Admiration

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

In Scripture language, somewhat more is meant by those words than we annex to them, in our ordinary discourse. It is said, concerning the centurion's faith, ( Matthew 8:10) that Jesus marvelled at it. But if this be supposed to imply any surprise wrought on the mind of Christ, this would be a mistake, and a perversion of language. We may apply the words of the Lord upon another occasion, and say,"Because it is marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of the people, should it be also marvellous in mine eyes, saith the Lord of hosts?" ( Zechariah 8:6) The Hebrew word, in this instance, is the same as that given of Christ by the prophet, ( Isaiah 9:6) when he calls him Wonderful. Hence in like manner, the Lord is said to shew his marvellous loving kindness. ( Psalms 17:7) So that it is marvellous, and it is to the admiration of his people and of all that look on, when the Lord by his grace distinguisheth them from others. They are men wondered at, ( Zechariah 3:8) In this sense, the Lord Jesus admired and praised, it may be said, by the notice he took of it, the faith of the centurion, and the faith of the woman of Canaan. ( Matthew 15:28)

King James Dictionary

ADMIRA'TION, n. Wonder mingled with pleasing emotions, as approbation, esteem, love or veneration a compound emotion excited by something novel, rare, great, or excellent applied to persons and their works. It often includes a slight degree of surprise. Thus, we view the solar system with admiration.

Very near to admiration is the wish to admire.

It has been sometimes used in an sense, denoting wonder with disapprobation.

Your boldness I with admiration see.

When I saw her I wondered with great admiration.  Luke 18 .

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

Is that passion of the mind which is excited by the discovery of any great excellence in an object. It has by some writers been used as synonymous with surprise and wonder; but it is evident they are not the same. Surprise refers to something unexpected; wonder, to something great or strange; but admiration includes the idea of high esteem or respect. Thus, we say we admire a man's excellencies, but we do not say that we are surprised at them. We wonder at an extraordinary object or event, but we do not always admire it.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) Wonder mingled with approbation or delight; an emotion excited by a person or thing possessed of wonderful or high excellence; as, admiration of a beautiful woman, of a landscape, of virtue.

(2): (n.) Wonder; astonishment.

(3): (n.) Cause of admiration; something to excite wonder, or pleased surprise; a prodigy.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Admiration . This word in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] means no more than wonder , as   Revelation 17:6 ‘I wondered with great admiration’ (RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘with a great wonder’).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ad - mi - rā´shun ( θαῦμα , thaúma , "a marvel" or "wonder"; θαυμάζω , thaumázō , "to wonder"): A term thrice used in the King James Version in the New Testament, to express a wonder that includes approval, high esteem; replaced in the Revised Version (British and American) by three renderings better suited to convey the various kinds of surprise, wonder, admiration, expressed, by this fertile word: namely, in  2 Thessalonians 1:10 , "to be admired," reads in the Revised Version (British and American) "to be marveled at"; in  Judges 1:16 "having men's persons in admiration" is rendered "showing respect of persons"; in   Revelation 17:6 "wondered with great admiration" is replaced by "with a great wonder." The Greek original is used frequently in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, to express marvel and wonder at the supernatural works of Jesus.