Bible Dictionary
BEHOOVE
To behoove means that something is necessary, required, or morally fitting. In the New Testament it may express a divinely ordained necessity or an obligation that one ought to fulfill.
Definition
To behoove means that something is necessary, required, or morally fitting. It can express a necessity established by God’s order or an obligation owed as a debt.
Biblical Usage
The New Testament uses the term for what must happen according to the order God has ordained and for what a person ought to do as a moral obligation.
Historical Background
The entry distinguishes the Greek dei, meaning “must” and expressing physical or divinely ordered necessity, from opheilo, meaning “ought” and expressing moral obligation.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>be-hoov': Used in the New Testament for two Greek words dei (Lu 24:26; Ac 17:3) and opheilo (Heb 2:17); the former referring to a physical, and the latter to a moral, necessity (Bengelon, 1Co 11:10). The former means "must," that is, it is required by the order which God has ordained; the latter, "ought," that is, it is required as a debt.</p>