Original Word: χρηστός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: chréstos
Phonetic Spelling: (khrase-tos')
Short Definition: useful, gentle, pleasant, kind
Definition: useful, gentle, pleasant, kind.

Cognate: 5543 xrēstós (an adjective, derived from 5530 /xráomai, "to furnish what is suitable, useful") – properly, useful (serviceable, productive); well-fitted (well-resourced); useful (beneficial, benevolent). See 5544 (xrēstotēs).

On the spiritual plane, 5543 /xrēstós ("suitable, usefully kind") describes what God defines is kind – and therefore also eternally useful! "We have no adjective in English that conveys this blend of being kind and good at the same time" (M. Vincent).

["Xrestus ("useful, kindly") was a common slave-name in the Graeco-Roman world. It "appears as a spelling variant for the unfamiliar Christus (Xristos). (In Greek the two words were pronounced alike.)" (F. F. Bruce, The Books of Acts, 368).]

STRONGS NT 5543: χρηστός

χρηστός, χρηστη, χρηστόν (χράομαι), from Herodotus down, the Sept. for טוב;

1. properly, fit for use, useful; virtuous, good: ἤθη χρηστά, 1 Corinthians 15:33 ((Treg. χρηστά (but cf. Buttmann, 11)), see ἦθος, 2).

2. manageable, i. e. mild, pleasant (opposed to harsh, hard, sharp, bitter): of things, χρηστότερός οἶνος, pleasanter, Luke 5:39 (here T Tr text χρηστός; so WH in brackets) (of wine also in Plutarch, mor., p. 240 d. (i. e. Lacaen. apophtheg. (Gorgias 2); p. 1073 a. (i. e. de com. notit. 28)); of food and drink, Plato, de rep. 4, p. 438 a.; σῦκα, the Sept. Jeremiah 24:3, 5); ὁ ζυγός (opposed to burdensome), Matthew 11:30 (A. V. easy); of persons, kind, benevolent: of God, 1 Peter 2:3 (A. V. gracious) from Psalm 33:9 (); τό χρηστόν τοῦ Θεοῦ equivalent to ἡ χρηστότης (Winer's Grammar, § 34, 2), Romans 2:4; of men, εἰς τινα toward one, Ephesians 4:32; ἐπί τινα, Luke 6:35 (here of God; in both passages, A. V. kind).

better, easy, gracious, kind.

From chraomai; employed, i.e. (by implication) useful (in manner or morals) -- better, easy, good(-ness), gracious, kind.

see GREEK chraomai

χρηστα χρηστά χρηστὰ χρηστοι χρηστοί χρηστον χρηστόν χρηστὸν χρηστος χρηστός χρηστὸς χρηστότερός χρηστού χρηστών chresta chrestà chrēsta chrēstà chrestoi chrestoí chrēstoi chrēstoí chreston chrestòn chrēston chrēstòn chrestos chrestós chrestòs chrēstos chrēstós chrēstòsInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts