greetings to the brethren

χαίρω mid. by-form χαίρεται TestAbr s. below; impf. ἔχαιρον; fut. χαρήσομαι (B-D-F §77; Mlt-H. 264); 2 aor. pass. ἐχάρην (Hom.+).

① to be in a state of happiness and well-being, rejoice, be glad opp. κλαίειν J 16:20; Ro 12:15ab (Damasc., Vi. Isid. 284 χαρίεις πρὸς τοὺς χαρίεντας); 1 Cor 7:30ab; Hv 3, 3, 2. Opp. λύπην ἔχειν J 16:22. W. ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι (Hab 3:18; TestJob 43:15; ParJer 6:20; cp. TestAbr A 11 p. 89, 17 [Stone p. 26]) Mt 5:12; 1 Pt 4:13b; cp. Rv 19:7; GJs 17:2. W. εὐφραίνεσθαι (Jo 2:23 al. in LXX) Lk 15:32; Rv 11:10. W. σκιρτᾶν Lk 6:23. W. acc. of inner obj. (B-D-F §153, 1; Rob. 477) χ. χαρὰν μεγάλην be very glad (Jon 4:6; JosAs 3:4 al.) Mt 2:10. τῇ χαρᾷ ᾗ (by attraction for ἥν) χαίρομεν 1 Th 3:9. Also χαρᾷ χ., which prob. betrays the infl. of the OT (Is 66:10), J 3:29 (B-D-F §198, 6; Rob. 531; 550). The ptc. is used w. other verbs with joy, gladly (Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 40 §169 ἄπιθι χαίρων; 3 Km 8:66; Eutecnius 4 p. 43, 7 ἄπεισι χαίρουσα; Laud. Therap. 12 χαίρων ἐστέλλετο) ὑπεδέξατο αὐτον χαίρων Lk 19:6; cp. vs. 37; 15:5; Ac 5:41; 8:39.—The obj. of or reason for the joy is denoted in var. ways: w. simple dat. τοῖς τὰ πολλὰ λέγουσιν those who are (merely) garrulous Papias (2:3) (Aristonous 1, 45 [p. 164 Coll. Alex.]; Just., A I, 5, 3 al.; Orig., C. Cels. 8, 69, 20; s. also below on Ro 12:12) or prep. χαίρειν ἐπί τινι rejoice over someone or someth. (Soph. et al.; X., Cyr. 8, 4, 12, Mem. 2, 6, 35; Pla., Leg. 5, 729d; Diod S 1, 25, 2; Plut., Mor. 87e; 1088e; BGU 531 I, 4 [I A.D.]; POxy 41, 17; Tob 13:15ab; Pr 2:14; 24:19; Bar 4:33; JosAs 4:4; Jos., Ant. 1, 294; 3, 32; Ar. 15, 7; Just., D. 28, 4; Iren. 1, 16, 3 [Harv I 163, 9]) Mt 18:13; Lk 1:14; 13:17; Ac 15:31; Ro 16:19; 1 Cor 13:6; 16:17; 2 Cor 7:13; Rv 11:10; Hs 5, 2, 5 and 11; 8, 1, 16; 8, 5, 1 and 6; Dg 11:5. Also διά w. acc. (Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 102 §428; EpArist 42) J 3:29; 11:15 the ὅτι-clause gives the reason, and δί ὑμᾶς is for your sakes = in your interest; cp. 1 Th 3:9. ἔν τινι (Soph., Trach. 1118; Pla., Rep. 10, 603c; En 104:13) Hs 1:11. ἐν τούτῳ over that Phil 1:18a (for other functions of ἐν s. below). περί τινος in someth. (Pla., Ep. 2, 310e.—περὶ πλοῦτον Did., Gen. 150, 8) 1 Cl 65:1. ἵνα μὴ λύπην σχῶ ἀφʼ ὧν ἔδει με χαίρειν (either ἀπὸ τούτων ἀφʼ ὧν or ἀπὸ τούτων οἷς) 2 Cor 2:3. The reason or object is given by ὅτι (Lucian, Charon 17; Ex 4:31; Just., A II, 2, 7) Lk 10:20b; J 11:15 (s. above); 14:28; 2 Cor 7:9, 16; Phil 4:10; 2J 4. χ. ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι Lk 10:20a. χ. ὅταν 2 Cor 13:9. χ. … γάρ Phil 1:18b (19). The reason or obj. is expressed by a ptc. (X., Cyr. 1, 5, 12; Pla., Rep. 5, 458a; Dio Chrys. 22 [39], 1 al.; PGM 4, 1212 χαίρεις τοὺς σοὺς σῴζων; 1611; Just., D. 114, 4): ἰδόντες τὸν ἀστέρα ἐχάρησαν Mt 2:10; cp. Lk 23:8; J 20:20; Ac 11:23; Phil 2:28; Hv 3, 12, 3. ἀκούσαντες ἐχάρησαν they were delighted by what they heard Mk 14:11; cp. Ac 13:48; Hv 3, 3, 2.—1 Cl 33:7; Dg 5:16. λαβόντες τὰ ἐδέμσματα ἐχάρησαν Hs 5, 2, 10. W. gen. and ptc. (as Just., D. 85, 6) 9, 11, 7. If χαίρειν is also in the ptc., καί comes betw. the two participles: χαίρων καὶ βλέπων (and) it is with joy that I see Col 2:5. ἐχάρην ἐρχομένων ἀδελφῶν καὶ μαρτυρούντων I was glad when some fellow-Christians came and testified 3J 3.—τῇ ἐλπίδι χαίρ. Ro 12:12 is not ‘rejoice over the hope’ (the dat. stands in this mng. X., Mem. 1, 5, 4; Theopompus [IV B.C.]: 115 Fgm. 114 Jac.; Epict., App. D, 3 [p. 479 Sch.] ἀρετῇ χ.; Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 28, 137 οἷς ὁ θεὸς χ.; Pr 17:19), but rather rejoice in hope or filled with hope (B-D-F §196). τὸ ἐφʼ ὑμῖν χαίρω as far as you are concerned, I am glad Ro 16:19 v.l. In the majority of cases in our lit. ἐν does not introduce the cause of the joy (s. above): χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασιν I rejoice in the midst of (though because of is also poss.) (the) suffering(s) Col 1:24 (the Engl. ‘in’ conveys both ideas). χαίρ. ἐν κυρίῳ Phil 3:1; 4:4a, 10 (the imperatives in 3:1; 4:4ab are transl. good-bye [so Hom. et al.] by Goodsp., s. Probs. 174f; this would class them under 2a below). Abs. Lk 22:5; J 4:36; 8:56 (EbNestle, Abraham Rejoiced: ET 20, 1909, 477; JMoulton, ‘Abraham Rejoiced’: ibid. 523–28); 2 Cor 6:10; 7:7; 13:11; Phil 2:17f; 4:4b (s. Goodsp. above); 1 Th 5:16; 1 Pt 4:13a; cp. 13b; GPt 6:23; Hv 3, 3, 3f; Hs 1:11; 5, 3, 3; GJs 16:3.—On the rare mid. χαιρόμενος (TestAbr A 11 p. 89, 21 [Stone p. 26] χαίρεται καὶ ἀγάλλεται) Ac 3:8 D, s. Mlt. 161 w. note 1; B-D-F §307.

