προθῡμ-ία G4288
Eagerness, readiness, willingness; wholehearted zeal and readiness to act, especially in giving generously.
A noun denoting eager willingness and enthusiastic readiness, derived from πρόθυμος (ready, eager). Four of its five NT occurrences appear in 2 Corinthians 8–9, where Paul praises the Macedonians' 'eagerness' in contributing to the collection for Jerusalem's poor. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans receive the word with all 'readiness' — examining the Scriptures daily. The Spanish 'prontitud' (promptness) and German 'Bereitwilligkeit' (ready-willingness) emphasize the volitional aspect, while the French 'empressement' (eagerness, haste) captures the emotional energy behind this readiness.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Eagerness or readiness of mind — a wholehearted willingness to engage or contribute. The concentration of uses in 2 Corinthians 8–9 ties this word firmly to the theology of generous giving: Paul commends the Corinthians' eager readiness (8:11–12, 19) and tells the Macedonians about it (9:2), creating a virtuous cycle of generosity. The principle in 8:12 is striking: 'if the eagerness is present, it is acceptable according to what one has.' In Acts 17:11, the Bereans' προθυμία drives their daily Scripture searching — intellectual eagerness, not just material generosity. The German 'Bereitwilligkeit' beautifully decomposes into 'ready-will-ness,' matching the Greek πρόθυμος (forward-spirited), while the French 'empressement' adds a sense of energetic haste. 5×
AR["الرَّغبَةُ", "رَغبَتَكُمْ", "رَغبَتِنا", "غَيرَةٍ"]·ben["আগ্রহ", "আগ্রহের", "প্রস্তুতি"]·DE["Bereitwilligkeit", "προθυμίας"]·EN["eagerness", "readiness"]·FR["empressement"]·heb["נְכוֹנָתְכֶם", "נְכוֹנוּת", "נְכוֹנוּתֵנוּ"]·HI["उत्साह", "तत्परता"]·ID["keinginan", "kesiapsediaan"]·IT["prontezza"]·jav["kaiklasan", "kasenengan"]·KO["열심으로", "열심을", "열심이"]·PT["prontidão"]·RU["готовности", "готовность", "готовностью"]·ES["prontitud"]·SW["shauku"]·TR["bizim", "istekle", "istekliliğinizi", "o-"]·urd["تیاری", "جوش", "شوق"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
προθῡμ-ία, Ionic dialect -ιη, ἡ, readiness, willingness, eagerness, ᾗσι προθυμίῃσι [ῑ] pepoiqw/s Refs 8th c.BC+; opposed to ἀθυμία, Refs 5th c.BC+; πάσῃ π. with all zeal, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑπὸ προθυμίας by my eagerness, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 with genitive person, ἐκ τῆς Κλεομένεος π. at his desire, Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ τὴν τούτου π. as far as his desire goes, Refs 5th c.BC+; τοῦ θεοῦ προθυμίᾳ by the…