live in accordance with the laws

χράομαι (χρή) mid. dep. pres. 2 sg. χρᾶσαι (B-D-F §87), ind. and subj. 3 sg. χρῆται IRo 9:1; 1 Ti 1:8 (B-D-F §88); impf. ἐχρώμην; fut. χρήσομαι LXX; 1 aor. ἐχρησάμην; pf. κέχρημαι (Mlt-H. 200) (Hom.+) ‘use’, a common multivalent term.

① make use of, employ

ⓐ w. dat. τινί someth. (Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 102 §427f θαλάσσῃ; Wsd 2:6; 13:18; 4 Macc 9:2; GrBar 6:12; Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 5 Jac.; Philo, Aet. M. 70; 71; Jos., Bell. 3, 341; Just., A I, 14, 2, D. 57, 2; Tat. 12, 5.—B-D-F §193, 5; Rob. 532f) βοηθείαις ἐχρῶντο Ac 27:17 (s. βοήθεια 2).—1 Cor 7:31 v.l.; 9:12, 15; 1 Ti 5:23 (οἶνος 1); 2 Cl 6:5; Dg 6:5; 12:3 (ᾗ μὴ καθαρῶς χρησάμενοι not using it in purity); ITr 6:1; IPhld 4; Hs 9, 16, 4 (of the use of a seal as PHib 72, 16 [III B.C.]). διαλέκτῳ use a language Dg 5:2. Of law (Trag., Hdt. et al.; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 125) τοῖς νόμοις live in accordance with the laws (Jos., Ant. 16, 27; Ath. 1, 1) Hs 1:3f; cp. 6. ἐάν τις αὐτῷ (=τῷ νόμῳ) νομίμως χρῆται 1 Ti 1:8. προφήταις χρῆσθαι appeal to the prophets AcPlCor 1:10. A dat. is to be supplied w. μᾶλλον χρῆσαι make the most of, take advantage of 1 Cor 7:21, either τῇ δουλείᾳ (so the Peshitta, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and many modern interpreters and translators, among the latter, 20th Century, Goodsp., NRSV; s. also HBellen, Ac 6, ’63, 177–80) or τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ (so Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, FGodet, Lghtf., Zahn, Moffatt, RSV, NRSV mg., REB); s. μᾶλλον 2a.—If μ. χ. is construed without an implied dat., the phrase can be understood in the sense be all the more useful, work all the harder (cp. Vi. Aesopi G 17 P. on the theme of dedication to a task) i.e. as a freedperson be as industrious as a slave. (On this subj.: TZahn, Sklaverei u. Christentum in d. alten Welt [1879]: Skizzen aus dem Leben d. alten Kirche² 1898, 116–59; EvDobschütz, Sklaverei u. Christent.: RE³ XVIII 423–33; XXIV 521; JvWalter, Die Sklaverei im NT 1914; FKiefl, Die Theorien des modernen Sozialismus über den Ursprung d. Christentums, Zugleich ein Komm. zu 1 Cor 7:21, 1915, esp. p. 56–109; JWeiss, Das Urchristentum 1917, 456–60; ASteinmann, Zur Geschichte der Auslegung v. 1 Cor 7:21: ThRev 16, 1918, 341–48; AJuncker, D. Ethik des Ap. Pls II 1919, 175–81; JKoopmans, De Servitute Antiqua et Rel. Christ., diss. Amsterdam 1920, 119ff; ELohmeyer, Soz. Fragen im Urchrist. 1921; FGrosheide, Exegetica [1 Cor 7:21]: GereformTT 24, 1924, 298–302; HGreeven [s.v. πλοῦτος 1]; MEnslin, The Ethics of Paul 1930, 205–10; WWestermann, Enslaved Persons Who Are Free, AJP 59, ’38, 1–30; HGülzow, Christent. u. Sklaverei [to 300 A.D.], ’69, 177–81; SBartchy, MALLON CHRESAI, ’73=SBLDS 11, ’85; TWiedmann, Greek and Roman Slavery ’81; COsiek, Slavery in the Second Testament World: BTB 22, ’92, 174–79 [lit.]; JHarril, The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity ’95, esp. 68–128. On slavery in antiquity gener.: WWestermann, Pauly-W. Suppl. VI ’35, 894–1068, The Slave Systems of Gk. and Rom. Antiquity, ’55; WKristensen, De antieke opvatting van dienstbaarheid ’34; MPohlenz, D. hellen. Mensch ’47, 387–96; Kl. Pauly V 230–34; BHHW III 1814f; MFinley, Slavery in Classical Antiquity ’60; KBradley, The Problem of Slavery in Classical Culture: ClPh 92, ’97, 273–82 [lit.]; PGarnsey, Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine ’96.) τινὶ εἴς τι use someth. for someth. (Oenomaus in Eus., PE 5, 33, 14; Simplicius In Epict. p. 27, 52 Düb.; cp. Tat. 17, 4 πρὸς τὸ κακοποιεῖν) Hv 3, 2, 8. σὺ αὐτὸς χρᾶσαι ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν λίθων you yourself function as one from these same stones 3, 6, 7 (s. app. in Whittaker and Joly; for lit. s. Leutzsch, Hermas 418 n. 355).—W. a double dat. (Trag. et al.) σχοινίῳ χρώμενοι τῷ πνεύματι using as a rope the Holy Spirit IEph 9:1. W. double dat. of pers. (Jos., C. Ap. 1, 227; Just., D. 7, 1; Tat. 36, 1; Ath. 32, 1) of the Syrian ἐκκλησία, which ποιμένι τῷ θεῷ χρῆται resorts to God as shepherd IRo 9:1.

