Greek word · G2746

καύχησις

kauchēsis

pride

The act of boasting, or the thing one is proud of. It can be bad, meaning self-promotion (Rom 3:27), or rightful, meaning pride in what God has done (2 Cor 1:12; 7:4, 14).

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

καύχησις, -εως, ἡ

(καυχάομαι), [in LXX for תִּפְאָרָה (1 Chronicles 29:13, Ezekiel 16:12, al) ;]

a boasting, glorying: Romans 3:27, 2 Corinthians 11:10 11:17, James 4:16; before ὑπέρ, 2 Corinthians 7:4 8:24; ἐτί, with genitive, 2 Corinthians 7:14; ἔχω τὴν κ. ἐν Χρ. Ἰησ., Romans 15:17; στέφανος καυχήσεως (Ez. l.with, al.), 1 Thessalonians 2:19; of the cause of glorying, a boast ( = καύχημα), 2 Corinthians 1:12.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Corinthians 15:31

Range of meaning

The act of boasting, or the thing one is proud of. It can be bad, meaning self-promotion (Rom 3:27), or rightful, meaning pride in what God has done (2 Cor 1:12; 7:4, 14).

Against the English

"Boasting" in modern English almost always means bragging. The KJV's "rejoicing" turns it into an emotion and loses the idea of honour and something to show for one's work.

How it drifted

Paul lived in a culture of honour and shame, where a person's "boast" was the public basis of their standing. Modern English keeps only the negative side of the word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul calls his churches his boast before Christ at his coming (2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 2:19; Phil 2:16). Jeremiah 9:23–24, which Paul quotes in 1 Cor 1:31, allows boasting only "in the Lord". Paul's "which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord" matches that.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 1:12

Range of meaning

The act of boasting or glorying, or the thing one boasts in. It is a word of public claim and of standing: what a person can point to as the basis of honour. In Paul it is often tied to the final judgment, where one's "boast" is what one can present before God (1:14; Phil 2:16; 1 Thess 2:19).

Against the English

KJV "rejoicing", YLT "glorying", BSB/WEB "boast(ing)". In modern English "boast" sounds like vanity. "Rejoicing" misses the element of claim, of having grounds you can point to.

How it drifted

English "boast" has narrowed to self-promotion. The Greek word group can mean empty bragging (Paul condemns that: 1 Cor 1:29; 2 Cor 10–11). It can also mean a legitimate ground of confidence, which is the sense here.

Used elsewhere in the period

The LXX uses the word group for glorying in the LORD (Jer 9:23–24, which Paul quotes in 1 Cor 1:31 and 2 Cor 10:17). Greek moralists debated when self-praise was acceptable: Plutarch's essay "On Praising Oneself Inoffensively" allows it when one must defend oneself against slander. That is Paul's situation. The kauch- word group appears far more often in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the NT.

From the study of 2 Corinthians 7:4

Range of meaning

The act of boasting, or the thing you boast about. In Greek it could be neutral, positive or negative depending on what was boasted in and how. In the Septuagint, Jeremiah 9:23–24 ("let him who boasts boast in the Lord") shapes Paul's use.

Against the English

KJV "glorying", WEB "boasting", BSB and ESV "pride in you". Modern English "boasting" and "pride" usually sound like vanity. Here the word means honouring someone else publicly, the way a parent is proud of a child.

How it drifted

Modern English links "boasting" with arrogance. In Paul it is often the opposite: confidence placed outside oneself, in God or in the people one has served.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses the kauch- word group about 55 times, more than half of them in 2 Corinthians. 2 Cor 1:14 says "you are our boast and we are yours on the day of our Lord Jesus"; 7:14 has "whatever boasts I made to Titus about you"; 8:24 and 9:2–3 have Paul's boasting to the Macedonians about Corinthian generosity.

Similar words

Where it appears

Romans · 2

  1. Romans 3:27 καύχησις; boasting?

    Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

    Here: The act of claiming standing or honour on some basis, here standing before God. It is about what a person or group relies on and points to, not merely about bragging out loud.

  2. Romans 15:17 καύχησιν boasting

    Therefore I exult in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

    Here: Paul's legitimate claim to honour, his reason for confidence and exultation. It is placed straight away "in Christ Jesus", so it is not a claim about his own merit.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:31 καύχησιν, boasting,

    I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Here: Paul's pride in the Corinthians, the honour he hopes to show for his work when he stands before Christ. It is the thing he swears by, so it must be something precious and certain to him.

2 Corinthians · 6

  1. 2 Corinthians 1:12 καύχησις boasting

    For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.

    Here: The act of boasting, or what one boasts in. Here it is the confidence Paul can rightly claim and will stand on before God (see v. 14, "on the day of the Lord Jesus"). It is not bragging.

  2. 2 Corinthians 7:4 καύχησις boasting

    Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.

    Here: Paul speaks proudly about the Corinthians to others. He has already boasted about them to Titus (7:14) and calls them his boast for the day of the Lord (1:14). This is honour given to others, not self-promotion.

  3. 2 Corinthians 7:14 καύχησις boasting

    Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.

  4. 2 Corinthians 8:24 καυχήσεως boasting

    In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.

  5. 2 Corinthians 11:10 καύχησις boasting

    As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

    Here: Paul's boast that he preached to the Corinthians free of charge and was a burden to no one (v. 9).

  6. 2 Corinthians 11:17 καυχήσεως. of boasting.

    In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.

1 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 καυχήσεως; of boasting?

    After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?

    Here: Tells us what kind of wreath it is: the honour Paul will be able to point to. The genitive could be read as "a wreath that is my boast" or "a wreath I can be proud of".

James · 1

  1. James 4:16 καύχησις boasting

    As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

    Here: The act of boasting, picking up the verb from the first half of the verse. The repetition ('boast… boasting') makes James's verdict emphatic.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.