Bible dictionaries
Lovely
What Bible dictionaries say about “Lovely”, one article after the other.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary & Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
Lovely - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)
LOVELY, a. luv'ly. Amiable; that may excite love; possessing qualities which may invite affection.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives - 2 Sam 1.
Matthew George Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary; Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language (1828)
The article in Easton + Webster 1828International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE 1915)
luv'-li ('ahabh, 'ahebh; prosphiles): "Lovely" occurs only 4 times. In 2Sa 1:23 it is the translation of 'ahebh, "to be loved" ("Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant (the King James Version margin "sweet") in their lives"), where it seems to mean "loving" or "lovable." Two other words are so translated in the Old Testament: machmadch, "desire" a "desirable thing" (So 5:16, "He is altogether lovely," that is, "lovable," "to be desired," literally, "all of him lovableness," or "desirableness"); `aghabhim "loves," or "charms" (Eze 33:32, "Thou art unto them as a very lovely song," the King James Version margin "a song of loves," the Revised Version margin "a love-song"; in 33:31 the same word is translated "much love," the King James Version margin "They make loves or jests"); in Php 4:8 we have prosphiles, "very lovely," or "lovable," "whatsoever things are lovely."
W. L. Walker
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia — James Orr, general editor and contributors; CrossWire SWORD module ISBE 2.2
The article in ISBE 1915