Bible Dictionary
EXCELLENCY
Greatness, majesty, glory, dignity, or preeminence. Depending on context, the biblical term may describe God’s majesty, a person’s pride, or something surpassing others.
Definition
Excellency denotes greatness, majesty, glory, dignity, preeminence, or surpassing quality. Depending on context, it may refer to honorable distinction, abundance, uplifted greatness, or pride.
Biblical Usage
The word is applied to God’s majesty and glory, to preeminence, and to the surpassing greatness of divine power and the knowledge of Christ. Some passages are better understood as pride, dignity, or majesty.
Historical Background
The term translates Hebrew words associated with rising, swelling, abundance, elevation, honor, beauty, and advantage. In the New Testament it represents ideas of surpassing greatness and preeminence.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ek'-se-len-si (ga-on, ga'awah; huperbole):</p><p>"Excellency" in the Old Testament is chiefly the translation of ga'on, "mounting," "swelling" (Ex 15:7; Job 37:4 the King James Version; Ps 47:4 the King James Version; Isa 13:19 the King James Version, etc.); ga'awah, rising, is thrice so rendered (De 33:26,29; Ps 68:34); se'eth, "rising" (twice) (Job 13:11 the King James Version; Ps 62:4 the King James Version); yether, "superabundance" (twice) (Ge 49:3 the King James Version; Job 4:21 the King James Version), and chadhar, "honor," "beauty," "majesty" (twice) (Isa 35:2); gobhah, "uplifted" (Job 40:10); yithron, "advantage" (Ec 7:12); si', "elevation" (Job 20:6, the Revised Version (British and American) "height"). In the New Testament huperbole, "surpassing," "a casting beyond," occurs (2Co 4:7, "that the excellency of the power may be of God," the Revised Version (British and American) "exceeding greatness"); huperoche, "a holding over" or "beyond," is translated "excellency" (1Co 2:1), and to huperechon, "the pre-eminence" (Php 3:8), "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ."</p><p>Instead of "excellency" the Revised Version (British and American) has "pride" (Isa 13:19; Eze 24:21), "majesty" (Job 37:4 and the American Standard Revised Version Job 13:11; 31:23), the American Standard Revised Version has "pre-eminence" (Ge 49:3,4), "glory" (Ps 47:4), "dignity" (Ps 62:4); for "the fat of lambs" (Ps 37:20), the English Revised Version has "the excellency of the pastures," with margin, "the fat of lambs"; the American Standard Revised Version retains the King James Version rendering with the English Revised Version in the margin; instead of "Doth not their excellency which is in them go away?" (Job 4:21), the Revised Version (British and American) has "Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?" margin, "Is not their excellency which is in them removed?"</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>