Greek word · G5390
φιλοφρόνως
philophronōs
hospitably
Adverb from philophrōn, "friendly-minded": kindly, courteously, with goodwill. It describes the spirit in which something is done.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Adverb from philophrōn, "friendly-minded": kindly, courteously, with goodwill. It describes the spirit in which something is done.
- Against the English
KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB say "courteously". ESV and BSB say "hospitably", which partly repeats the verb. NIV's "generous" stresses how lavish the hosting was more than how warm it was. NLT's "kindly" is close to the sense.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Appears only here in the New Testament. It is common in Hellenistic Greek, for example in Josephus (Antiquities) and in the LXX at 2 Macc 3:9, where the high priest receives Heliodorus "in a friendly way". It is also common in letters and inscriptions describing a gracious reception. The related adjective appears in some manuscripts at 1 Pet 3:8.
Where it appears
Acts · 1
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Acts 28:7 φιλοφρόνως hospitably
Nearby stood an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
Here: Literally "with a friendly mind". It describes the warmth and goodwill behind the hosting, not just the formal duty. The word appears only here in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.