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)
Word Focus goodness ἀγαθωσύνη agathōsunē <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 the noun goodness – ἀγαθωσύνη / agathōsunē.
Goodness is active and generous kindness towards others, especially towards those who are in need. It comes from a relationship with God (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
ἀγαθωσύνη appears to be a word that is peculiar to the Bible. It does not appear in any known secular Greek literature or inscriptions. The first known use of the word is in the Septuagint*, where it is used 13 times to translate the Hebrew word for “good” or “goodness”. It is only used 4 times in the New Testament (Romans 15:14; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11).
Goodness is related to kindness, which is also a Fruit of the Spirit (see prior post). Though goodness is similar to kindness, it differs by being expressed in more active ways that are generous, going far beyond what is needed or deserved. It is concerned about the well-being of others and constantly pursues what is beneficial for others.
Here are links to all the posts for the Fruit of the Spirit:
*The Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament). It also contained some Apocryphal books. The translation was begun some time in the middle of the third century BC.
Word Focus Lexicon
Lexical Form: ἡ ἀγαθωσύνη ἀγαθωσύνης <Hear It> Gloss: goodness, generosity Part of Speech: First Declension Feminine Noun New Testament Frequency: 4 Strong’s Number:G19 (Link to Blue Letter Bible Lexicon)
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.
Koine Foundations 
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