Word studies · Greek · Strong's G5479
χαρά · chará · appears 59 times in the New Testament
In one line: Deep gladness rooted in God, not dependent on circumstances.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:22
Joy is a deep gladness rooted in God, able to persist even through difficult circumstances because it isn't dependent on them.
Chara describes a cheerfulness or delight the New Testament repeatedly ties to God's presence and salvation rather than to favorable conditions. Paul can command joy “always” precisely because its source is God, not circumstance.
Chara comes from the same root as the verb chairō, “to rejoice,” and is closely related to charis, “grace” — joy and grace share a linguistic family, both flowing from the idea of what delights or gladdens.
Because chara shares its root with charis (grace), the New Testament's frequent pairing of the two isn't accidental — joy is presented as the natural response to grace received, which is why it can coexist with suffering rather than being canceled by it.
Chara (G5479) is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, immediately after love.
Joy is presented not as an emotion to manufacture but as fruit the Spirit produces, something believers can hold onto “in the Lord” regardless of trial, because its foundation is God's unchanging character and finished work.
Cultivate joy by rehearsing what God has done rather than waiting for good circumstances to feel grateful. Name one thing today you can genuinely rejoice in, even if the rest of your day is hard.
cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.
Matthew 2:10Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
Mark 4:16He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
Luke 1:14The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
John 3:29So there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:8For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17Press and hold joy in any chapter and this study opens on the verse you are reading, with the lexicons, every occurrence and the commentaries beside it. The Bible is free to read.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Strong's definitions are public domain. Counts come from The Pillar's own tagged text.