5543. chréstos
Strong's Lexicon
chréstos: Kind, good, useful, benevolent

Original Word: χρηστός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: chréstos
Pronunciation: khray-stos'
Phonetic Spelling: (khrase-tos')
Definition: useful, gentle, pleasant, kind.
Meaning: • Good, kind, benevolent, useful, virtuous, manageable, mild, pleasant.

Word Origin: Derived from χράομαι (chraomai), meaning "to use" or "to make use of."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • The Hebrew equivalent often associated with χρηστός is טוֹב (tov • Strong's Hebrew 2896), which means good, pleasant, or agreeable. This term is frequently used in the Old Testament to describe God's nature and the goodness He desires from His people. Another related Hebrew word is חֶסֶד (chesed • Strong's Hebrew 2617), which conveys loving-kindness, mercy, and faithfulness, reflecting the covenantal love of God towards His people.

Usage: • The term χρηστός is used in the New Testament to describe qualities of goodness, kindness, and moral excellence. It often refers to the character of God or the expected behavior of believers.

Context: • The Greek word χρηστός appears in several New Testament passages, emphasizing the moral and ethical attributes expected of Christians and the nature of God. In Romans 2:4, it is used to describe the kindness of God that leads to repentance: "Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?" (BSB). This highlights the benevolent aspect of God's character, which is intended to draw people towards transformation and renewal.

• In Ephesians 4:32, believers are exhorted to embody this quality: "Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you" (BSB). Here, χρηστός is associated with interpersonal relationships, urging Christians to reflect God's kindness in their interactions with others.

• The word also appears in 1 Peter 2:3, where it is used to describe the experience of God's goodness: "now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (BSB). This passage encourages believers to grow in their spiritual lives, having experienced the goodness of the Lord.

• The concept of χρηστός is integral to understanding the ethical teachings of the New Testament, where believers are called to mirror the character of God in their daily lives. It underscores the transformative power of divine kindness and the expectation that such kindness should be evident in the lives of those who follow Christ.

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5543 xrēstós (an adjective, derived from 5530 /xráomai, "to furnish what is suitable, useful") – properly, useful (serviceable, productive); well-fitted (well-resourced); useful (beneficial, benevolent). See 5544 (xrēstotēs).

On the spiritual plane, 5543 /xrēstós ("suitable, usefully kind") describes what God defines is kind – and therefore also eternally useful! "We have no adjective in English that conveys this blend of being kind and good at the same time" (M. Vincent).

["Xrestus ("useful, kindly") was a common slave-name in the Graeco-Roman world. It "appears as a spelling variant for the unfamiliar Christus (Xristos). (In Greek the two words were pronounced alike.)" (F. F. Bruce, The Books of Acts, 368).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
adjective from chraomai
Definition
serviceable, good
NASB Translation
easy (1), good (2), kind (2), kindness (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5543: χρηστός

χρηστός, χρηστη, χρηστόν (χράομαι), from Herodotus down, the Sept. for טוב;

1. properly, fit for use, useful; virtuous, good: ἤθη χρηστά, 1 Corinthians 15:33 ((Treg. χρηστά (but cf. Buttmann, 11)), see ἦθος, 2).

2. manageable, i. e. mild, pleasant (opposed to harsh, hard, sharp, bitter): of things, χρηστότερός οἶνος, pleasanter, Luke 5:39 (here T Tr text χρηστός; so WH in brackets) (of wine also in Plutarch, mor., p. 240 d. (i. e. Lacaen. apophtheg. (Gorgias 2); p. 1073 a. (i. e. de com. notit. 28)); of food and drink, Plato, de rep. 4, p. 438 a.; σῦκα, the Sept. Jeremiah 24:3, 5); ζυγός (opposed to burdensome), Matthew 11:30 (A. V. easy); of persons, kind, benevolent: of God, 1 Peter 2:3 (A. V. gracious) from Psalm 33:9 (); τό χρηστόν τοῦ Θεοῦ equivalent to χρηστότης (Winer's Grammar, § 34, 2), Romans 2:4; of men, εἰς τινα toward one, Ephesians 4:32; ἐπί τινα, Luke 6:35 (here of God; in both passages, A. V. kind).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
better, easy, gracious, kind.

From chraomai; employed, i.e. (by implication) useful (in manner or morals) -- better, easy, good(-ness), gracious, kind.

see GREEK chraomai

Forms and Transliterations
χρηστα χρηστά χρηστὰ χρηστοι χρηστοί χρηστον χρηστόν χρηστὸν χρηστος χρηστός χρηστὸς χρηστότερός χρηστού χρηστών chresta chrestà chrēsta chrēstà chrestoi chrestoí chrēstoi chrēstoí chreston chrestòn chrēston chrēstòn chrestos chrestós chrestòs chrēstos chrēstós chrēstòs
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 11:30 Adj-NMS
GRK: ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ
NAS: For My yoke is easy and My burden
KJV: my yoke [is] easy, and my
INT: yoke of me easy and the

Luke 5:39 Adj-NMS
GRK: Ὁ παλαιὸς χρηστός ἐστιν
NAS: The old is good [enough].'
KJV: The old is better.
INT: the old better is

Luke 6:35 Adj-NMS
GRK: ὅτι αὐτὸς χρηστός ἐστιν ἐπὶ
NAS: for He Himself is kind to ungrateful
KJV: he is kind unto the unthankful
INT: for he kind is to

Romans 2:4 Adj-NNS
GRK: ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: not knowing that the kindness of God
KJV: that the goodness of God
INT: that the kindness of God

1 Corinthians 15:33 Adj-ANP
GRK: φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί
NAS: company corrupts good morals.
KJV: communications corrupt good manners.
INT: corrupts character good companionships bad

Ephesians 4:32 Adj-NMP
GRK: εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί εὔσπλαγχνοι χαριζόμενοι
NAS: Be kind to one another,
KJV: be ye kind one to another,
INT: to one another kind tender-hearted forgiving

1 Peter 2:3 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἐγεύσασθε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος
NAS: you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
KJV: that the Lord [is] gracious.
INT: you did taste that [is] good the Lord

Strong's Greek 5543
7 Occurrences


χρηστὰ — 1 Occ.
χρηστοί — 1 Occ.
χρηστὸν — 1 Occ.
χρηστὸς — 4 Occ.

5542
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