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רָצָה

𐤓𐤑𐤄

râtsâh

H7521 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To take pleasure in, to find favor with, to be pleased or satisfied with someone or something. Also conveys accepting or receiving favorably, often with regard to offerings, persons, or acts. In some contexts, indicates reconciliation, restoration of favor, or acceptance after estrangement—either between humans or between deity and humans.

Semantic Range

to be pleased with, to find favor, to accept favorably, to accept an offering, to accept a person, to restore to favor, to be reconciled, to show approval, to delight in

Root / Etymology

From the root רצה, which conveys the core idea of being pleased or finding favor. The verb form רָצָה develops from this root meaning, expressing the relational or affective state of pleasure, favor, or acceptance.

Historical & Contextual Notes

רָצָה appears in poetic, cultic, and narrative texts of the Hebrew Bible. In ritual contexts (especially in priestly literature), it commonly refers to the acceptance of a sacrificial offering (e.g., Leviticus 1:4, "that it may be accepted [רָצוֹן] for him"). More broadly, the term is used of a figure (human or divine) expressing pleasure or approval, such as a deity being pleased with an individual or a deed. It can also extend to describe pleasing someone or reconciling after a break in relationship. Post-exilic texts sometimes use רָצָה to express restoration of divine favor after a period of disfavor or exile (e.g., Isaiah 60:10, 2 Chronicles 36:21). The term is not limited to religious spheres, appearing in descriptions of human favor and in contexts of interpersonal approval. English translations often render רָצָה as 'accept,' 'please,' or 'delight,' but the nuance includes emotional, ritual, and relational dynamics underlying approval or restoration to favor. The semantic range is broader than a simple cognitive 'acceptance.' Compare with חָפֵץ (ḥāfēṣ, 'to desire, take pleasure in'), which can be more voluntative or emotive, while רָצָה more often emphasizes approval or acceptance after evaluation or reconciliation.

Translation Consistency

primary "accept" 24 occurrences

"Accept" naturally covers the dominant SILEX senses — receiving favorably (offerings, persons), restoring someone to favor, and showing approval. It reads naturally in English for both divine and human agents (e.g. God accepts an offering, God accepts/reconciles a person) while allowing contextual phrasing to convey stronger nuances like pleasure or delight where needed.

Alternatives (26 occurrences):
"pleased" (10x) "pleased with" (4x) "make satisfaction for" (2x) "show himself favorable" (1x) "pardoned" (1x) "desire" (1x) "desires" (1x) "who takes pleasure" (1x) "delights" (1x) "delights in" (1x) "delight" (1x) "seek favor" (1x) "when he delights" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be pleased with; specifically, to satisfy adebt; (be) accept(-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour(-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please(-ure), reconcile self.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

רצה (Ritseya) — to be pleased with, to accept, to take delight

Root רצה to be pleased, to find favor, to accept
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7519 רָצָא to be pleased
H7522 רָצוֹן in favor-of
H7525 רִצְיָא and Ritsyah
H8656 תִּרְצָה in Delight

Word Forms

38 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7521-21 תִּרְצֶ֑ה tiretseh HVqi2ms accept favorably she will be pleased you will be pleased 4
H7521-33 יֵרָצֶה֒ yeratseh HVNi3ms be accepted he will be accepted it will be accepted 4
H7521-37 יִרְצ֥וּ yiretsu HVqi3mp they are pleased they will be pleased they will accept 4
H7521-04 אֶרְצֶ֑ה eretseh HVqi1cs I accept I will be pleased I will accept 3
H7521-35 יִ֝רְצֶ֗ה yiretseh HVqi3ms he accomplishes he will be pleased he delights in 3
H7521-11 רָצָ֔ה ratsah HVqp3ms has accepted he was pleased he accepted 2
H7521-12 רָצָ֑/ם ratsam HVqp3ms/Sp3mp accepts them he accepted them he accepted them 2
H7521-13 רָצְתָ֥ה ratsetah HVqp3fs delights she was pleased is pleased 2
H7521-16 רְצֵ֣ה retseh HVqv2ms accept be pleased be pleased 2
H7521-20 רוֹצֶ֣ה rotseh HVqrmsa takes-pleasure the one who delights delights 2

