When the aim is to convey a quality such as generosity, learning, or forbearance, a verb can be used without confining attention to any one object. In context the listener infers a more enduring characteristic of the agent.
Yet indirect indication (kināyah) and ellipsis of an object are not identical. The former moves from an expression to an implied characteristic; the latter may require recovery of an object that remains part of the intended proposition.
This matters especially when analyzing praise poetry.