εὐφραίνω (G2165) — Greek Lexicon

εὐφραίνω

euphraínō

G2165 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To gladden, to make glad, to bring joy or cause to rejoice; in the middle and passive voices, to experience gladness or to rejoice. The term can refer both to external acts that produce gladness (such as celebrations or feasts) and the internal, emotional state of becoming glad or joyful. In context, εὐφραίνω may denote causing another to rejoice, or the act of rejoicing oneself.

Semantic Range

to gladden, to make glad, to cause to rejoice, to be gladdened, to rejoice, to celebrate festively, to experience joy especially in a communal or celebratory context

Root / Etymology

From the adverb εὖ (well, good) and φρήν (mind, understanding). The word originally means 'to make the mind well' or 'to put in a good state of mind.' Its construction is transparent and reflects an inherited Greek compound model.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, εὐφραίνω was used to refer generally to making someone cheerful, gladdening, or to causing delight, whether by hospitality, gifts, words, or actions. In the Septuagint, the verb frequently translates Hebrew terms for rejoicing, notably in contexts of feasts (e.g., eating and drinking with gladness), worship, or prosperity—often as a marker of communal celebration, but also of individual emotional states. In the New Testament, εὐφραίνω is found mainly in contexts of festal gatherings and parabolic speech (e.g., the rejoicing over the return of the prodigal son in Luke 15). English translations often render it as 'make merry,' 'rejoice,' or 'be glad,' sometimes failing to capture the nuance of feasting, communal gladness, or hospitality reflected in the source context. The middle/passive voice emphasizes not just external actions but also the internal experience or response of joy. Distinct from χαίρω ('to rejoice') which centers on the emotion or feeling of joy, εὐφραίνω more often implies the cause or act of producing that joy, especially through tangible or communal means.

Translation Consistency

primary "rejoice" 5 occurrences

εὐφραίνω most often denotes experiencing or expressing gladness—‘to rejoice’—and also fits celebratory, communal contexts. While it can mean ‘make glad’ transitively, the primary and most natural English rendering across forms is ‘rejoice.’

Alternatives (9 occurrences):

"gladdened" (6x) "us be gladdened" (1x) "gladdening" (1x) "glad" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from εὖ and φρήν; to put (middle voice or passively, be) in a good frame of mind, i.e. rejoice:--fare, make glad, be (make) merry, rejoice.

Root Family

εὐφραίνω (euphraínō) — to gladden, to make glad, to rejoice

Root εὐφραιν- to gladden, to make glad, to rejoice

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G2165-07`	εὐφραίνου	euphrainou	`V PRS PASS IMP 2P SG`	be merry	be gladdened	be rejoicing	2
`G2165-10`	εὐφράνθητε	euphranthete	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL`	Rejoice	Be gladdened	be gladdened	1
`G2165-01`	εὐφραίνεσθαι	euphrainesthai	`V PRS PASS INF`	to celebrate	to be gladdened	to be gladdened	1
`G2165-05`	εὐφραίνονται	euphrainontai	`V PRS PASS IND 3P PL`	celebrate	they are being made glad	they are glad	1
`G2165-03`	εὐφραινόμενος	euphrainomenos	`V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M SG`	feasting	being gladdened	being gladdened	1
`G2165-02`	εὐφραίνεσθε	euphrainesthe	`V PRS PASS IMP 2P PL`	rejoice	Be rejoicing	be rejoicing	1
`G2165-04`	εὐφραίνων	euphrainon	`V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG`	makes-glad	gladdening	gladdening	1
`G2165-12`	εὐφρανθῶ	euphrantho	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 1P SG`	I-might-make-merry	I might be gladdened	I might rejoice	1
`G2165-13`	εὐφρανθῶμεν	euphranthomen	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 1P PL`	be merry	let us be gladdened	let us be gladdened	1
`G2165-06`	εὐφραίνοντο	euphrainonto	`V IMPF PASS IND 3P PL`	were rejoicing	were being gladdened	were being gladdened	1
`G2165-08`	ηὐφράνθη	euphranthe	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was glad	was gladdened	was gladdened	1
`G2165-11`	εὐφράνθητι	euphrantheti	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P SG`	rejoice	Be gladdened!	Be gladdened	1
`G2165-09`	εὐφρανθῆναι	euphranthenai	`V AOR PASS INF`	to rejoice	to be gladdened	to rejoice	1

Occurrences in Scripture

14 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G2165-07`	Luke 12:19	εὐφραίνου	euphrainou	`V PRS PASS IMP 2P SG`	be merry	be gladdened	be rejoicing
`G2165-13`	Luke 15:23	εὐφρανθῶμεν	euphranthomen	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 1P PL`	be merry	let us be gladdened	let us be gladdened
`G2165-01`	Luke 15:24	εὐφραίνεσθαι	euphrainesthai	`V PRS PASS INF`	to celebrate	to be gladdened	to be gladdened
`G2165-12`	Luke 15:29	εὐφρανθῶ	euphrantho	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 1P SG`	I-might-make-merry	I might be gladdened	I might rejoice
`G2165-09`	Luke 15:32	εὐφρανθῆναι	euphranthenai	`V AOR PASS INF`	to rejoice	to be gladdened	to rejoice
`G2165-03`	Luke 16:19	εὐφραινόμενος	euphrainomenos	`V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M SG`	feasting	being gladdened	being gladdened
`G2165-08`	Acts 2:26	ηὐφράνθη	euphranthe	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was glad	was gladdened	was gladdened
`G2165-06`	Acts 7:41	εὐφραίνοντο	euphrainonto	`V IMPF PASS IND 3P PL`	were rejoicing	were being gladdened	were being gladdened
`G2165-10`	Romans 15:10	εὐφράνθητε	euphranthete	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P PL`	Rejoice	Be gladdened	be gladdened
`G2165-04`	2 Corinthians 2:2	εὐφραίνων	euphrainon	`V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG`	makes-glad	gladdening	gladdening
`G2165-11`	Galatians 4:27	εὐφράνθητι	euphrantheti	`V AOR PASS IMP 2P SG`	rejoice	Be gladdened!	Be gladdened
`G2165-05`	Revelation 11:10	εὐφραίνονται	euphrainontai	`V PRS PASS IND 3P PL`	celebrate	they are being made glad	they are glad
`G2165-02`	Revelation 12:12	εὐφραίνεσθε	euphrainesthe	`V PRS PASS IMP 2P PL`	rejoice	Be rejoicing	be rejoicing
`G2165-07`	Revelation 18:20	εὐφραίνου	euphrainou	`V PRS PASS IMP 2P SG`	Rejoice	be gladdened	be rejoicing

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