Word study
Generous
4 Hebrew and 5 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “generous”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “generous” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- חָנַן chânanshew favour, be gracioustranslated this way 2 times of its 76 uses · Strong’s H2603Verb · Translated: gracious 17, mercy 14, merciful 7, favor 4Full study and all 72 verses →
Psalm 37:26 They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
Psalm 112:5 It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.
- בְּרָכָה Berâkâhblessingtranslated this way 1 time of its 69 uses · Strong’s H1293Noun · Translated: blessing 44, blessings 12, gift 4, according to the blessing 2Full study and all 64 verses →
Proverbs 11:25 A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
- טוֹב ṭôbpleasant, agreeable, goodtranslated this way 1 time of its 538 uses · Strong’s H2896Adjective · Translated: good 249, better 72, prosperity 19, good things 12Full study and all 499 verses →
Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
- רַבְרַב rabrabhuge, domineeringtranslated this way 1 time of its 8 uses · Strong’s H7260Adjective · Translated: great 3, words of arrogance 2, generous 1, large 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Daniel 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀγαθός agathósgoodtranslated this way 1 time of its 99 uses · Strong’s G18Adjective · Translated: good 79, good things 7, clear 3, anything good 2Full study and all 88 verses →
Matthew 20:15 Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
- ἁδρότης hadrótēslavishnesstranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G100Noun · Translated: generous 1Full study and its 1 verse →
2 Corinthians 8:20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift .
- εὐλογία eulogíaadulation, praise, blessingtranslated this way 1 time of its 16 uses · Strong’s G2129Noun · Translated: blessing 9, generously 3, flattery 1, generous gift 1Full study and all 14 verses →
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.
- ἁπλότης haplótēssimplicity, sincerity, puritytranslated this way 1 time of its 7 uses · Strong’s G572Noun · Translated: generosity 2, sincerity 2, give generously 1, generous 1Full study and all 7 verses →
2 Corinthians 9:11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God.
- εὐμετάδοτος eumetádotoswillingly sharing, ready to imparttranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G2130Adjective · Translated: generous 1Full study and its 1 verse →
1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.