Occurrences in Scripture

57 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7521-25 Genesis 33:10 וַ/תִּרְצֵֽ/נִי vatiretseni HC/Vqw2ms/Sp1cs and you have accepted me and you accepted me and you have accepted me
H7521-29 Leviticus 1:4 וְ/נִרְצָ֥ה veniretsah HC/VNq3ms it shall be accepted and he was accepted and it shall be accepted
H7521-33 Leviticus 7:18 יֵרָצֶה֒ yeratseh HVNi3ms it-will-be-accepted he will be accepted it will be accepted
H7521-33 Leviticus 19:7 יֵרָצֶֽה yeratseh HVNi3ms be accepted he will be accepted it will be accepted
H7521-33 Leviticus 22:23 יֵרָצֶֽה yeratseh HVNi3ms will it be accepted he will be accepted it will be accepted
H7521-34 Leviticus 22:25 יֵרָצ֖וּ yeratsu HVNi3mp they-will-be-accepted they will be accepted they will be accepted
H7521-33 Leviticus 22:27 יֵרָצֶ֕ה yeratseh HVNi3ms it shall be acceptable he will be accepted he will be accepted
H7521-21 Leviticus 26:34 תִּרְצֶ֨ה tiretseh HVqi3fs will enjoy she will be pleased it will accept
H7521-28 Leviticus 26:34 וְ/הִרְצָ֖ת vehiretsat HC/Vhq3fs and will enjoy and she made acceptable and it will be pleased
H7521-37 Leviticus 26:41 יִרְצ֥וּ yiretsu HVqi3mp they will accept they will be pleased they will accept
H7521-32 Leviticus 26:43 וְ/תִ֣רֶץ vetirets HC/Vqi3fs and-will-make-satisfaction-for and she will be pleased and it will make satisfaction for
H7521-37 Leviticus 26:43 יִרְצ֣וּ yiretsu HVqi3mp will-make-satisfaction-for they will be pleased they will make satisfaction for
H7521-21 Deuteronomy 33:11 תִּרְצֶ֑ה tiretseh HVqi2ms accept favorably she will be pleased accept favorably
H7521-18 Deuteronomy 33:24 רְצוּי֙ retsuy HVqsmsc favored accepted one accepted one
H7521-38 1 Samuel 29:4 יִתְרַצֶּ֥ה yiteratseh HVti3ms reconcile himself he will show himself favorable will he show himself favorable
H7521-36 2 Samuel 24:23 יִרְצֶֽ/ךָ yiretsekha HVqi3ms/Sp2ms accept you he will be pleased with you he will be pleased with you
H7521-10 Isaiah 40:2 נִרְצָ֖ה niretsah HVNp3ms is pardoned has been accepted is pardoned
H7521-13 Isaiah 42:1 רָצְתָ֣ה ratsetah HVqp3fs delights she was pleased is pleased
H7521-12 Jeremiah 14:10 רָצָ֔/ם ratsam HVqp3ms/Sp3mp accepts them he accepted them he accepted them
H7521-19 Jeremiah 14:12 רֹצָ֑/ם rotsam HVqrmsc/Sp3mp accept them one pleased with them accept them
H7521-05 Ezekiel 20:40 אֶרְצֵ֔/ם eretsem HVqi1cs/Sp3mp I-will-accept-them I will accept them I will accept them
H7521-04 Ezekiel 20:41 אֶרְצֶ֣ה eretseh HVqi1cs I-will-accept I will be pleased I will accept
H7521-30 Ezekiel 43:27 וְ/רָצִ֣אתִי veratsiti HC/Vqq1cs and I will accept and I was pleased and I will accept
H7521-12 Hosea 8:13 רָצָ֑/ם ratsam HVqp3ms/Sp3mp he accepts them he accepted them he accepted them
