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joy

joy, chara G5479

August 29, 2023 by Krisan Marotta

Word Study: joy, chara G5479 - Bible Study Tools | WednesdayintheWord.com

Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for joy, chara, G5479.


Strong’s number: G5479

Greek Lexical Dictionary:

Greek Word: χαρά, ᾶς, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: chara

Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ah’)

Quick Definition: joy, delight

Usage: joy, gladness, a source of joy.

Etymology: From G5463;

NASB Translation: greatly (1), joy (54), joyful (1), joyfully (1), joyously (1), rejoicing (1).

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New Testament Usage

59x in 57 verses

Mat 2:10; Mat 13:20; Mat 13:44; Mat 25:21; Mat 25:23; Mat 28:8; Mar 4:16; Luk 1:14; Luk 2:10; Luk 8:13; Luk 10:17; Luk 15:7; Luk 15:10; Luk 24:41; Luk 24:52; Joh 3:29; Joh 15:11; Joh 16:20; Joh 16:21; Joh 16:22; Joh 16:24; Joh 17:13;

Act 8:8; Act 12:14; Act 13:52; Act 15:3;

Rom 14:17; Rom 15:13; Rom 15:32;

2Co 1:24; 2Co 2:3; 2Co 7:4; 2Co 7:13; 2Co 8:2;

Gal 5:22; Php 1:4; Php 1:25; Php 2:2; Php 2:29; Php 4:1; Col 1:11;

1Th 1:6; 1Th 2:19; 1Th 2:20; 1Th 3:9; 2Ti 1:4; Phm 1:7;

Heb 10:34; Heb 12:2; Heb 12:11; Heb 13:17;

Jas 1:2; Jas 4:9; 1Pe 1:8;

1Jn 1:4; 2Jn 1:12; 3Jn 1:4.

Note the association of chara and pleroo (joy and filled): John 3:29; John 15:11; John 16:24; John 17:13; Acts 13:52; Rom 15:13, 2Cor 7:4; Php 2:2; 2Ti 1:4; 1John 1:4; 2John 1:12.

Septuagint 22x in 21 verses

1Ch 29:22; Est 8:17; Est 9:17; Est 9:18; Est 9:22;

Psa 20:7; Psa 125:2; Pro 14:13; Pro 29:6;

Isa 39:2; Isa 55:12; Isa 66:10;

Jer 15:16; Jer 16:9; Jer 25:10; Lam 5:15;

Joe 1:5; Joe 1:12; Joe 1:16; Jon 4:6; Zec 8:19.

Englishman’s concordance: χαρά (chara)

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Lexicons

Thayers G5479

  1. joy, gladness
    1. the joy received from you
    2. the cause or occasion of joy
      1. of persons who are one’s joy

Strongs G5479: From G5463; cheerfulness, that is, calm delight: – gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).

Mounce G5479: joy, rejoicing, happiness, gladness

Related Words: G5463 (verb); G5485 (noun)

Hebrew equivalent word: Strong #: 1524 ‑ גִּיל (gheel);  4234 ‑ מָחוֹל (maw‑khole’);  7440 ‑ רִנָּה (rin‑naw’);  7442 ‑ רָנַן (raw‑nan’);  7814 ‑ שְׂחֹק (sekh‑oke’, sekh‑oke’);  8057 ‑ שִׂמְחָה (sim‑khaw’);  8342 ‑ שָׂשׂן (saw‑sone’, saw‑sone’);  

Precepts Austin: chara

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Reference works

Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

06 Nehemiah 7:1-8:18 Restore the joy of the Lord

Psalm 98 Make a Joyful Noise

17 Matthew 5:4 Those who mourn

01 Philippians 1:1-8 Introduction

03 Philippians 1:12-26 To live is Christ

04 Philippians 1:27-2:4 Stand firm in one Spirit

07 Philippians 2:14-30 Not running in vain

10 Philippians 4:1-23 Rejoice in the Lord

02 Colossians 1:3-12 Life Changing Hope

02 James 1:1-8 Why does God test our faith?

02 1Peter 1:1-13 Understanding Our Living Hope

22 Romans 14:19-15:13 Handling Disagreement

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Where to next?

More Greek Word Studies

How do to a Word Study

Word Study Shortcuts

Bible Study 101: Learn to Study

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Filed Under: Word Study - Greek Tagged With: joy, word study

09 Philippians 3:12-21 Understanding maturity

November 8, 2017 by Krisan Marotta

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09 Philippians 3:12-21 Understanding maturity - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

What do you do when you try harder and still struggle with sin?  That’s the question Paul answers in Philippians 3:12-31.  In this section, Paul clarifies what he means by perfection and the goal of the Christian life.

Review

Paul wrote this letter during his first Roman imprisonment (60-62 AD).  The Philippians have sent him a gift of financial support. Paul and the Philippians are on good terms and they have a warm and caring relationship.  As a church, they are basically doing well.  Paul is writing this letter 1) to thank them for their generosity in sending the gift; 2) assure them that he is doing well even though he is a prisoner and 3)  to encourage them to persevere in and live out their faith.

Passage

In Philippians 3, Paul shifted to a new but related topic: warning them not to follow the Judaizers.  The Judaizers were Jewish Christians who believed that you had to keep the law of Moses in order to be a true believer.  After saying in 3:8-11 that he counts all his personal accomplishments, his pedigree and his law keeping as loss in order to gain faith in Christ and to obtain the resurrection from the dead he says:

12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. – Philippians 3:12-21 ESV

  • The “this” in 3:12 refers back to “the resurrection from the dead” in 3:11.
  • There is both a future sense and a present sense to the resurrection.  The future sense is what we call glorification: when our physical bodies will be transformed at the second coming of Christ.
  • The present sense is the fact that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us now, to mature and strengthen our faith.
  • The greek word “perfect” does not mean flawless or without blemish.  Rather it means to have arrived at its intended goal and become that which it is suppose to be.
  • Paul is clarifying that he does NOT believe we have the power to live a perfectly obedient life now (3:12; 3:13; 3:14).
  • He uses the metaphor of an athlete running a race, and keeping his eyes focused on the finish line.
  • Notice throughout chapter 3 that Jesus Christ is central to everything.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 10 Philippians 4:1-23 Rejoice in the Lord

Previous: 08 Philippians 3:1-11 Count it all loss

Series: Philippians: Choose Life

Study: Philippians Resources

Scripture references are from the English Standard version.

Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

Filed Under: Passages, Philippians Tagged With: joy, life, Philippians

04 Philippians 1:27-2:4 Stand firm in one Spirit

October 4, 2017 by Krisan Marotta

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04 Philippians 1:27-2:4 Stand firm in one Spirit - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

Philippians 1:27 begins the body of the letter.  In this section in which Paul urges his readers to live a life worthy of the gospel.  Living such a life does not mean that you will live a perfect life. Rather if we actually believe the gospel is true, we now see the world differently and, we begin to view some things as right, proper and good, and begin to view other things as wrong, selfish and evil.  And we choose accordingly.

Review

Around 60-62 AD, Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and was waiting to learn whether he will be released or executed.  The Philippian church  generously sent him financial support.  Paul wrote this letter to thank them and send back news to them.

Paul had 3 purposes in writing this letter

  • to express his joy that their faith has led them to support him financially;
  • to encourage them to live lives of obedient persevering faith;
  • to update them on his circumstances.

In 1:1-11, we saw the first 2 purposes. Paul expressed his gratitude for their faith that led them to support him financially.  He prayed that they would have a genuine faith that manifests itself in wisdom which leads them to love one another, and that they would persevere in that faith until the end.

In 1:12-26 we saw the third purpose.  Paul said, he rejoiced that the gospel was going forward in spite of his circumstances.  The gospel was advancing in 2 ways:

  1. The gospel was spreading through the elite Roman guard as they took turns guarding him and hearing him teach.
  2. Others had  started proclaimed the gospel while Paul was imprisoned, some out of good motives and some out of selfish motives.

The introductory remarks end with 1:26 and 1:27 begins the first section of the body of the letter.  This section continues through the end of chapter 2.

27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,  28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.  29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,  30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.  2:1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,  2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 1:27-2:4 ESV

  • 1:27 is the thesis statement or main point of this section.
  • Saving faith is not a theological test that you can forget once you turn in your paper.  It is a belief that should change your life.
  • Some of the choices we make conform to and reflect the implications of the gospel.  We would say those choices are worthy of it.
  • Some of the choices we make are contradictory to the values, principles and applications of the gospel. Those choices are not worthy of the gospel.
  • This relationship between belief and lifestyle does NOT mean we will live a perfect life, without sin or failure.
  • Paul urges them to stand firm in the face of persecution and remain united in their thinking, purposes and faith.
  • Paul talks about unity because it was an issue his readers were struggling with at the time.
  • He wants them to be unified around their fellowship in the gospel and to have the kind of unity that results from being committed to the same gospel.
  • Unity does not mean sameness.  Our goal is oneness not sameness.  We can be diverse and be unified.
  • Christ unifies us, not by making us the same, but by teaching us in our diversity to follow the same gospel.

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 05 Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mindset

Previous: 03 Philippians 1:12-26 To Live is Christ

Series: Philippians: Choose Life

Study: Philippians Resources

Scripture references are from the English Standard version.

Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

Filed Under: Passages, Philippians Tagged With: joy, life, Philippians

How to take the bite out of gift-giving

December 2, 2015 by Krisan Marotta

How to take the bite out of gift giving | WednesdayintheWord.com

My annual performance review — aka Christmas  — is approaching.   If you adjust for the fact I caught a cold last year, I expect my scores to be slightly higher with lots of room for improvement.

Being the family matriarch means I am the primary gift-buyer as well as the primary baker, decorator, hostess and social event planner.  When Christmas dawn breaks, I know the contents of 95% of the packages under the tree, the stuff in every stocking and the food that will be set at each place.

When I became the oldest woman in the family tree, the success or failure of Christmas settled on my shoulders like a straight jacket.

I suspect I’m not the only one who wakes Christmas morning with the uneasy feeling that whatever I did — it was not enough.  Whether I spent a little money or a lot of money or no money at all on gifts, it wasn’t enough.  If I bought gifts, I should have spent more time on home-made items.  If I gave home-made gifts, I should have bought them.  The gifts aren’t right; there aren’t enough of them or there are too many of them.  They won’t do.  And it’s my fault.

I want each Christmas gift to say: “I know you.  You are loved and valued and of infinite worth.”  Yet, how can anything that can be wrapped and put under a tree transform the life of the recipient from misery to joy and from loneliness to belonging?

Those wrapped boxes send other messages instead:

  • “Here’s what I think you ought to want.”
  • “I can afford to give you this because I have so much money.”
  • “I’m broke this year.”
  • “I had no idea what to get you.”
  • “I’m getting this for everyone and you’re on the list.”
  • “This is what the cool people are giving this year.”
  • “I would really like this myself.”

While these messages are not necessarily bad, they aren’t the message we really want to send.

The best gifts say: “I know you so well that I knew you would love this as soon as you saw it even if you didn’t know it existed.”  You know the gift is perfect when the recipient reacts with obvious, uncontainable joy.  And that is your reward.

Yet giving such a perfect gift is rare.  If you can give a perfect-gift 5 times in your lifetime, you’re above average.  And if you can give a gloriously-perfect gift twice to the same person, you have accomplished the impossible.

Yet we matriarchs expect to perform this miracle annually.  How can we possibly expect every gift to be perfect when we’re giving to the same people year after year after year?

No wonder Christmas feels like a performance review we’re destined to fail!  It’s time to take the bite out of gift giving:

I resolve to give ordinary gifts with ordinary love,
to receive ordinary gifts with ordinary joy, and
to leave the miracles to God.

Henceforth, I resolve:

  1. The only burden an ordinary gift needs to bear is sending the message: “I have not forgotten you.  You still matter to me and I love you.”
  2. I will not expect to equal — let alone top — last year’s gifts.
  3. I will be satisfied if the recipients express ordinary gratitude, and thrilled if they express ordinary joy.
  4. I will not expect the recipient to reassure me my gift was perfect (when it wasn’t).
  5. I will be grateful to receive ordinary gifts that show ordinary love.

Now if only I can remember this on my birthday.

Series: Christmas


Where to next?

New Testament Studies

Old Testament Studies

Topical Studies

Bible Study 101


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Filed Under: Christmas, Topics Tagged With: burdens, Christmas, gifts, joy

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