard Revised Version has "pleaseth" in the three Old Testament passages). The other use of "like" belongs also to modern English, although in a much weakened sense. On account of this weakening, 1 Chronicles 28:4 the King James Version, "liked me to make me king" and Romans 1:28 the King James Version "did not like to retain God," have become in the Revised Version (British and American) "took pleasure in" and "refused to" (margin "did not approve"). It would have been better if Deuteronomy 25:7, 8, "like not to take," had been modified also into "hath no wish to take." From this use of "like" is derived liking in the modern sense in The Wisdom of Solomon 16:21, tempered itself to every man's liking" (the Revised Version (British and American) "choice"). In 1 Esdras 4:39, "All men do well like of her works" is a further obsolete use.

(5) Liken and "make like" are common. To be noted only is that, in Hebrews 7:3, "made like unto the Son of God," the sense really is "likened to," "presented by the writer with the qualities of." Likeness normally means "a copy of," but in Psalm 17:15 it means the actual form itself ("form" in the American Standard Revised Version, the English Revised Version margin); compare Romans 6:5; Romans 8:3 Philippians 2:7, and perhaps Acts 14:11. Closely allied with likeness" is an obsolete use of "liking" (quite distinct from that above) in Job 39:4 the King James Version the English Revised Version, "Their young ones are in good liking" Daniel 1:10, "see your faces worse liking." The meaning is "appearance," "appearing," and the American Standard Revised Version renders "their young ones become strong," "see your faces worse looking." Likewise varies in meaning from the simple conjunction "and" to a strong adverb, "in exactly the same way." the Revised Version (British and American) has made some attempt to distinguish the various forces (e.g. compare the King James Version with the Revised Version (British and American) in Luke 22:36; Luke 15:7; Luke 22:20). But complete consistency was not attainable, and in certain instances was neglected deliberately, in order to preserve the familiar wording, as in Luke 10:37, "Go, and do thou likewise."

Burton Scott Easton

Greek

3666. homoioo -- to make like
... to make like. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: homoioo Phonetic Spelling:
(hom-oy-o'-o) Short Definition: I make like, liken, compare Definition: I make ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3666.htm - 7k

3846. paraballo -- to throw beside
... arrive, cross over. From para and ballo; to throw alongside, ie (reflexively) to
reach a place, or (figuratively) to liken -- arrive, compare. see GREEK para. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3846.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

1819. damah -- to be like, resemble
... resemble NASB Word Usage alike (1), compare (3), compared (1), equal (1), gave parables
(1), imagine (1), intend (1), intended (2), like (9), liken (3), make ...
/hebrew/1819.htm - 6k

4911. mashal -- to represent, be like
... Denominative from mashal; to liken, ie (transitively) to use figurative language
(an allegory, adage, song or the like); intransitively, to resemble -- be(-come ...
/hebrew/4911.htm - 5k

7737a. shavah -- to agree with, be like, resemble
... resemble NASB Word Usage alike (1), commensurate (1), compare (1), compares (1),
composed (2), equal (1), interest (1), level (1), like (1), liken (1), make me ...
/hebrew/7737a.htm - 5k

Library

"But Whereunto Shall I Liken this Generation?"
... RELIGION. Sermon X. "But whereunto shall I liken this generation?". Matth.
xi.16.""But whereunto shall I liken this generation?". When ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon x but whereunto shall.htm

Chapter i.
... For thus He speaks: "Therefore, whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken [3] him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter i.htm

And He Set Forth to them Another Parable, and Said...
... and to what shall I liken it? ... [13, 14] [1217] And he set forth to them another
parable: [1218] To what shall I liken the kingdom of [15] God? ...
/.../hogg/the diatessaron of tatian/section xvii and he set.htm

The Sabbath
... Ps.92:4, 5. And the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah declares: "To whom then
will ye liken God? ... To whom then will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 29 the sabbath.htm

