G2167 — εὐφροσύνη (euphrosýnē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2167
Original: εὐφροσύνη
Transliteration: euphrosýnē
Pronunciation: yoo-fros-oo'-nay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From the same root as εὔφρων (euphrōn, "well-minded, cheerful") — εὖ (eu, "well") + φρήν (phrēn, "mind, disposition"). Cognate verb εὐφραίνω (euphraínō, G2165) "to make glad, cheer; (pass./mid.) to be glad, rejoice, make merry."
Occurrences: 2 unique verses in NT (both in Acts)
First Occurrence (NT): Act 2:28 — "thou shalt make me full of joy (εὐφροσύνης) with thy countenance"
Hapax Legomenon (NT): No, but extremely rare — only 2 NT occurrences, both in Luke/Acts.

Lexicon Definition¶

From the same as εὔφρων; joyfulness: — gladness, joy. (Strong's)

A noun denoting the state or experience of gladness — an interior cheerfulness that naturally expresses itself in festive and social contexts. In classical and Koine Greek εὐφροσύνη regularly connotes the gladness of a shared meal, a feast, or a celebration (cf. LXX Est 9:17–19; Isa 22:13; Sir 30:16, 22). Distinct from χαρά (chará, G5479), which emphasizes the affective state of joy itself, εὐφροσύνη tends to emphasize its outward, festal, communal expression — the mood of a banquet, not merely the inward condition of the heart.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 25 — Attitudes and Emotions
Subdomain: 25.117 (Louw-Nida 25.K, "Happy, Glad, Joyful")
Other words in subdomain: ἀγαλλίασις (G20), ἀγαλλιάω (G21), ἀσμένως (G780), εὐφραίνω (G2165), ἡδέως (G2234), ἱλαρός (G2431), ἱλαρότης (G2432), μακαρίζω (G3106), μακάριος (G3107), μακαρισμός (G3108)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[025] Attitudes and Emotions

Louw-Nida Domain Neighbors (25.K — Happy, Glad, Joyful)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total vv (NT)	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G20	ἀγαλλίασις	4	gladness, exceeding joy	Exultation, triumphant jubilation; louder register than euphrosynē
G21	ἀγαλλιάω	11	rejoiced, be exceeding glad	Verb of exultation; often eschatological/doxological
G780	ἀσμένως	2	gladly	Adverb: with pleased readiness to receive
G2165	εὐφραίνω	14	rejoice, be merry	Cognate verb — the action/experience of being glad, esp. at meals/feasts
G2234	ἡδέως	3	gladly	Adverb: with pleasure, willingly
G2431	ἱλαρός	1	cheerful	The disposition of the giver (2Co 9:7)
G2432	ἱλαρότης	1	cheerfulness	Quality of cheerfulness in exercising mercy (Rom 12:8)
G3107	μακάριος	50	blessed	Blessedness / happiness as conferred state, not expressed mood
G5479	χαρά	59	joy	Inward joy itself (affect); euphrosynē is its festive expression

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
gladness	1	50%
joy (in "full of joy")	1	50%

With only 2 NT occurrences, the distribution is symbolic rather than statistical. The LXX data below is far more revealing of the word's semantic weight.

Distribution by Book (NT)¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Acts	2	0.2

All NT occurrences are Lukan, both in Acts. Notably absent from the Gospels, Paul, and the General Epistles — even though the cognate verb εὐφραίνω (G2165) is more widely distributed (Luke 12:19; 15:23–32; 16:19; Acts 2:26; 7:41; Rom 15:10; 2Co 2:2; Gal 4:27; Rev 11:10; 12:12; 18:20).

Semantic Categories¶

Because the NT occurrences are only two, categories are best drawn from the combined NT + LXX semantic profile, grouped by the contexts the word fills.

1. Eschatological / Resurrection Gladness (the Lukan use)¶

Act 2:28 — Peter, citing Psa 16:11 LXX: "thou shalt make me full of joy (εὐφροσύνης) with thy countenance." Here euphrosynē is the gladness of resurrection life, of being restored to the presence of God.

