ratsa · accept, be pleased with

What it means

ratsa (רָצָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “accept, be pleased with”.

Receive with pleasure, accept; take delight in someone. Also pay off a debt.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To look on someone with pleasure.
2. To gladly receive an offering or someone.
3. To delight in; pay off a debt.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To receive with pleasure, to accept; to take pleasure in someone or something. It is said above all of YHWH, who accepts (or does not accept) a sacrifice or a person. Also to pay off a debt and, of the land, to enjoy its years of rest. Its noun is רָצוֹן (‘favor, will’, H7522).

• A sacrifice accepted or not accepted Leviticus 1:4Leviticus 7:18Leviticus 22:27
• YHWH takes pleasure in his people Psalms 149:4Psalms 147:11Psalms 44:3
• YHWH does not accept them Jeremiah 14:10Hosea 8:13
• “There I will accept them” Ezekiel 20:40Ezekiel 20:41
• The land will enjoy its Sabbaths Leviticus 26:34Leviticus 26:43

How we translate it

“Accept” with sacrifices and offerings (“accept” 10 times, “be accepted” 6, “accept them” 5); “take pleasure” or “be pleased” when the object is a person (“takes pleasure” 3, “pleased” 6). In Leviticus 26 the land “will enjoy its Sabbaths” (26:34) and the people “will accept {the payment for} their iniquity” (26:43).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• accept ×10
• take pleasure ×8
• be accepted ×6
• pleased ×6
• accept them ×5
• takes pleasure ×3
• Be pleased ×2
• You took pleasure ×2
• delights ×2
• will enjoy ×2
• others ×10

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×1
• Leviticus×11
• Deuteronomy×2
• 1 Samuel×1
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Chronicles×3
• 2 Chronicles×2
• Esther×1
• Job×4
• Psalms×13
• Proverbs×2
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×2
• Jeremiah×2
• Ezekiel×3
• Hosea×1
• Amos×1
• Micah×1
• Haggai×1
• Malachi×3

• Genesis 33:10

  And Jacob said, “No, please! If indeed I have found favor in your eyes, then take my gift from my hand, since I have seen your face as one sees the face of Elohim, and you have received me favorably.

• Leviticus 1:4

  He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make expiation for him.

• Leviticus 7:18

  And if any of the flesh of his sacrifice of peace is ever eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted; for the one who presents it, it shall not be credited to him; it shall be a repulsive thing, and the person who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

• Leviticus 19:7

  And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.

• Leviticus 22:23

  And an ox or a lamb that has a limb too long or stunted you may offer as a freewill offering, it, but for a vow it will not be accepted.

• Leviticus 22:25

  And from the hand of a foreigner you shall not present the food of your Elohim from any of these, for their damage is in them; there is a defect in them; they will not be accepted for you.”

• Leviticus 22:27

  “When a calf or a lamb or a kid is born, it shall be seven days under its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a fire offering to YHWH.

• Leviticus 26:34

  Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will cease and enjoy its Sabbaths.

• Leviticus 26:41

  I also walked with them in opposition and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and then they accept the payment for their iniquity,

• Leviticus 26:43

  But the land will be abandoned by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the payment for their iniquity, because, yes, because they rejected my rules and their soul loathed my statutes.

• Deuteronomy 33:11

  Bless, YHWH, his strength, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of those who rise up against him and of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.”

• Deuteronomy 33:24

  And of Asher he said, “Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favored one of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.

• 1 Samuel 29:4

  But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send back the man, and let him return to his place where you assigned him; he shall not go down with us into battle, so that he may not become to us an opponent in the battle. For with what could this fellow make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men?

• 2 Samuel 24:23

  All this Araunah gives, O king, to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May YHWH your Elohim accept you.”

• 1 Chronicles 28:4

  Yet YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever; for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

• 1 Chronicles 29:3

  Moreover, because I take pleasure in the house of my Elohim, I have a special treasure of gold and silver; I give it to the house of my Elohim, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house:

• 1 Chronicles 29:17

  I know, my Elohim, that you test the heart and take pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have offered willingly all these things; and now I have seen with joy your people who are present here offering willingly to you.

• 2 Chronicles 10:7

  They spoke to him, saying, “If you are good to this people and are pleased with them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants all the days.”

• 2 Chronicles 36:21

  to fulfill the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths; all the days of its desolation it ceased, to fulfill seventy years.

• Esther 10:3

  For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and pleasing to the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his offspring.

• Job 14:6

  look away from him that he may cease, until he takes pleasure, like a hired worker, in his day.

• Job 20:10

  His sons will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth.

• Job 33:26

  He prays to Eloah, and he is pleased with him, and he sees his face with acclamation, and he restores to the mortal his righteousness.

• Job 34:9

  For he has said, ‘It does not profit a man to take pleasure in Elohim.’

• Psalms 40:13

  Be pleased, YHWH, to deliver me; YHWH, hurry to my help.

• Psalms 44:3

  For not by their sword did they possess the land, and their arm did not save them, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your face, for you took pleasure in them.

• Psalms 49:13

  This is their way, of those who have folly, and of those after them who are pleased with their mouth. Selah.

• Psalms 50:18

  When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and with adulterers is your portion.

• Psalms 51:16

  For you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; in burnt offering you do not take pleasure.

• Psalms 62:4

  Only from his height they have resolved to push him down; they delight in lies; with their mouth they bless, but inwardly they curse. Selah.

• Psalms 77:7

  Will Adonai reject forever, and never again take pleasure?

• Psalms 85:1

  For the director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm. You took pleasure, YHWH, in your land; you brought back the captivity of Jacob.

• Psalms 102:14

  For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and her dust they pity.

• Psalms 119:108

  Accept, please, YHWH, the freewill offerings of my mouth, and teach me your rules.

• Psalms 147:10

  Not in the strength of the horse does he delight, nor in the legs of a man does he take pleasure.

• Psalms 147:11

  YHWH takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who await his loyal love.

• Psalms 149:4

  For YHWH takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

• Proverbs 3:12

  for whom YHWH loves he reproves, and as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

• Proverbs 16:7

  When YHWH is pleased with the ways of a man, even his enemies he makes to be at peace with him.

• Ecclesiastes 9:7

  Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, for already Elohim has been pleased with your works.

And 16 more times.