Word Study for G5487 (χαριτόω)

charitóō /khar-ee-to'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom χάρις

Meaningto grace, i.e. indue with special honor

KJV usagemake accepted, be highly favoured.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of charitóō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word charitóō, represented by G5487, is derived from cháris G5485 and means to grace or indue with special honor. It appears 3 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. This term signifies the act of bestowing favor and making someone an object of grace, translating as "highly favoured" or "made accepted".

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical occurrences, G5487 describes a divine action. In Luke's gospel, the angel G32 greets Mary by calling her "thou that art highly favoured" Luke 1:28, indicating a unique status bestowed upon her by the Lord G2962. In Ephesians, the term is used twice to describe the position of believers. Paul writes that God has "made us accepted in the beloved" Ephesians 1:6, a status that exists to the praise G1868 of the glory G1391 of His grace G5485.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning of G5487:

G5485 cháris (graciousness): This is the root word from which charitóō is formed. It signifies the divine influence upon the heart and is central to the concept of being "made accepted" by God's favor Ephesians 1:6.
G5463 chaírō (to be "cheer"ful): As the root of cháris, this word for rejoicing is part of the angel's greeting, "Hail" Luke 1:28, immediately preceding the declaration that Mary is "highly favoured."
G1868 épainos (laudation): This word for praise is the stated purpose for God making believers accepted through His grace Ephesians 1:6, highlighting that God's action is meant to result in His laudation.
G1391 dóxa (glory): Directly connected to praise G1868 and grace G5485 in Ephesians 1:6, glory is the ultimate attribute to which God's act of acceptance points.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G5487 is significant in understanding the nature of salvation.

Divine Initiative: The word emphasizes that favor and acceptance are not achieved but are actively bestowed by God. Whether describing Mary as "highly favoured" or believers as "made accepted," the action originates with God (Luke 1:28, Ephesians 1:6).
Acceptance in Christ: The use in Ephesians 1:6 is crucial, as it specifies that this acceptance is granted "in the beloved" G25. This means the believer's standing before God is secured through their position in Christ.
Purpose of Praise: God's act of endowing grace through G5487 is explicitly linked to His own glory. The outcome of being "made accepted" is for the "praise of the glory of his grace" Ephesians 1:6.

Summary

In summary, G5487 charitóō conveys more than simple favor; it describes a definitive act of God endowing a person with grace and honor. It is not a quality one possesses, but a status one receives. From the angel's address to Mary to Paul's explanation of a believer's standing in Christ, the word points to the gracious initiative of God that places individuals in a position of acceptance, all for the ultimate praise of His own glory.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Perfect Passive Participle Vocative Singular Feminine 1×

Vocative: Direct address — naming who is spoken to.
Singular: One.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke and Ephesians (1 verse each); never once in the other 25.

Luke

Ephesians

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.