Strong's Lexicon chréstos: Kind, good, useful, benevolent Original Word: χρηστός 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. 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 Originadjective from chraomai Definition serviceable, good NASB Translation easy (1), good (2), kind (2), kindness (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5543: χρηστόςχρηστός, 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); ὁ 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 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 chrēstòsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 11:30 Adj-NMSGRK: 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 Luke 6:35 Adj-NMS Romans 2:4 Adj-NNS 1 Corinthians 15:33 Adj-ANP Ephesians 4:32 Adj-NMP 1 Peter 2:3 Adj-NMS Strong's Greek 5543 |