The Mustard Seed
... SEED. "And He said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? ... subject. Each is to
ask himself a question: How shall we liken the kingdom of God? ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 4 30-34 the mustard seed.htm

That we must Labour not with Words, but with Deeds.
... so, shall be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." [4584] Also in the same
place: "Every one who heareth my words, and doeth them, I will liken him to a ...
/.../cyprian/three books of testimonies against the jews/96 that we must labour.htm

Sabbath Healing. Mustard Seed and Leaven.
... and whereunto shall I liken it? 19 It is like unto a grain of mustard
seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxxxvii sabbath healing mustard seed.htm

On Daniel. Iii. Scholia on Daniel.
... of the spectacle of life was so false, and who admired the beauty of the mere sensible
colours, so to speak, in the picture set up to view, to liken the life ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on daniel iii scholia on.htm

Matt. x. 7, 8, 9
... 5. "But whereunto shall I liken this generation?" saith He, "It is like unto children
sitting in the market place, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xxxvii matt x 7.htm

The Godhood of God
... Such is the God of the Bible, the God who throws out the challenge, "To whom then
will ye liken God, or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?" (Is.40:18). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the godhood of god/the godhood of god.htm

Thesaurus

Liken (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (v.) To allege, or think, to be like; to represent as like; to compare; as,
to liken life to a pilgrimage. ... LIKE; LIKEN; LIKENESS; LIKING. ...
/l/liken.htm - 16k

Compare (22 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To represent as similar, for the purpose of illustration; to liken. ... Mark
4:30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? ...
/c/compare.htm - 14k

Whereunto (36 Occurrences)
... Whereunto (36 Occurrences). Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? ...
Mark 4:30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? ...
/w/whereunto.htm - 17k

Like (10728 Occurrences)
... 12. (v.) To liken; to compare. 13. (vi) To be pleased; to choose. 14. ... Had like, under
Like, a. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LIKE; LIKEN; LIKENESS; LIKING. ...
/l/like.htm - 14k

Likened (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Liken. Multi-Version Concordance
Likened (9 Occurrences). Matthew 7:24 Every one therefore ...
/l/likened.htm - 9k

Liking (2 Occurrences)
... condition. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LIKE; LIKEN; LIKENESS; LIKING.
lik, lik ... obsolete use. (5) Liken and "make like" are common. To ...
/l/liking.htm - 14k

Likeness (52 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) A comparison; parable; proverb. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LIKE;
LIKEN; LIKENESS; LIKING. ... (5) Liken and "make like" are common. ...
/l/likeness.htm - 29k

Equal (70 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Isaiah 40:25 "To whom then will you liken me? ... Isaiah 46:5 "To whom will
you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? ...
/e/equal.htm - 30k

Reign (468 Occurrences)
... Mark 4:30 And he said, 'To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile
may we compare it? (YLT). ... and to what shall I liken it? (YLT). ...
/r/reign.htm - 42k

Like-minded (5 Occurrences)
Like-minded. Likeminded, Like-minded. Liken . Noah Webster's Dictionary
(a ... WEB). Likeminded, Like-minded. Liken . Reference Bible.
/l/like-minded.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Liken (12 Occurrences)

Matthew 7:24 "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Matthew 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
(KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Mark 4:30 He said, "How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Luke 7:31 "To what then will I liken the people of this generation? What are they like?
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Luke 13:18 He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it?
(ASV DBY YLT)

Luke 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
(KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Isaiah 40:25 "To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Isaiah 46:5 "To whom will you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
(WEB KJV JPS DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 2:13 What shall I testify to you? what shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is great like the sea: who can heal you?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, You were likened to a young lion of the nations: yet you are as a monster in the seas; and you did break forth with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV)

Subtopics

Liken

Related Terms

Compare (22 Occurrences)

Whereunto (36 Occurrences)

Like (10728 Occurrences)

Likened (9 Occurrences)

Liking (2 Occurrences)

Likeness (52 Occurrences)

Equal (70 Occurrences)

Reign (468 Occurrences)

Like-minded (5 Occurrences)