Strong's Lexicon
charis: Grace, favor, kindness, blessing
Original Word:χάρις
Part of Speech:Noun, Feminine
Transliteration:charis
Pronunciation:khar'-ece
Phonetic Spelling:(khar'-ece)
Definition:Grace, favor, kindness, blessing
Meaning:(a) grace, as a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ, (b) favor, (c) gratitude, thanks, (d) a favor, kindness.
Word Origin:Derived from the Greek verb χαίρω (chairō), meaning "to rejoice" or "to be glad."
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries:The Hebrew equivalent often associated with "charis" is חֵן (chen), Strong's Hebrew 2580, which means favor or grace.
Usage:In the New Testament, "charis" primarily refers to the unmerited favor and kindness of God towards humanity. It encompasses the idea of divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration and sanctification. "Charis" is often associated with the concept of salvation, as it is by grace that believers are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8). It also denotes the graciousness of God in bestowing gifts and blessings upon His people, as well as the grace that believers are to extend to others.
Cultural and Historical Background:In the Greco-Roman world, "charis" was commonly understood as a favor or gift given without expectation of return, often to cement social bonds or express goodwill. In the New Testament, this concept is deepened and transformed to express the profound and unconditional love of God towards humanity, which is not based on human merit but on God's own character and purpose.
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 5485xáris (another feminine noun fromxar-, "favor, disposed to, inclined,favorable towards,leaning towards to share benefit") – properly,grace.5485 (xáris) is preeminently used of the Lord'sfavor – freelyextended to give Himself away to people (because He is "always leaning toward them").
5485/xáris ("grace") answers directly to the Hebrew (OT) term2580/Kaná ("grace,extension-toward"). Both refer to Godfreely extending Himself (His favor, grace),reaching(inclining) to people because He isdisposed to bless (be near) them.
[5485 (xáris) is sometimes rendered "thanks" but the core-idea is "favor,grace" ("extension towards").]
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. word
Definitiongrace, kindness
NASB Translationblessing (1), concession (1), credit (3), favor (11), gift (1), grace (122), gracious (2), gracious work (3), gratitude (1), thank (3), thankfulness (2), thanks (6).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5485: χάριςχάρις,
χάριτος, accusative
χάριν, and twice in
LTTrWH the rarer form
χάριτα (
Acts 24:27;
Jude 1:4) which is also poetic (cf. Alexander
Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. i. § 44 Anm. 1; (
WHs Appendix, 157{b};
Buttmann, 13 (12))), accusative plural
χάριτας (
Acts 24:27RG),
ἡ (
χαίρω), from
Homer down, Hebrew
חֵן,
grace; i. e.
1. properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight,sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech (Ecclesiastes 10:12; Sir. 21:16 Sir. 37:21;Homer, Odyssey 8, 175;τῶνλόγων,Demosthenes, 51, 9; 1419, 16;χάριτεςμωρῶν, verbal pleasantries which the foolish affect in order to ingratiate themselves, Sir. 20:13),λόγοιχάριτος (genitive of quality),Luke 4:22;χάρινδιδόναιτοῖςἀκούουσιν,Ephesians 4:29;ἐνχάριτι, with grace (the substantive,ἅλας being added; seeLightfoot),Colossians 4:6.
