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: Kind, good, useful, benevolent
Meaning: useful, gentle, pleasant, kind.

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

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with "chréstos" is חֶסֶד (chesed), which is frequently translated as "lovingkindness" or "steadfast love."

Usage: The Greek word "chréstos" primarily conveys the idea of kindness, goodness, and benevolence. It is used to describe a quality of character that is gentle, pleasant, and morally good. In the New Testament, it often refers to the goodness and kindness of God, as well as the expected behavior of believers towards one another.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, virtues such as kindness and goodness were highly esteemed. The concept of "chréstos" would have resonated with early Christians as a counter-cultural call to embody the character of Christ in a society that often valued power and dominance. The term also carried connotations of being useful or serviceable, which aligns with the Christian call to serve others.

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); 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 (); τό χρηστόν τοῦ Θεοῦ equivalent to ἡ 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

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.