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es-teÌ„m´ (חש×ב, hÌ£aÌ„shabh; ἡγεÌομαι, heÌ„geÌomai): “To esteem†means sometimes simply “to think†or “reckonâ€; in other connections it means “to regard as honorable†or “valuable.†We have examples of both senses in the Bible. The word most often so translated in the Old Testament is hÌ£aÌ„shabh, meaning perhaps originally, “to bind,†hence, “combine,†“think,†“reckon†( the King James Version; , ; ; ). In we have the word in the higher sense, “We esteemed him not.†This sense is expressed also by ‛aÌ„rakh, “to set in array,†“in order†(, the King James Version “Will he esteem thy riches?†the English Revised Version “Will thy riches suffice?†margin “Will thy cry avail?†which the American Standard Revised Version adopts as the text); also by caÌ„phan, “to hide,†“to conceal†(, the King James Version “I have esteemed the words of his mouth,†the Revised Version (British and American) “treasured upâ€); kÌ£aÌ„laÌ„h, “to be light,†is translated “lightly esteemed†(, “I am a poor man, and lightly esteemedâ€), also kÌ£aÌ„lal, same meaning (, “They that despise me shall be lightly esteemedâ€). In the New Testament, heÌ„geomaı̄, “to lead out,†is used in the sense of “counting honorable,†etc. ( the Revised Version (British and American) “countingâ€; ; perhaps , but the Revised Version (British and American) has simply “accountingâ€); krıÌnoÌ„, “to judge,†is used in the sense of “to reckon†( twice); also logıÌzomai, “to reckon†(, the Revised Version (British and American) “accountethâ€); hupseÌ„loÌs, “high,†“exalted,†is rendered “highly esteemed†in the King James Version, but in the Revised Version (British and American) “exaltedâ€; exoutheneÌoÌ„, “to think nothing of,†is translated “least esteemed†( the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) “of no accountâ€).
The following changes in the Revised Version (British and American) are of interest: for “He that is despised and hath a servant, is better than he that honoreth himself and lacketh bread†(), “Better is he that is lightly esteemedâ€; for “Better is he than both they, which hath not yet been†(), “Better than them both did I esteem him,†margin “Better than they both is heâ€; for “Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay†(), “Ye turn things upside down!†(margin, “Oh your perversity!â€), “Shall the potter be esteemed (the English Revised Version “countedâ€) as clay,†etc. - in this connection a forcible assertion of the necessary possession of knowledge by the Creator of man.