2. Providential Gladness from Common Grace¶

Act 14:17 — Paul at Lystra: God "gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness (εὐφροσύνης)." The gladness that accompanies food, harvest, and daily provision — a witness to God's goodness to all humanity.

3. (LXX) Festival Gladness "before the LORD"¶

In the LXX, euphrosynē repeatedly translates simchâh (H8057) in the Deuteronomic festival contexts where Israel is commanded to rejoice before the LORD at the central sanctuary: - Deu 28:47 LXX — serving God "with joyfulness (εὐφροσύνῃ) and with gladness of heart" - Psa 15:11 LXX (=16:11 MT) — "in thy presence is fulness of joy (εὐφροσύνης)" — the verse Peter quotes in Act 2:28 - Isa 22:13; 35:10; 51:3, 11; 55:12 LXX — Zion's restoration characterized by euphrosynē

4. (LXX) Banquet / Wine Gladness¶

Est 9:17–19 LXX — Purim celebrated as "days of feasting and euphrosynē"
Ecc 9:7 LXX — "eat thy bread with euphrosynē, and drink thy wine with a merry heart"
Sir 31:28 LXX — "wine… is the euphrosynē of heart"
Psa 103:15 LXX (=104:15 MT) — "wine that maketh glad (εὐφραίνει) the heart of man" (cognate verb)

Common Collocations (NT + shared LXX companions)¶

Given only two NT verses, collocations are drawn from both NT verses and the dominant LXX pattern:

Word	Strong's	Context	Typical Pattern
πίμπλημι / ἐμπίπλημι (fill)	G4130 / G1705	Act 2:28; 14:17	"fill … with euphrosynē" — gladness as that which fills heart/presence
καρδία (heart)	G2588	Act 14:17; LXX Psa 103:15	"fill the heart with euphrosynē" — locus of gladness
πρόσωπον (countenance)	G4383	Act 2:28	"euphrosynē with thy face" — joy from being seen by God
ζωή (life)	G2222	Act 2:28	"ways of life… full of joy" — resurrection/life linkage
τροφή (food)	G5160	Act 14:17	food + euphrosynē — the festal/table setting
ὑετός (rain)	G5205	Act 14:17	rain / harvest / gladness — creation testimony
οἶνος (wine)	G3631	LXX Psa 103:15; Est 9:19; Ecc 9:7	wine + euphrosynē — festival gladness
ἑορτή (feast)	G1859	LXX Est 9:17–19; Deut 16	feast of euphrosynē — appointed times

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2165 εὐφραίνω — cognate verb: "to make glad; (pass.) to rejoice, be merry." Far more frequent (14 NT occurrences), including Luke's banquet parables (15:23–32) and Act 2:26 (Peter's citation of the same Ps 16 clause: "my heart rejoiced").
εὔφρων — adjective (not in GNT but common in LXX/classical): "of good cheer, well-disposed."
Built from εὖ (eu, "well") + φρήν (phrēn, "mind, diaphragm as seat of thought/feeling").

Synonyms¶

G2165 εὐφραίνω (euphraínō) — to make glad; to rejoice, be merry. The verbal counterpart to εὐφροσύνη.
G5462 φωτισμός (phōtismós) — illumination; grouped by search_relationships.py with joy/gladness vocabulary.
G1071 γέλως (gelōs) — listed by search_relationships.py in the gladness cluster.
G5525 χορός (chorós) — dancing; festal expression of gladness.
G20 ἀγαλλίασις (agallíasis) — exultation, gladness.
G5479 χαρά (chará) — joy, gladness.
G18 ἀγαθός (agathós) — good; included by search_relationships.py within this joy-related cluster.
G21 ἀγαλλιάω (agalliáō) — to exult, jump for joy.

