G2234 G2234
gladly, with pleasure, willingly; adverbial form expressing eager acceptance or delight
This adverb, derived from the adjective for 'sweet' or 'pleasant,' describes doing something with genuine pleasure and eagerness. It appears when Herod listened to John the Baptist with fascination despite being troubled by his message (Mark 6:20), when the crowds heard Jesus gladly (Mark 12:37), and when Paul ironically notes the Corinthians' willingness to suffer fools (2 Corinthians 11:19). The cross-linguistic evidence uniformly points to voluntary, pleased acceptance—Spanish 'con gusto,' French 'volontiers,' German 'gern.' The word captures not mere compliance but enthusiastic reception, though Paul's usage carries an edge of irony.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The sense conveys willing, pleased engagement rather than reluctant duty. All three New Testament contexts involve hearing or receiving someone's words—Herod's conflicted fascination with the Baptist, the crowd's eager reception of Jesus' teaching, and the Corinthian church's tolerance (perhaps too ready) of false apostles. The multilingual glosses cluster tightly around 'gladly' and 'with pleasure,' confirming this is about the manner and attitude of reception, not the content received. The adverb qualifies the hearer's disposition, painting a picture of eager, even delighted, attention. 3×
AR["بِسُرورٍ"]·ben["আনন্দে"]·DE["gern"]·EN["gladly"]·FR["avec-plaisir", "volontiers"]·heb["בְּחֵפֶץ", "בְּרָצוֹן"]·HI["आनन्द-से"]·ID["dengan-senang", "dengan-senang-hati"]·IT["con-piacere", "edeos"]·jav["kanthi-bingah", "kanthi-remen", "kanthi-rena"]·KO["기께이", "기뻐게"]·PT["com-prazer", "de-boa-vontade"]·RU["охотно", "с-удовольствием"]·ES["con-agrado", "con-gusto", "gustosamente"]·SW["kwa-furaha"]·TR["zevkle", "zevkle-"]·urd["خوشی-سے"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Included with: ἡδύς, ἡδεῖα, ἡδύ, ἡδὺς ἀϋτμή (as feminine) once in Refs 8th c.BC+: Doric dialect ἁδύς [ᾱ], Boeotian dialect neuter ϝαδού (written γάδου) conjecture in Refs 6th c.BC+ (compare proper name ϝαδιούλογος Refs, Elean βᾱδύς (which see): irregular accusative ἁδέα for ἡδύν Refs 3rd c.BC+, superlative ἥδιστος Refs 8th c.BC+; ἡδύτατοςRefs 1st c.AD+ __I pleasant to the taste, adverb (see. above),compare ἥδομαι. [ἥδῐον Refs 5th c.BC+ (Sanskrit svādús, Latin suāvis.)