Bible Dictionary

FREELY

Salvation • Both

Freely can mean without payment, willingly, or without restraint. Scripture speaks of God’s grace and salvation as freely given, offerings made freely, eating freely, and speaking openly.

Definition

Freely can mean without payment, willingly, spontaneously, or without restraint. It may describe a gift given for nothing, an offering made voluntarily, permission to eat without restriction, or speech delivered openly and boldly. It can also refer to spiritual freedom from bondage.

Biblical Usage

Scripture speaks of receiving and giving freely, being justified freely by grace, taking the water of life freely, offering willingly, eating freely, and speaking openly. It also uses the term for spiritual freedom and for a free person as opposed to a slave.

Historical Background

The supplied material distinguishes several underlying words for free, gratuitous, willing, and bold or unrestricted speech. It also notes that “drink freely” in one passage means to become drunk, rather than merely to drink without payment.

Historical Bible Dictionaries

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)

fre'-li (chinnam, nedhabhah; dorean parrhesiazomai):"Freely" occurs in three senses:ts two slightly different words. In 1Co 7:22 the word is apeleutheros, "a freeman," one who was born a slave and has received freedom. In this case it refers to spiritual freedom. He that was in bondage to sin has been presented with spiritual freedom by the Lord. In Re 6:15 the word is simply eleutheros, "a free man" as opposed to a slave.(1) Gratis, for nothing (Nu 11:5, chinnam, "for nought," "the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely," the Revised Version (British and American) "for nought"); Mt 10:8, dorean, "Freely ye have received, freely give," the Revised Version (British and American) omits "have"; Ro 3:24, "being justified freely by his grace"; 2Co 11:7, "I have preached to you the gospel freely," the Revised Version (British and American) "for nought"; Re 21:6; 22:17, "Take the water of life freely"; charizomai (Ro 8:32) is translated "freely give," ta charisthenta (1Co 2:12), "the things that are freely given," the American Standard Revised Version has "were" for "are."(2) Willingly, spontaneously: nedhabhah, "willing offering" (Ps 54:6, "I will freely sacrifice unto thee," the Revised Version (British and American) "with a freewill-offering"; Ho 14:4, "I will love them freely"); nadhabh, "to give willingly'' (Ezr 2:68, the Revised Version (British and American) "willingly offered"; compare 1:6); nedabh Aramaic (7:15; compare 7:13,16).(3) Without hindrance or restraint, 'akhal, "to eat" is rendered in Ge 2:16, "Thou mayest freely eat," the King James Version margin" Hebrew, eating thou shalt eat"; 1Sa 14:30, "if .... the people had eaten freely"; parrhesiazomai, "to speak freely, openly, boldly" (Ac 26:26, "Unto whom also I speak freely"); meta parrhesias, "with full speech" (Ac 2:29, "I may say unto you freely").Revised Version has "have drunk freely" for "well drunk" (Joh 2:10). The word is methusko, Pass. "to become drunk." Comparison with Lu 12:45; Eph 5:18; 1Th 5:7; Re 17:2, where the same word is translated the King James Version "made drunk," the Revised Version (British and American) "made drunken" (Mt 24:49; Ac 2:15; 1Co 11:21; Re 17:6, "drunken"), will show that the meaning is "drunk," which was the rendering of Tyndale and Cranmer; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) has cum inebriati fuerint; Plummer renders "have become drunk, are drunk."W. L. Walker

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