Antonyms¶

G1791 ἐντροπή (entropḗ) — shame, confusion.
G3996 πενθέω (penthéō) — to mourn, lament.
G4726 στεναγμός (stenagmós) — groaning, sighing.
G4678 σοφία (sophía) — wisdom; included by search_relationships.py as a contrastive neighbor to the festal-joy cluster.
G3601 ὀδύνη (odýnē) — sorrow, grief.

Easily Confused Words¶

These all appear in English Bibles as "joy / gladness / rejoice" — clarifying their distinctions matters for LXX→NT theology:

Word	Strong's	Shared English	Key Difference
χαρά	G5479	joy, gladness	Inward affective joy; the default NT noun for "joy" (59x). Euphrosynē = its festive expression
ἀγαλλίασις	G20	gladness, exceeding joy	Exultant, doxological jubilation — loud and corporate
εὐφραίνω	G2165	rejoice, be merry	Cognate verb; action-aspect of the same root
χαίρω	G5463	rejoice, be glad	Primary verb of rejoicing (74x NT); less festal than euphraínō
μακάριος	G3107	blessed, happy	Conferred state of blessedness (Beatitudes), not mood
ἱλαρότης	G2432	cheerfulness	Disposition of the heart in giving/serving

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Ranked by PMI-weighted alignment across LXX correspondences:

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Co-occ	Notes
שִׂמְחָה simchâh	H8057	72	Primary bridge. Noun form of the root שׂמח; the default OT word for festival/covenant gladness
שָׂשׂוֹן sâsôwn	H8342	16	Exultant joy; often paired with simchâh ("joy and gladness")
שָׂמַח sâmach	H8055	10	Cognate verb; usually rendered by εὐφραίνω (119x), but euphrosynē sometimes used for the nominalized sense
מָשׂוֹשׂ mâsôws	H4885	8	Delight, object of joy
רִנָּה rinnâh	H7440	9	Shout / ringing cry of joy
גִּיל gîyl	H1523/H1524	7+4	Leaping/circular exultation
רָנַן rânan	H7442	7	Shout for joy
פָּצַח pâtsach	H6476	5	Break forth in joyful sound
מִשְׁתֶּה mishteh	H4960	6	Banquet, drinking feast (metonymic)
יַיִן yayin	H3196	8	Wine — collocational, not a translation equivalent
שׂוּשׂ sûws	H7797	4	Be glad, exult

Semantic bridge note: The dominant Hebrew source is H8057 simchâh (72x). This is the word used in the Deuteronomic imperatives and festival narratives — where Israel is commanded to bring tithe/offering to the sanctuary and "rejoice before the LORD." Peter's use in Act 2:28 draws directly on this LXX vocabulary (quoting Psa 16:11 LXX verbatim), and Paul's use in Act 14:17 echoes the same creation/harvest/table gladness that Deut 14:26 and 16:11–15 legislate.

LXX Occurrences of euphrosynē in the Deuteronomy Samach-Imperatives¶

In the Deuteronomy passages where the verb שָׂמַח (samach) stands in imperative/second-person form commanding Israel to rejoice, the LXX typically uses the cognate verb εὐφραίνω (euphraínō, G2165) rather than the noun:

Reference	Hebrew	LXX
Deu 12:7	וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם (weśəmaḥtem)	εὐφρανθήσεσθε
Deu 12:12	וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם	εὐφρανθήσεσθε
Deu 12:18	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ
Deu 14:26	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ
Deu 16:11	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ
Deu 16:14	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ
Deu 16:15	וְהָיִיתָ אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ	καὶ ἔσῃ εὐφραινόμενος
Deu 26:11	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ
Deu 27:7	וְשָׂמַחְתָּ	εὐφρανθήσῃ

In these contexts the noun εὐφροσύνη appears in Deu 28:47 ("because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness [εὐφροσύνῃ], and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things") — the negative counterpart to the covenant imperative: the curse that falls when the commanded gladness fails. The noun thus names the state that the verbal imperative commands.