Koine Foundations

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

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Word Focus
joy
χαρά / chara
<Hear It>

I rejoice
χαίρω / chairō
<Hear It>

In this post I continue with comments about the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit is nine character virtues which result when a Christian’s life is controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. They are spiritual expressions of a life transformed by Jesus Christ. The word focus for this post is joy – χαρά / chara and the related verb I rejoice – χαίρω / chairō.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, joy is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” The kid’s definition is “a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being.” This is the secular view of joy – a feeling of happiness that depends on positive circumstances.

Biblical joy is radically different. It does not depend on circumstances. It persists through the good and the bad. It is not disturbed or shattered by pain, grief, loss, or misfortune. In fact, it is present despite these things and often occurs precisely because of these things. This is because true joy does not come from positive circumstances. It comes from placing one’s trust in a loving God who does not change (Romans 15:13). For the believer, it is grounded in the knowledge that God keeps His promises, our salvation is secure in Him (Luke 10:20), and He works out all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

Biblical joy is more than emotions or feelings. It involves actions. Believers are instructed:

• To rejoice: 2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 2:18; Philippians 3:1
• To always rejoice: Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16
• To rejoice when persecuted because of Jesus: Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23; 1 Peter 4:12-14
• To rejoice in trials because of the benefits they produce: James 1:2-4

Here are links to all the posts for the Fruit of the Spirit:

Fruit of the Spirit
Love – ἀγάπη / agapē
Joy – χαρά / chara
Peace – εἰρήνη / eirēnē
Patience – μακροθυμία / makrothumia
Kindness – χρηστότης / chrēstotēs
Goodness – ἀγαθωσύνη / agathōsunē
Faithfulness – πίστις / pistis
Gentleness – πραΰτης / praütēs
Self-Control – ἐγκράτεια / egkrateia

*”Joy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy. Accessed 6 May. 2023.

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Word Focus Lexicon

Lexical Form: ἡ χαρά χαρᾶς <Hear It>
Gloss: joy
Part of Speech: First Declension Feminine Noun
New Testament Frequency: 59
Strong’s Number: G5479 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)

Lexical Form: χαίρω <Hear It>
Gloss: I rejoice, I am glad
Part of Speech: Omega Verb
New Testament Frequency: 74
Strong’s Number: G5463 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)

Pronunciation Note: The letter combination αι (Alpha-Iota) in χαίρω is a vowel digraph – a combination of two vowels that have one sound. For comparison, English has many digraphs such as the ea in teach, the oo in moon, and the oe in doe. Notice that these combinations of two vowels have only one vowel sound. During the Koine period of Greek, the αι digraph sounded like the Greek letter Epsilon (ε) – like the English e in end. An English word that has a similar looking vowel combination and sound is the word “said”.

Unless otherwise noted, English translations of Bible verses are by the author from the Greek text and are not quotations from any copyrighted Bible version or translation.