This noun captures joy expressed in celebration and festivity, often associated with banquets and communal rejoicing. In Acts 2:28, Peter quotes Psalm 16:11, declaring that God fills believers with gladness in His presence—joy as the culmination of being near God. Acts 14:17 presents God filling hearts with food and gladness as evidence of His kindness even to pagan nations. The classical Greek associations with feasting (Homer's banquets where 'good cheer' prevails) carry into the New Testament, where joy is not merely emotional but embodied in provision and celebration.