Galatians 5:22 · Symbol · Kindness
The Words Chesed and Chrestotes
Chesed in Hebrew and chrestotes in Greek are Scripture's chief words for kindness.
Paul writes chrestotes three times in one verse, "Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness" (Romans 11:22).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- The word
- χρηστότης (chrestotes), G5544
- First appears
- Romans 2:4 “Or do you disregard the riches of His…”
Summary
Chesed is the loyal kindness the LORD names as His own when He calls Himself "abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6), and He asks the same kindness of His people. Chrestotes is the Greek noun Paul uses for the kindness of God and for the kindness the Spirit forms in believers, the fruit of the Spirit named in Galatians 5:22.
- The Berean text renders chesed as loving devotion, kindness, mercy or love, as its verse requires.
- Every verse that holds chrestotes stands in a letter of Paul, and the Berean text renders it kindness in all of them but Romans 3:12.
- The adjective chrestos means kind, good or easy by its verse, and the verb chresteuomai stands once, in love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4).
- The Septuagint renders chesed with eleos, mercy, and often renders the Hebrew tov, good, with chrestos, as in Psalm 34:8.
Kindness in Hebrew and Greek
Genesis 19:19 and Romans 2:4 show each word in its earliest verse.
A reader of the Berean text meets the word kindness in Genesis, Ruth, the Psalms and the letters of Paul without seeing which Hebrew or Greek word lies under it.
This word study of kindness answers one question: what do chesed and chrestotes mean, and where do they stand? It maps the uses of both words, follows the Greek family of chrestotes verse by verse and sets out three points the lexicon settles. It then shows the Hebrew words in the Greek Old Testament, names the Greek words that stand beside chrestotes, and closes with the teachers who commented on these verses.
Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.Lot thanks the angels for sparing his life, and the great kindness he names is the first use of chesed in the canon's order.
Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?Paul writes the noun chrestotes for the riches of God's kindness and then the adjective chrestos with the article, so this first verse of the noun holds the adjective as well.
Where the Words Stand
Four words, one Hebrew and three Greek, stand 265 times between them.
Chesed stands in 241 verses across 28 books, and the Greek family of chrestotes in 15 verses, 11 of them in Paul's letters.
| Word | Sense in the lexicon | Uses | Where it stands | In the Berean text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chesed, חֵסֵד, H2617 | kindness; rarely, shame | 247 | 241 verses in 28 books; Psalms 127, 2 Samuel 11, Genesis 11, 2 Chronicles 10, Proverbs 10 | loving devotion (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 136:1); kindness (Ruth 2:20; 2 Samuel 9:3); mercy (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:8) |
| chrestotes, χρηστότης, G5544 | goodness of heart, kindness | 10 | 8 verses in 6 letters of Paul: Romans 2:4; 3:12; 11:22, three times; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 2:7; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:4 | kindness in seven verses; does good in Romans 3:12 |
| chrestos, χρηστός, G5543 | good, kind | 7 | 7 verses in 6 books: Matthew 11:30; Luke 5:39; 6:35; Romans 2:4; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 2:3 | easy, better, kind, kindness, good character, kind and good, in that order |
| chresteuomai, χρηστεύομαι, G5541 | to be kind | 1 | 1 Corinthians 13:4 | is kind |
Chrestos and Chrestotes Verse by Verse
Six verses show the adjective and the noun in the words of Jesus and of Paul.
KIND TO THE UNGRATEFUL
Jesus says of the Most High, "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked", and the Greek adjective is chrestos.
AN EASY YOKE
In "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" the word easy is the same adjective.
OLD WINE
In the saying "The old is better" the adjective means better, the one verse where the Berean text renders it so.
GOOD CHARACTER
Paul quotes the saying "Bad company corrupts good character", and good character is chrestos in the Greek.
KIND TO ONE ANOTHER
Paul's command "Be kind and tenderhearted to one another" uses chrestoi, a plural of the adjective, so the verse holds no form of the noun.
A MARK OF PAUL'S MINISTRY
Paul and his companions commend themselves as servants of God "in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness", and the last of these is chrestotes.