H7521-04 Amos 5:22 אֶרְצֶ֑ה eretseh HVqi1cs will I accept I will be pleased I will accept
H7521-07 Micah 6:7 הֲ/יִרְצֶ֤ה hayiretseh HTi/Vqi3ms will he be pleased? Will he be pleased? Will he be pleased?
H7521-27 Haggai 1:8 וְ/אֶרְצֶה veeretseh HC/Vqi1cs and I will be pleased I will be pleased and I will be pleased
H7521-08 Malachi 1:8 הֲ/יִּרְצְ/ךָ֙ hayiretsekha HTi/Vqi3ms/Sp2ms will he accept you will he accept you will he accept you
H7521-04 Malachi 1:10 אֶרְצֶ֥ה eretseh HVqi1cs I accept I will be pleased I will accept
H7521-06 Malachi 1:13 הַ/אֶרְצֶ֥ה haeretseh HTi/Vqi1cs should I accept will I be pleased should I accept
H7521-16 Psalms 40:14 רְצֵ֣ה retseh HVqv2ms be pleased be pleased be pleased
H7521-17 Psalms 44:4 רְצִיתָֽ/ם retsitam HVqp2ms/Sp3mp you favored them you were pleased with them you were pleased with them
H7521-37 Psalms 49:14 יִרְצ֣וּ yiretsu HVqi3mp they are pleased they will be pleased they will accept
H7521-24 Psalms 50:18 וַ/תִּ֣רֶץ vatirets HC/Vqw2ms then you consented and you were pleased and you were pleased
H7521-21 Psalms 51:18 תִרְצֶֽה tiretseh HVqi2ms you take pleasure she will be pleased you will be pleased
H7521-37 Psalms 62:5 יִרְצ֪וּ yiretsu HVqi3mp they desire they will be pleased they desire
H7521-09 Psalms 77:8 לִ/רְצ֣וֹת liretsot HR/Vqc to be pleased to be pleased with to be pleased with
H7521-14 Psalms 85:2 רָצִ֣יתָ ratsita HVqp2ms You have been pleased with you were pleased you have been pleased with
H7521-15 Psalms 102:15 רָצ֣וּ ratsu HVqp3cp have taken delight they were pleased they were pleased
H7521-16 Psalms 119:108 רְצֵה retseh HVqv2ms accept be pleased be pleased
H7521-35 Psalms 147:10 יִרְצֶֽה yiretseh HVqi3ms he desires he will be pleased he desires
H7521-20 Psalms 147:11 רוֹצֶ֣ה rotseh HVqrmsa takes-pleasure-in the one who delights the one who takes pleasure
H7521-20 Psalms 149:4 רוֹצֶ֣ה rotseh HVqrmsa takes-pleasure the one who delights delights
H7521-35 Proverbs 3:12 יִרְצֶֽה yiretseh HVqi3ms he-delights he will be pleased he delights in
H7521-01 Proverbs 16:7 בִּ/רְצ֣וֹת biretsot HR/Vqc when pleasing in being pleased in being pleased
H7521-22 Proverbs 23:26 תרצנה trtsnh HVqj3fp may they delight may they be pleased may they delight
H7521-35 Job 14:6 יִ֝רְצֶ֗ה yiretseh HVqi3ms he accomplishes he will be pleased he will accept
H7521-34 Job 20:10 יְרַצּ֣וּ yeratsu HVpi3mp shall seek to please they will be accepted will seek favor
H7521-26 Job 33:26 וַ/יִּרְצֵ֗/הוּ vayiretsehu HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3ms and He will accept him and he accepted him and he will accept him
H7521-03 Job 34:9 בִּ֝/רְצֹת֗/וֹ biretsoto HR/Vqc/Sp3ms that he should delight himself in his being pleased when he delights himself
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