χρηστός G5543
Kind, benevolent, gracious; good, pleasant, wholesome in quality; easy or well-fitting (of a yoke).
An adjective whose warmth pervades its every use, chrestos describes the character of a God who is kind to the ungrateful (Luke 6:35), the goodness that should lead to repentance (Rom 2:4), and the mutual kindness believers owe one another (Eph 4:32). Applied to wine, it means 'good' — well-aged and pleasant to drink (Luke 5:39). Its most famous appearance is in Jesus's invitation: 'My yoke is chrestos' (Matt 11:30) — not harsh but well-fitting, comfortable, custom-shaped for the bearer. Spanish distinguishes 'bondadoso' (kindly) from 'bueno' (good) from 'fácil' (easy), mapping the three senses precisely.
Senses
1. kind, benevolent, gracious — Kind, benevolent, gracious — describing God's character or the disposition believers should cultivate. God is chrestos toward the ungrateful and evil (Luke 6:35); his kindness (chrestotes, the related noun) leads to repentance (Rom 2:4); and believers are to be chrestoi toward one another (Eph 4:32). Spanish 'bondadoso' and French 'bienveillant' both foreground the active goodwill rather than mere niceness. 3×
AR["لَطيفٌ", "لُطفَ", "لُطَفاءَ"]·ben["দয়ালু", "মঙ্গল"]·DE["guetig", "χρηστός"]·EN["kind", "kindness"]·FR["bienveillant", "bon"]·heb["טוֹב", "טוֹבִים", "טוּב"]·HI["दयालु", "भअले", "भलाई"]·ID["baik", "baik,", "kebaikan"]·IT["buono", "chrestos", "chrēstoi"]·jav["asih", "kabecèkanipun", "saé,"]·KO["자비로운", "자애로운", "자애로운,"]·PT["benignos,", "bondade"]·RU["благость", "добр", "добры,"]·ES["benévolos", "bondadoso"]·SW["mkisameheana", "mwema", "wema"]·TR["iyidir", "iyilik", "sefkatli"]·urd["مہربان", "مہربانی", "ناشکروں"]
2. good, pleasant, wholesome — Good, pleasant, wholesome — describing quality or character that is sound and desirable. Old wine is 'good' (Luke 5:39), bad company corrupts 'good' morals (1 Cor 15:33), and believers have 'tasted that the Lord is good' (1 Pet 2:3, quoting Ps 34:8). Spanish 'bueno' and French 'bon' render this straightforwardly. The range from wine to ethics shows chrestos evaluating intrinsic quality, not just moral virtue. 3×
AR["أَجوَدُ", "حَسَنَةً", "صالِحٌ"]·ben["ভালো", "ভালো,", "মঙ্গলময়"]·DE["guetig", "χρηστός"]·EN["good"]·FR["bienveillant", "bon"]·heb["טוֹב", "טוֹבוֹת"]·HI["अच्छी", "भला", "भले"]·ID["baik", "baik,", "lebih-baik"]·IT["buono", "chrestos", "chrēstos"]·jav["-sae", "sae", "éca"]·KO["선한", "인자하심을", "좋다"]·PT["bondoso", "bons,"]·RU["благ", "добрые", "хорошо"]·ES["buenas", "bueno"]·SW["mwema", "mzuri", "njema"]·TR["arkadaşlıklar", "iyi", "iyidir"]·urd["اچھے", "مہربان"]
3. easy, comfortable — Easy, comfortable, well-fitting — describing a yoke or burden that does not chafe. Used only in Matt 11:30, where Jesus says 'my yoke is chrestos.' The original sense of the word — 'serviceable, useful, well-made' — comes through here: a yoke crafted by a skilled carpenter fits the animal perfectly. Spanish 'fácil' captures the experiential lightness, while German and French translations stay closer to the 'good/kind' gloss, underplaying the ergonomic metaphor. 1×
AR["هَيِّنٌ"]·ben["সহজ"]·DE["χρηστὸς"]·EN["easy"]·FR["bon"]·heb["נָעִים"]·HI["सरल"]·ID["enak"]·IT["chrestos"]·jav["gampil,"]·KO["편하고"]·PT["suave"]·RU["благо"]·ES["fácil"]·SW["ni-laini,"]·TR["kolaydır"]·urd["آسان"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
χρηστός, ή, όν, (χράομαι) of things, like{χρήσιμος}, useful, good of its kind, serviceable, [τόξα] χρηστὰ οὐδέν Refs 5th c.BC+; [γῆ] Refs 5th c.BC+; οἰκία, opposed to μοχθηρά, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ χ. μέλιττα, opposed to οἱ κηφῆνες, Refs 4th c.BC+: frequently of wholesome food, μελίτωμα Refs; ποτόν, σῖτος, Refs 5th c.BC+: with genitive, for a thing, νεύρων for the sinews, Refs 4th c.BC+ (but pleasant…