Old wine, Good character, Kind to one another, A mark of Paul's ministry
Three Points the Lexicon Settles
The King James wording of Galatians 5:22, the sense of Romans 3:12 and the range of chesed.
Gentleness in the King James VersionGalatians 5:22
The site's lexicon lists gentleness among the King James renderings of chrestotes, and Galatians 5:22 is the verse where the King James has gentleness and the Berean text has kindness. John Wesley, commenting on the King James word in his Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755), wrote of that gentleness: "Toward all men; ignorant and wicked men in particular".
Romans 3:12 and the goodness no one doesG5544, the first sense
In Romans 3:12 the lexicon gives chrestotes its first sense, goodness or uprightness, and marks the line as taken from the Septuagint. The Berean text renders the phrase "there is no one who does good", so in this verse the word names the goodness that no one does.
Chesed's range in the lexiconsH2617
The site's lexicon glosses chesed as kindness, and Strong's dictionary of 1890 gives its range as kindness, by implication piety toward God, and rarely reproof. The two readings of the word, a bond kept or a kindness beyond what is owed, are set out with their holders in Hesed, the LORD's Loving Devotion.
Chesed and Tov in the Greek Old Testament
The Greek translators gave chesed and the Hebrew word for good two different Greek words.
The Septuagint is the old Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Brenton's Greek text renders chesed with eleos in nine of these verses and tov with chrestos in four psalms, and Psalm 136:1 has agathos for tov.
| Verse | In the Berean text | Hebrew | Septuagint | Brenton's Greek |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exodus 34:6 to 7 | maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations | chesed | eleos | polyeleos, abounding in mercy (34:6); eleos eis chiliadas (34:7) |
| Ruth 1:8 | May the LORD show you loving devotion | chesed | eleos | poiesai kyrios meth' hymon eleos |
| Ruth 2:20 | who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead | chesed | eleos | to eleos autou |
| 2 Samuel 9:3 | to whom I can show the kindness of God | chesed | eleos | eleos Theou |
| Hosea 6:6 | For I desire mercy, not sacrifice | chesed | eleos | eleos thelo e thysian |
| Micah 6:8 | to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God | chesed | eleos | agapan eleon |
| Proverbs 19:22 | The desire of a man is loving devotion | chesed | eleemosyne, almsgiving | Karpos andri eleemosyne |
| Psalm 34:8 (33:9) | Taste and see that the LORD is good | tov, the verb, H2895 | chrestos | Geusasthe kai idete hoti chrestos ho Kyrios |
| Psalm 25:8 (24:8) | Good and upright is the LORD | tov, H2896 | chrestos | Chrestos kai euthes ho Kyrios |
| Psalm 100:5 (99:5) | For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever | tov, H2896, and chesed | chrestos and eleos | Hoti chrestos Kyrios, eis ton aiona to eleos autou |
| Psalm 106:1 (105:1) | Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever | tov, the verb, H2895, and chesed | chrestos and eleos | hoti chrestos, hoti eis ton aiona to eleos autou |
| Psalm 136:1 (135:1) | Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever | tov, H2896, and chesed | agathos and eleos | hoti agathos, hoti eis ton aiona to eleos autou |
Proverbs 19:22, Psalm 34:8 (33:9), Psalm 25:8 (24:8), Psalm 100:5 (99:5), Psalm 106:1 (105:1), Psalm 136:1 (135:1)
Jesus and Peter speak in the Septuagint's wordsJamieson, Fausset and Brown
The lexicon marks the eleos of Matthew 9:13, where Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, as taken from the Septuagint, so the chesed of Hosea stands under the mercy He names.
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.Peter writes chrestos ho kyrios for the Lord his readers have tasted.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) names Psalm 34:8 as the verse Peter alludes to.
Proverbs 19:22 in Greek and in two commentatorsJohn Gill; Albert Barnes
The Hebrew of Proverbs 19:22 holds chesed, which the Berean text renders loving devotion, and Brenton's Greek reads eleemosyne, almsgiving, a free rendering.
