Bible Dictionary
REFUSE
Refuse formerly meant to reject or decline. In older Bible English it may therefore mean refusing something rather than unwanted waste.
Definition
Refuse formerly meant to reject, decline, or reject something. In older Bible English it therefore does not necessarily refer to unwanted waste.
Biblical Usage
The older sense explains later revisions in passages such as 1 Samuel 16:7, Ezekiel 5:6, 1 Timothy 4:4, and 1 Peter 2:7, where “refuse” means reject or decline.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>re-fuz': Formerly used with the additional meaning "reject," and hence, the change from the King James Version to the Revised Version (British and American) in 1Sa 16:7; Eze 5:6; 1Ti 4:4; 1Pe 2:7, etc.</p>