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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Allow; Allowance
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a-lou´, a-lou´ans: The verb “to allow†is used in the King James Version to translate four different Greek words: (1) suneudokeÌoÌ„, “to approve together†(with others) (the Revised Version (British and American) “consent untoâ€), . (2) prosdeÌchomaı̄, “to receive to oneself,†“admit†(the Revised Version (British and American) “look for,†margin “acceptâ€); . (3) ginō̇skoÌ„, “to know,†“recognizeâ€: “That which I do, I allow not†(the Revised Version (British and American) “I know notâ€), i.e. “I do not understand what I am doing, my conduct is inexplicable to me†(Grimm-Thayer); . (4) dokimaÌzoÌ„, “to prove,†“approve.†“Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth†(the Revised Version (British and American) “approveth,†i.e. in practice), i.e. who is not troubled with scruples; . Thus the Revised Version (British and American) has removed the verb “allow†in each case in which it occurs in the King James Version, it being somewhat ambiguous in meaning (its original sense, as derived from Latin allocare, “to place,†“assign,†“grant,†being influenced by another word, Latin allaudare, “to praiseâ€). The noun “allowance†occurs in the sense of quantity of food allowed, in (King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American)) and the parallel passage (RV; “diet†in the King James Version).