2.good-will, loving-kindness, favor: in a broad sense,χάριςπαράτίνι,Luke 2:52;ἔχεινχάρινπρόςτινα, to have favor with one,Acts 2:47;χάριςἐναντίοντινας,Acts 7:10; (χάρινκατάτίνοςαἴτεσθαιὅπως (which see II. 2),Acts 25:3 (but others refer this to 3 b. below));χάρις (of God)ἐστινἐπίτινα, attends and assists one,Luke 2:40;Acts 4:33;χάριν (χάριτα)χάριταςκατατίθεσθαιτίνι (seeκατατίθημι),Acts 24:27;Acts 25:9;favor (i. e. act offavoring (cf.Winer's Grammar, § 66 at the end)),2 Corinthians 8:4.χάρις is used of the kindness of a master toward his inferiors or servants, and so especially of God toward men:εὑρίσκεινχάρινπαράτῷΘεῷ,Luke 1:30;ἐνώπιοντοῦΘεοῦ,Acts 7:46;τοῦτοχάριςἐστιν, this wins for us (God's) favor (R. V.is acceptable),1 Peter 2:19; withπαράΘεῷ added,1 Peter 2:20;παραδεδομένοιτῇχάριτιτοῦΘεοῦ, to be committed or commended to the protecting and helping favor of God,Acts 14:26;Acts 15:40. The apostles and N. T. writers at the beginning and end of their Epistles crave for their readers the favor (`grace') of God or of Christ, to which all blessings, especially spiritual, are due:Romans 1:7;Romans 16:20, 24 (RG);1 Corinthians 1:3;1 Corinthians 16:23;2 Corinthians 1:2;2 Corinthians 13:13 (14);Galatians 1:3;Galatians 6:18;Ephesians 1:2;Ephesians 6:24;Philippians 1:2;Philippians 4:23;Colossians 1:2;Colossians 4:18;1 Thessalonians 1:1;1 Thessalonians 5:28;2 Thessalonians 1:2;2 Thessalonians 3:18;1 Timothy 1:2;1 Timothy 6:21 (22);2 Timothy 1:2;2 Timothy 4:22:Titus 1:4;Titus 3:15;Philemon 1:3, 25;Hebrews 13:25;1 Peter 1:2;2 Peter 1:2;2 Peter 3:18 (cf. 3 a.);2 John 1:3;Revelation 1:4;Revelation 22:21; cf. Otto, Ueber d. apostol. Segensgrussχάριςὑμῖν etc., in the Jahrbb. f. deutsche Theol. for 1867, p. 678ff. Moreover, the wordχάρις contains the idea ofkindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved:Romans 11:6; hence,κατάχάριν andκατάὀφείλημα are contrasted inRomans 4:4, 16;χάριτι andἐξἔργων inRomans 11:6;κατ'ἀκλογηνχάριτος,Romans 11:5; but the N. T. writers useχάρις pre-eminently of that kindness by which God bestow: favors even upon the ill-deserving, and grants to sinners the pardon of their offences, and bids them accept of eternal salvation through Christ:Romans 3:24;Romans 5:17, 20f; ();1 Corinthians 15:10;Galatians 1:15;Galatians 2:21;Ephesians 1:6,();f;Philippians 1:7;Colossians 1:6;2 Thessalonians 2:16;1 Timothy 1:14;2 Timothy 1:9;Hebrews 2:9 (hereTreg. marginal readingχωρίς);Hebrews 10:29;Hebrews 12:15;Hebrews 13:9;1 Peter 1:10;Jude 1:4;εὑρίσκεινχάριν,Hebrews 4:16;ἡχάριςτοῦΘεοῦἡσωτήριος,Titus 2:11;ὁλόγοςτῆςχάριτος, the message of his grace,Acts 14:3;Acts 20:32;τόεὐαγγέλιοντῆςχάριτοςτοῦΘεοῦ,Acts 20:24; it is styled 'the grace of Christ,' in that through pity for sinful men Christ left his state of blessedness with God in heaven, and voluntarily underwent the hardships and miseries of human life, and by his sufferings and death procured salvation for mankind: (Acts 15:11);2 Corinthians 8:9;Romans 5:15;Galatians 1:6; (Titus 3:7);John 1:14, 17.χάρις is used of "the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues":2 Corinthians 4:15;2 Corinthians 6:1;2 Thessalonians 1:12;οἱπεπιστευκότεςδιάτῆςχάριτος,Acts 18:27;ὑπόχάρινεἶναι,' to be subject to the power of grace, opposed toὑπόνόμονεἶναι,Romans 6:14f;τῆςχάριτοςἐξεπέσατε,Galatians 5:4;προσμένειντῇχαρη,Acts 13:43 (GLTTrWH);ἐπιμένειν, ibid.Rec.;ἐντῇχάριτι (RGWH text omit the article), prompted by grace,Colossians 3:16; the grace of God promoting the progress and blessings of the Christian religion,Acts 11:23; (prompting its possessors to benefactions,2 Corinthians 9:14); sustaining and aiding the efforts of the men who labor for the cause of Christ,1 Corinthians 15:10;2 Corinthians 1:12; the favor of Christ, assisting and strengthening his followers and ministers to bear their troubles,2 Corinthians 12:9.3.what is due to grace;
a.the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace, what the theologians call the 'status gratiae':ἑστηκεναιἐντῇχάριτι,Romans 5:2;εἰςτήνχάριν,1 Peter 5:12;αὐξάνεινἐνχάριτι,2 Peter 3:18;ἐνδυναμουσθαιἐντῇχάριτιτῇἐνΧριστῷ,2 Timothy 2:1.