John Gill, in his Exposition of the Old Testament, read the desire of the verse in two ways. It is either "the grace and kindness of God, which is, desirable by every sensible man", he wrote, "or it is his desire to show kindness". Albert Barnes, in his Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, read it as the poor man's wish to do good. That wish, he wrote, "is taken, in the absence of means to carry it into effect, for the act of kindness itself".
Benevolence, Compassion and Mercy Beside Chrestotes
Five Greek words of benevolence, compassion and mercy stand near chrestotes.
philanthropia, φιλανθρωπία
2 uses in the canon
The word means benevolence, the love of mankind. It stands in "The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness" on Malta and in God's love for mankind in Titus 3:4.
philanthropos, φιλανθρώπως
1 use in the canon
The adverb of the same root stands where "Julius treated Paul with consideration" at Sidon.
eusplanchnos, εὔσπλαγχνος
2 uses in the canon
The word means tenderhearted, and the lexicon also records it as a medical term in Hippocrates. It stands in Ephesians 4:32 and in Peter's "be tenderhearted and humble".
splanchnon, σπλάγχνον
11 uses in the canon
The word names the inward parts and, by a figure, pity, and Colossians 3:12 has it in "clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion".
eleos, ἔλεος
27 uses in the canon
The word means compassion, human or divine and especially active, and the lexicon divides its uses into the mercy of men, of God and of Christ. In Matthew 9:13 Jesus names mercy and says, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners".
Teachers on Chrestos and Chresteuomai
Four teachers, from the fourth century to the nineteenth, commented on Matthew 11:30, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Peter 2:3 and Titus 3:4.
died 367 · Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary of Poitiers on the yoke
The reading1 paragraph
Hilary of Poitiers asked of the yoke "what lighter than that burden?" and answered with a list that begins "To be made better, to abstain from wickedness". Thomas Aquinas gathered his comment into the Catena Aurea on Matthew.
1662 to 1714 · Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry on the Lord who is good
The reading1 paragraph
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710), read the goodness Peter's readers had tasted as the graciousness of Christ, who "is very kind, free, and merciful to miserable sinners".
1703 to 1791 · John Wesley
John Wesley on love that is kind
The reading1 paragraph
John Wesley wrote of the love Paul describes that "in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind, soft, mild, benign".
1762 to 1832 · Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke on the easy yoke and on philanthropy
The reading1 paragraph
Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible (1832), wrote on the yoke that "My Gospel imposes nothing that is difficult", and that it removes "all that which oppresses and renders man miserable, viz. sin". On Titus 3:4 he regretted that a paraphrase in the English had lost the word philanthropia, and wrote that "Philanthropy is a character which God gives here to himself".
John Wesley, Adam Clarke
Books to Read Next
Two reference works give the senses of the Greek words and the range of chesed.
A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
G. Abbott-Smith · 1922
Its entries give the senses of chrestotes, eusplanchnos and eleos with their New Testament verses.
Read on archive.orgThe Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong · 1890
Its brief dictionaries give the range of chesed and the King James renderings of each Greek word.
Read on archive.orgKindness Shown in Christ
Ephesians 2:7 places God's chrestotes in Christ Jesus and in the coming ages.
in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.The noun stands in the dative case here, so Paul names chrestotes as the means by which God shows what He intends for His people.
Sources
Scripture is the Berean Standard Bible.
- Tyndale House, STEPBible-Data, the TBESH and TBESG brief lexicons of Hebrew and Greek (CC BY 4.0), drawn from G. Abbott-Smith's Manual Greek Lexicon (1922) and James Strong's dictionaries (1890)
- Tyndale House, STEPBible-Data, the TAHOT and TAGNT tagged texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament (CC BY 4.0)
- James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, with brief dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek words of the original (1890)
- G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922)
- The Septuagint, Greek text of Brenton's edition (public domain)
- John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755), on Galatians 5:22.
- John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755), on 1 Corinthians 13:4.
- Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871), on 1 Peter 2:3.
- Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710), on 1 Peter 2:3.
- John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament, on Proverbs 19:22.
- Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, on Proverbs 19:22.
- Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible (1832), on Titus 3:4.
- Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible (1832), on Matthew 11:30.
- Hilary of Poitiers on Matthew 11:29 to 30, in Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea on Matthew, chapter 11.
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