Lexical Summary charitoó: To bestow grace, to favor, to endow with grace. Original Word: χαριτόω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance favor highlyFrom charis; to grace, i.e. Indue with special honor -- make accepted, be highly favoured. see GREEK charis HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 5487 xaritóō (from 5486 /xárisma, "grace," see there) – properly, highly-favored because receptive to God's grace. 5487 (xaritóō) is used twice in the NT (Lk 1:28 and Eph 1:6), both times of God extending Himself to freely bestow grace (favor). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom charis Definition to make graceful, endow with grace NASB Translation favored (1), freely bestowed (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5487: χαριτόωχαριτόω, χαρίτω: 1 aorist ἐχαριτωσα; perfect passive participle κεχαριτωμένος; (χάρις); 1. to make graceful i. e. charming, lovely, agreeable: passive, Sir. 18:17; ταῖς διαλοξοις στροφαῖς χαριτουμενος ὀφρυν, Libanius, vol. iv., p. 1071, 14. 2. to pursue with grace, compass with favor; to honor with blessings: τινα, Ephesians 1:6; passive, Luke 1:28 (some would take it in these two examples subjectively (R. V. marginal reading endued frith grace)); Psalm 18:26 Symm.; (Hermas, sim. 9, 24, 3 [ET]; Test xii. Patr. test. Joseph. 1); ecclesiastical and Byzantine writings. Strong’s Greek 5487 depicts the decisive action by which God bestows His favor. This divine initiative is never earned; it proceeds entirely from the gracious disposition of God and results in a new status for its recipients—Mary in Luke 1:28 and all believers in Ephesians 1:6. In both settings the word marks a watershed moment in salvation history: God’s favor moves from promise to manifestation, from intention to realized blessing. Occurrences in the New Testament 1. Luke 1:28—The angel Gabriel greets Mary as one who has already been and remains “highly favored.” These two texts span the earthly life of Jesus from conception to exaltation, underscoring that the same gracious initiative that prepared the Incarnation also secures the believer’s redemption. The Angelic Greeting to Mary “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) • The perfect tense highlights a completed act with continuing effects. Mary stands as a recipient, not a source, of grace. The Believer’s Position in Christ “to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One” (Ephesians 1:6) • The aorist tense views God’s action as a single, decisive grant of favor at the moment of union with Christ. Grace and Salvation History Genesis 6:8 first records that Noah “found favor” with the Lord. The New Testament use of 5487 shows that such favor reaches its climax in Christ: • Promise: Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 61:1–3 God’s favor is therefore both personal and redemptive, moving history toward the praise of His glory. Pastoral and Devotional Implications • Identity—Believers live from bestowed favor, not toward earned acceptance (Romans 5:1–2). The Term in Patristic and Church History Early fathers such as Ignatius of Antioch and Irenaeus used Luke 1:28 to affirm the real humanity of Christ, anchored in Mary’s historical person. Medieval exegesis sometimes shifted the focus to Mary’s merits, yet Reformers redirected attention to God’s initiating grace, echoing Ephesians 1:6. Contemporary evangelical scholarship continues to uphold that the verb underscores grace as God’s unilateral gift. Connections with Old Testament Grace While 5487 appears only in the New Testament, its conceptual parallel in the Septuagint is often charis (favor), used of Noah (Genesis 6:8), Joseph (Genesis 39:21), and Esther (Esther 2:17). Each anticipates the pattern: divine favor granted for the benefit of a broader community. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Evangelism—Present salvation as offered favor rather than religious achievement (Titus 3:5). Summary of Key Themes Strong’s 5487 spotlights the sovereign generosity of God, revealed first to Mary and then to all who are in Christ. It seals the narrative arc from Incarnation to exaltation and calls the church to live in continual praise for the grace that has been lavishly bestowed. Englishman's Concordance Luke 1:28 V-RPM/P-NFSGRK: εἶπεν Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη ὁ κύριος NAS: to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord KJV: Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord INT: said Greetings [you] favored one the Lord [is] Ephesians 1:6 V-AIA-3S Strong's Greek 5487 |
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