b.a token or proof of grace,2 Corinthians 1:15 (A. V.benefit (WH textTr marginal readingχαράν, which see under b.));a gift of grace; benefaction, bounty: used of alms,1 Corinthians 16:3;2 Corinthians 8:6f, 19 (Sir. 3:29 (31);; 4 Macc. 5:8;Xenophon, Ages. 4, 3f; Hier. 8, 4);πᾶσαχάρις, all earthly blessings, wealth, etc., which are due to divine goodness,2 Corinthians 9:8;ὁΘεόςπάσηςχάριτος, the author and giver of benefits of every kind,1 Peter 5:10.the aid or succor of divine grace:διδόναιχάρινταπεινοῖς,1 Peter 5:5;James 4:6; the salvation offered to Christians is calledχάρις,a gift of divine grace,1 Peter 1:10, 13; of the various blessings of Christ experienced by souls:λαβεῖνχάρινἀντίχάριτος (seeἀντί, 2 e., p. 49{b} bottom),John 1:16;χαριζωῆς, the gift of grace seen in the reception of life (cf.ζωή, 2 b.),1 Peter 3:7;capacity and ability due to the grace of God (GermanGnadenausrüstung),Ephesians 4:7;πλήρηςχάριτος.Acts 6:8GLTTrWH;πικιληχάρις, the aggregate of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians,1 Peter 4:10; used of the power to undertake and administer the apostolic office:λαβεῖνχάρινκαίἀποστολήν, i. e.χάριντῆςἀποστολῆς,Romans 1:5;τῆςχάριτοςτῆςδοθείσηςμοι (i. e., Paul),Romans 12:3, 6;Romans 15:15;1 Corinthians 3:10;Galatians 2:9;Ephesians 3:2, 7;δοθείσῃὑμῖν, of the gifts of knowledge and utterance conferred upon Christians,1 Corinthians 1:4;ἐδόθημοιἡχάριςαὕτη, followed by an infinitive,Ephesians 3:8; of the desire to give alms roused by the grace of God,2 Corinthians 8:1.4.thanks (for benefits, services, favors); properly:χάριτι, with thanksgiving,1 Corinthians 10:30;χάρινἔχειντίνι (Latingratiam habere alicui), to be thankful to one,Luke 17:9;1 Timothy 1:12;2 Timothy 1:3;Hebrews 12:28 (2 Macc. 3:33, and countless times in secular authors; cf.Passow, under the word, p. 2416{a} under the end; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2); Ast, Lex.Plato, ii, p. 539f; Bleek, Brief a. d.Hebrews 2:2, p. 975); followed byἐπί with a dative of the thing,Philemon 1:7T editions 2 and 7,Rec.stbez (cf. p. 233a middle);χάριςτῷΘεῷ namely,ἔστω,Romans 7:25LTTrWH text; followed byὅτι,Romans 6:17 (χάριςτοῖςθεοῖς,ὅτι etc.Xenophon, Cyril 7, 5, 72; 8, 7, 3; an. 3, 3, 14; oec. 8, 16); with a participle added to the dative (by apposition),1 Corinthians 15:57;2 Corinthians 2:14;2 Corinthians 8:16; followed byἐπί; with a dative of the thing (cf.ἐπί, B. 2 a.δ.),2 Corinthians 9:15. equivalent torecompense, reward,Luke 6:32-34 (for whichMatthew 5:46 usesμισθός).
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
grace, favorFromchairo; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude) -- acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank(-s, -worthy).
see GREEKchairo
Forms and Transliterations
χαράν χαριν χάριν χαρις χάρις χαριτα χάριτα χαριτι χάριτι χάριτί χαριτος χάριτος charan charán charin chárin charis cháris charita chárita chariti cháriti chárití charitos cháritosLinks
Interlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts
