Greek · G5479 · unreviewed

χαρά

Joy

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χαρά G5479

Pronunciation chará

What does χαρά (chará) mean in the Bible?

χαρά (chará) is a Greek word meaning "joy". χαρά, -ᾶς, ἡ (χαίρω), [in LXX for שִׂמְחָה, שָׂשׂוֹן, etc. Irreversible joy grounded in resurrection. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah.

Full entry for χαρά (G5479) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

joy

Extended definition

Joy arising from faith, salvation, or spiritual blessing; often connected with Holy Spirit's presence.

(χαίρω), [in LXX for שִׂמְחָה, שָׂשׂוֹן, etc. ;] joy, delight: Luk.1:14 15:7, 10, Jhn.15:11 16:22, 24 17:13, Act.8:8, 2Co.1:24 7:13 8:2, Gal.5:22, Col.1:11, Php.2:2, 1Jn.1:4, 2Jn.12; opposite to κατήφεια, Jas.4:9; to λύπη, Jhn.16:20; χ. τῆς πίστεως, Php.1:25; ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι (χαίρειν, which see), χαρᾷ, Jhn.3:29, 1Pe.1:8; χ. ἔχειν, Phm 7; πληροῦν (-οῦσθαι) χαρᾶς, Act.13:52, Rom.15:13, 2Ti.1:4; ποιεῖν χ. μεγάλην, Act.15:3; ἀπὸ τῆς χ., Mat.13:44, Luk.24:41, Act.12:14; ἐν χ., Rom.15:32; μετὰ χαρᾶς, Mat.13:20 28:8, Mrk.4:16, Luk.8:13 10:17 24:52, Php.1:4 2:29, Heb.10:34 13:17; id. beforeπνεύματος ἁγίου, 1Th.1:6; χ. ἐν π. ἁ, Rom.14:17; χ. ἐπί, 2Co.7:4; διά, 1Th.3:9; ὅτι, Jhn.16:21; ἵνα, III Jn 4 By meton., of the cause or occasion of joy: Luk.2:10, 2Co.1:15, WH, txt., R, mg., Php.4:1, 1Th.2:19-20, Heb.12:2, Jas.1:2; ἡ χ. τ. κυρίου, Mat.25:21, 23.

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Irreversible joy grounded in resurrection. 1 John 1:1-4

Describes resurrection-based, enduring joy. Acts 8:1-8

Joy signals the transformative effect of the gospel on an entire community. John 16:16–24

John’s purpose is not bare doctrinal accuracy but the fullness of joy that flows from living fellowship with the Father and the Son. This frames the whole letter as pastoral, not merely corrective.

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Feminine Luke 1:14 · Luke 15:7 · Luke 15:10 · John 3:29 · John 15:11 · John 16:24 · Acts 8:8 · Rom 14:17 · 2 Cor 2:3 · Gal 5:22 · 1 Thess 2:19 · 1 Thess 2:20 · Jas 4:9 · 1 John 1:4 · 2 John 1:12 16×

Genitive · Singular · Feminine Matt 13:20 · Matt 13:44 · Matt 28:8 · Mark 4:16 · Luke 8:13 · Luke 10:17 · Luke 24:41 · Luke 24:52 · Acts 12:14 · Acts 13:52 · Rom 15:13 · 2 Cor 1:24 · 2 Cor 8:2 · Phil 1:4 · Phil 2:29 · Col 1:11 22×

Dative · Singular · Feminine John 3:29 · Rom 15:32 · 2 Cor 7:4 · 2 Cor 7:13 · 1 Thess 3:9 · 1 Pet 1:8 6×

Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 2:10 · Matt 25:21 · Matt 25:23 · Luke 2:10 · John 16:20 · John 16:21 · John 16:22 · John 17:13 · Acts 15:3 · Phil 1:25 · Phil 2:2 · Phlm 1:7 · Jas 1:2 · 3 John 1:4 14×

Vocative · Singular · Feminine Phil 4:1 1×

Canonical Themes

Messiah

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses

1 John 1:1-4 joy chará Nominative · Singular · Feminine

Deep spiritual gladness rooted in God’s saving work and presence rather than in changing circumstances.

Acts 8:1-8 Joy chará Nominative · Singular · Feminine

Deep gladness rooted in divine blessing.

John 16:16–24 χαρά chará Nominative · Singular · Feminine

joy

Additional Occurrences

John 16:16-33 χαά chará

joy

Luke 1:5–25 χαρά chará

Joy, gladness

Luke 15:1–7 χαρά chará

Joy

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Acts 8 — The Scattered Church Carries Christ Beyond Jerusalem John 15 — The True Vine, Abiding Fruitfulness, Christlike Love, and the World’s Hatred John 16 — The Spirit’s Convicting Witness, the Disciples’ Sorrow Turned to Joy, and Christ’s Victory over the World John 17 — The Son’s High Priestly Prayer: Glory, Preservation, Sanctification, Unity, Mission, and Love Luke 15 — The Joy of God over the Lost Being Found Luke 2 — The Savior Born, Revealed, Presented, and Growing in Wisdom Luke 24 — The Risen Christ Opens the Scriptures, Commissions Witnesses, and Ascends in Blessing Matthew 13 — The Kingdom in Parables: Hearing, Hiddenness, Growth, Worth, and Judgment Matthew 2 — The Messiah Worshiped, Threatened, Preserved, and Called Out of Egypt Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man Matthew 28 — The Resurrection of Jesus and the Great Commission of the Risen King Philippians 4 — Rejoicing, Peace, Contentment, and Gospel Partnership in Christ Romans 14 — Receiving One Another, Honoring the Lord, and Pursuing Peace in Matters of Conscience Romans 15 — Bearing with the Weak, Welcoming One Another, and Paul’s Priestly Mission to the Gentiles

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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