ⓑ w. acc. (X., Ages. 11, 11; Ps.-Aristot., Oecon. 2, 22, 1350a, 7 χρ. τὰ τέλη εἰς διοίκησιν τῆς πόλεως; Ael. Aristid. 13 p. 162 D.; SIG 1170, 27 ἄνηθον μετʼ ἐλαίου χρ.; PTebt 273, 28 ὕδωρ χρ.; Wsd 7:14 v.l.; 2 Macc 4:19.—B-D-F §152, 4; Rob. 476) τὸν κόσμον 1 Cor 7:31 (cp. Simplicius In Epict. p. 29, 30 Düb. τὸ τοῖς μὴ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ὡς ἐφʼ ἡμῖν οὖσι κεχρῆσθαι=to use that which is not in our power as if it were in our power; s. also MDibelius, Urchristentum u. Kultur 1928).

② act, proceed (Hdt. et al.; POxy 474, 38 et al.) w. dat. of characteristic shown (Aelian, VH 2, 15; Jos., Ant. 10, 25; Just., D. 79, 2; Tat. 40, 1; Mel., HE 4, 26, 13) τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ 2 Cor 1:17. πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ 3:12. ὑποταγῇ 1 Cl 37:5.—W. adv. (PMagd 6, 12 [III B.C.] et al.) ἀποτόμως 2 Cor 13:10.

③ treat a person in a certain way, w. dat. of pers. and an adv. (X., Mem. 1, 2, 48 φίλοις καλῶς χρ.; OGI 51, 8 [III B.C.] τοῖς τεχνίταις φιλανθρώπως χρῆται; PPetr III, 115, 8 [III B.C.] πικρῶς σοι ἐχρήσατο; POxy 745, 6; Esth 2:9; TestJob 20:3 ὡς ἐβούλετο; Jos., Ant. 2, 315, C. Ap. 1, 153 φιλανθρώπως; Just., A I, 27, 1 αἰσχρῶς) φιλανθρώπως ὁ Ἱούλιος τῷ Παύλῳ χρησάμενος; cp. Hs 5, 2, 10.—DELG s.v. χράομαι p. 1274. M-M. EDNT.