Greek word · G5541

χρηστεύομαι

chrēsteuomai

be kind

To be kind, to act kindly or helpfully, to show goodness. It comes from chrēstos, "useful, good, kind, gracious."

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 22, 2026

What it means

χρηστεύομαι

(χρηστός),

to be kind: 1 Corinthians 13:4 (eccl.).†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: To be kind, to act kindly or helpfully, to show goodness. It comes from chrēstos, "useful, good, kind, gracious."
Against the English: Every major version says "is kind". That is accurate, but it is an adjective for a verb: the Greek describes kindness that is done, not only a pleasant disposition.
Used elsewhere in the period: Found only here in the New Testament, and this is its earliest known use in Greek. It may be a rare word or one Paul formed. Soon after, it appears in 1 Clement 13:2 and 14:3 (around AD 95–96). The root adjective chrēstos describes God as "kind to the ungrateful and evil" (Luke 6:35) and Jesus' yoke as "easy" or well-fitting (Matt 11:30). The noun chrēstotēs is God's "kindness" in Rom 2:4 and is part of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22.

1 Corinthians · 1

1 Corinthians 13:4 χρηστεύεται, is kind,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Here: To show kindness in action, being good and useful to others. This is the positive partner of the first verb: love not only holds back anger but actively does good.

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