Greek word · G4796

συγχαίρω

synchairō

to rejoice with

To rejoice together with someone; to share in their joy. In letters it is also a standard way of saying 'I congratulate you' on good news.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

συν-χαίρω

(Rec. συγ-), [in LXX: Genesis 21:6 (צָחַק), 3Ma.1:8 R * ;]

1. to rejoice with: with dative of person(s), Luke 1:58 15:6, 9, Philippians 2:17-18, EV; with dative of thing(s), 1 Corinthians 12:26 13:6.

2. to congratulate (Æschin., Polyb., al.): Phi, l.with (Lft., in I.; cf. MM, xxiv).†

(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 Philippians 2:17

Range of meaning

To rejoice together with someone; to share in their joy. In letters it is also a standard way of saying 'I congratulate you' on good news.

Against the English

English versions have 'rejoice with' (BSB, KJV, WEB), 'joy with' (YLT), or NASB's 'share my joy with'. None uses 'congratulate', which the Vulgate's congratulor points toward.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Luke 1:58 and 15:6, 9, neighbours 'rejoice with' someone over good news. In papyrus letters the verb is used for congratulations. Lightfoot argued for 'congratulate' here.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 12:26

Range of meaning

To rejoice together with someone, or to congratulate them.

Against the English

'Rejoices with it' is accurate. NLT's 'are glad' loses the 'with', the sense of sharing the joy.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Gen 21:6, where Sarah says 'whoever hears will rejoice with me'. Luke 1:58 and 15:6, 9 ('rejoice with me'). Phil 2:17–18. It is a stock word in Greek letters of congratulation. Compare Rom 12:15, 'rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.'

From the study of Luke 15:6

Range of meaning

To rejoice together with someone, and in everyday Greek, to congratulate. It is very common in papyrus letters on births, recoveries and safe arrivals (BDAG; Moulton–Milligan). It is passive in form but active in meaning. It belongs to the same word family as χαρά (joy) and χάρις (favor, grace).

Against the English

"Rejoice with me" is accurate. English can make it sound like a private feeling. The Greek is a social act: other people take your good fortune as their own and say so out loud.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 1:58: Elizabeth's "neighbors and relatives… rejoiced with her (συνέχαιρον)" at the birth of John. That is the same picture of neighbors sharing joy. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 12:26 ("if one member is honored, all rejoice together") and Philippians 2:17–18. In the Septuagint, Sarah says "all who hear will rejoice with me" (Genesis 21:6).

Where it appears

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 1:58 συνέχαιρον they were rejoicing with

    Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

    Here: 'They were rejoicing with her': shared joy, which naturally included congratulating her. The ongoing past tense ('were rejoicing') suggests celebrating that went on, with visitors coming and going, leading into the gathering on the eighth day (v. 59). It fulfils the angel's promise that 'many will rejoice at his birth' (1:14).

  2. Luke 15:6 συγχάρητέ do rejoice with

    comes home, and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’

    Here: "Rejoice with [me]!" It is a direct command addressed to the whole group. The form is passive in Greek but active in meaning. It asks them to make his joy their own, and in ordinary Greek it could also mean "congratulate me."

  3. Luke 15:9 συγχάρητέ do rejoice with

    And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’

1 Corinthians · 2

  1. 1 Corinthians 12:26 συγχαίρει rejoice with [it]

    If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

    Here: 'Rejoices with': shares the joy of another's good fortune. In a society where status was competed for, this is the opposite of envy.

  2. 1 Corinthians 13:6 συγχαίρει rejoices

    Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth.

    Here: The same verb as before with the prefix syn- ('with') added. Normally it means joining in someone else's celebration. Truth is pictured almost as a person who has won, and love is glad alongside it.

Philippians · 2

  1. Philippians 2:17 συγχαίρω I rejoice with

    But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

    Here: 'I rejoice together with you' or 'I congratulate you'. Paul's joy is shared, not private, because the offering is joint: theirs as the sacrifice, his as the libation.

  2. Philippians 2:18 συγχαίρετέ do rejoice with

    So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

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