② in impv., a formalized greeting wishing one well, also in indicative, to use such a greeting (in effect, to express that one is on good terms w. the other, cp. Soph., Oed. R. 596 νῦν πᾶσι χαίρω=now I bid everyone good day)

ⓐ in spoken address, oft. on meeting people (Hom. et al.; also χαίροις TestAbr A 16 p. 97, 21 [Stone p. 42]; B 13 p. 117, 18 [82]; JosAs 8:2; GrBar 11:6f; loanw. in rabb.) χαῖρε, χαίρετε welcome, good day, hail (to you), I am glad to see you, somet. (e.g. Hermas)=how do you do? or simply hello Mt 26:49; 27:29; 28:9 (here perh. specif. good morning [Lucian, Laps. inter Salutandum 1 τὸ ἑωθινὸν … χαίρειν; also scholia p. 234, 13 Rabe; Cass. Dio 69, 18; Nicetas Eugen. 2, 31 H.; so Goodsp., Probs. 45f; he translates Lk 1:28 and the 2J and H passages in the same way]); Mk 15:18; Lk 1:28; GJs 11:1 (Ps.-Callisth. 1, 4, 2 Nectanebos says to Olympia upon entering her room: χαίροις Μακεδόνων βασίλεια); J 19:3 (on the sarcastic greeting as king cp. Diod S 34 + 35, Fgm. 2, 8f [Eunus]); Hv 1, 1, 4; 1, 2, 2ab; 4, 2, 2ab. χαίρειν τινὶ λέγειν greet someone, bid someone the time of day (Epict. 3, 22, 64; pass.: χαίρειν αὐτοῖς ὑφʼ ἡμῶν λέγεσθαι Iren. 1, 16, 3 [Harv. I 162, 11]) 2J 10f.—On the poss. sense farewell, good-bye for Phil 3:1; 4:4 s. 1 above, end.

ⓑ elliptically at the beginning of a letter greetings (X., Cyr. 4, 5, 27; Theocr. 14, 1; Plut., Ages. 607 [21, 10]=Mor. 213a; Aelian, VH 1, 25; Jos., Vi. 217; 365; Mel., HE 4, 26, 13; pap [Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 477–82; HLietzmann, Griech. Pap.: Kl. T. 14², 1910; Witkowski, Epistulae; GMilligan, Selections fr. the Gk. Pap.² 1911]; LXX.—B-D-F §389; 480, 5; Rob. 944; 1093. GGerhard, Untersuchungen zur Gesch. des griech. Briefes, diss. Heidelb. 1903, Philol 64, 1905, 27–65; FZiemann, De Epistularum Graecarum Formulis Sollemnibus: Dissertationes Philologicae Halenses XVIII/4, 1911; PWendland, Die urchristl. Literaturformen^{2, 3} 1912, 411–17 [Suppl. 15: Formalien des Briefes]; WSchubart, Einführung in die Papyruskunde 1918; Dssm., LO 116ff=LAE 146ff [lit.]; FExler, The Form of the Ancient Gk. Letter 1923; ORoller, D. Formular d. paul. Briefe ’33; RArcher, The Ep. Form in the NT: ET 63, ’51f, 296–98; Pauly-W. III 836ff; VII 1192ff; Kl. Pauly II 324–27; BHHW I 272f) τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς … χαίρειν greetings to the brethren Ac 15:23; cp. 23:26; Js 1:1; AcPlCor 1:1; 2:1. Ign. uses the common formula πλεῖστα χαίρειν (πολύς 3bα) IEph ins; IMg ins; ITr ins; IRo ins; ISm ins; IPol ins.—The introduction to B is unique: χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, ἐν εἰρήνῃ 1:1.—JLieu, ‘Grace to you and Peace’, The Apostolic Greeting: BJRL 68, ’85, 161–78.—Schmidt, Syn. II 550–73. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW.