Joy (5479) (chara) (and rejoice) is Greek noun which describes a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Joy is a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Joy in the NT is virtually always used to signify a feeling of "happiness" that is based on spiritual realities (and independent of what "happens"). Joy is an inner gladness; a deep seated pleasure. It is a depth of assurance and confidence that ignites a cheerful heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads to cheerful behavior. Joy is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances but is God’s gift to believers. Joy is a part of God’s very essence and as discussed below His Spirit manifests this supernatural joy in His children (Galatians 5:22-note, Acts 13:52, 1Th 1:6-note). Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person who knows all is well between himself and the Lord.
Is your "joy quotient" low? See suggestion below.
There is a chorus from an old spiritual song that is apropos…
Happiness happens
But joy abides
Remember that it takes 72 muscles to frown
—only 14 to smile!
Chara - 59x in 57v in the NAS - see below
NAS translates chara - greatly(1), joy(54), joyful(1), joyfully(1), joyously(1), rejoicing(1).
Note the association of chara and pleroo (joy and filled) -John 3:29, 15:11, 16:24, 17:13, Acts 13:52, Ro 15:13, 2Cor 7:4, Php 2:2, 2Ti 1:4, 1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12. This repetitive association certainly suggests that God's desire for His children is fullness of joy!
Alfred Plummer (commenting on 1Jn 1:4) writes that joy is "that serene happiness, which is the result of conscious union with God and good men, of conscious possession of eternal life…and which raises us above pain and sorrow and remorse."
Donald Campbell writes that chara describes "a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (Jn 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things."
Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that "
in any definition we may give of New Testament joy, is that we do not go to a dictionary; we go to the New Testament instead. This is something quite peculiar which cannot be explained; it is a quality which belongs to the Christian life in its essence, so that in our definition of joy we must be very careful that it conforms to what we see in our Lord. The world has never seen anyone who knew joy as our Lord knew it, and yet He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” So our definition of joy must somehow correspond to that… Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this -
There is only one thing that can give true joy
and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He satisfies my mind; He satisfies my emotions; He satisfies my every desire. He and His great salvation include the whole personality and nothing less, and in Him I am complete. Joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Life in Christ Studies in 1 John by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
How can we as believers "maximize our joy?
Repentance brings joy (Lk 15:7, 10).
The hope (absolute assurance) of future glory brings joy (1Pe 4:13).
The Lord's Word brings joy (John 15:11).
Prayer brings joy (John 16:24).
The presence and fellowship of believers brings joy (1Jn 1:3-4).
Converts bring joy (Lk 15:5; Php 4:1; 1Th. 2:19-20)
Hearing that those you have mentored are discipled are walking in the truth brings joy (3Jn 4).
Giving brings joy (2Co 8:2; cp Heb 10:34).
Fellowship with Father and Son brings joy - we need to "keep short accounts" by confessing our sins so that this fellowship is not adversely effected (1Jn 1:3, 4, 1Jn 1:9)
Secular dictionaries define joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or the emotion evoked by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The world's definition of joy is synonymous with the definition of happiness, for both of these "emotions" are dependent on what "happens".
Wikipedia's definition is not bad - Joy differs from happiness in that it is an emotion. Happiness, on the other hand, is what we might think of as a feeling, which is more fleeting. Joy may be thought of as "the emotional dimension of the good life, of a life that is both going well and is being lived well." Close! Of course the ultimate Source of supernatural Joy is the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 5:22, Romans 14:17 = "joy in the [sphere of or "atmosphere" of] the Holy Spirit!). If your joy is low, run into the Strong Tower of the Name of Jesus and He will lift you up (Pr 18:10-note). He may not change your circumstances, but when you hide in Him and He lifts you up (the sense of the Hebrew verb - sagab - word study), you will have a different "perspective" of the trials, struggles, afflictions, tests or challenges you are facing! Praise His Holy Name! Amen
Certainly there is a semblance of joy in human life, such as joy when one experiences a victory ("We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:5 Spurgeon's comment) or when one reaps a bountiful harvest (see Isaiah 9:3), but more often the Bible speaks of joy in a truly spiritual sense (as described above by Martyn Lloyd-Jones). For example, Nehemiah declared to the down in the mouth (not very filled with joy) Jews that "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh 8:10). Similarly, David pleaded with God to “restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12 Spurgeon's Comment). As an aside, it is not surprising that joy and rejoicing are found most frequently in the Psalms (about 80 references) and the Gospels (about 40 references).
Play (and believe the words of) the old song by Twila Paris…
THE JOY OF THE LORD
Brother and sisters
"Rejoice in the Lord and again I will say rejoice!"
(Php 4:4-note)
C. S. Lewis came a bit closer to the Biblical meaning of joy when he called it an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” That statement is a bit obtuse (to me) but Lewis then went on to add that joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure". Ultimately Lewis' experienced joy when he discovered that Jesus was the wellspring of all joy.
Spiritual Joy then is not only an emotion that comes from favorable circumstances but paradoxically (supernaturally) can occur when circumstances are most difficult as Jesus taught His disciples declaring…
Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you. (John 16:20, 21, 22)
Believers of course have the Resident Source of joy within for as as Paul teaches
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-note)
Compare other passages that associate the Holy Spirit with joy…
And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52)
Comment: Clearly one of the effects of being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18-note) is joy, a supernatural joy He gives us as we surrender our will to His control.
(Paul to the Thessalonian believers who had just come to Christ out of pagan idolatry 1Th 1:9-note) You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation (thlipsis) with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1Th 1:6-note)
Comment: Observe the juxtaposition of "joy" and "tribulation" once again affirming that the believer's joy is supernaturally given by the indwelling Spirit of Christ and thus is independent of the circumstances! Are your circumstances dire? The Bible teaches you can still have the Joy of Jesus! Does this truth not help us understand Nehemiah's well known declaration to those grieving that independent of their grief, "the joy of Jehovah is your strength." (Neh 8:10) God given inner joy is like a shield that deflects disappointments, like a spring deep within our soul, able to quench our thirst regardless of how dire are our circumstances.
And in Acts we see a beautiful illustration of joy that abides, vividly contrasting with happiness that depends on what happens…
So they (Peter and the apostles who had been imprisoned and flogged - Acts 5:28, 29, 40) went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing (chairo in the present tense = continually rejoicing) that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:41, 42)
Comment: Note that the apostles' joy was independent of their uncomfortable, even painful circumstances but it was intimately linked with their proclamation of Jesus the Messiah (cp John's "these things we write so that our joy may be made complete"). Have you not had this supernatural joy in those times the Spirit has opened a door for you to proclaim Jesus to some lost soul? And doesn't this make sense… Jesus is the single most important Person in time and eternity and when we have the opportunity to share Him the joy we experience is simply unspeakable! May we pray for and be alert for more and more opportunities from God's Spirit to share His Son with those dead in their trespasses and sins and in desperate need for the Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Christian life is to be a life of joy. It is founded on faith in Jesus, Whose life on earth began as "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10) and Whose last prayer was for His followers to have His joy made full in themselves (Jn 17:13). Joy from beginning to end and then without end (See our rejoicing in heaven in Revelation 19:7-note where rejoice is chairo).
Augustine - There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, that of all those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art; and this is the happy life, to rejoice in Thee, of Thee. This is it! And there is no other.
Emotional fluctuations cannot disturb this Source of joy. Note Paul’s statement of this confidence (Php 3:20-note).
In the epistle to the Philippians joy is like a golden thread Paul interweaves throughout this epistle (See repetition of this theme = Joy - Php 1:4, 25, 2:2, 29, 4:1, Rejoice - Php 1:18 [2x], Php 2:17, 18, 29, 3:1, 4:4 [2x], Php 4:10) As Bengel says “The whole letter is ‘I rejoice,’ and ‘Rejoice!’”
The Christian life is to be a life of joy. It is founded on faith in Jesus, whose life on earth began as "good news of great joy for all people" (Luke 2:10). The theme of joy is underscored by the 59 uses of joy and the 74 uses of rejoice in the New Testament (as noted above most are in the Gospels) always to signify a feeling of happiness that is based on spiritual realities.
Joy is God’s gift to believers. Paul speaks of more than just a mood. This is a deep confidence that was rooted in God’s sovereign control of the universe, His on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities including the assurance of ultimate victory for those in Christ.
Joy is a part of God’s own nature and Spirit that He manifests in His children.
Joy is the inevitable overflow of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and of the believer’s knowing His continuing presence and having a sense of well being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself and the Lord (1Pe 1:8-note).
Joy not only does not come from favorable human circumstances but is sometimes greatest when those circumstances are the most painful and severe.
God’s joy is full, complete in every way. Nothing human or circumstantial can add to it or detract from it. But it is not fulfilled in a believer’s life except through reliance on and obedience to the Lord.
Although joy is a gift of God through His Spirit to those who belong to Christ, it is also commanded of them “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Paul commands (Php 4:4-note cf Php 3:1-note). Because joy comes as a gift from Him, the command obviously is not for believers to manufacture or try to imitate it but to delight in the blessing they already possess (Ro 14:17-note; Philippians 4:4). The command is to gratefully accept and revel in this great blessing they already possess.
Warren Wiersbe defines joy as "that inward peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. (A case in point is Paul’s experience recorded in Phil. 4:10-20.) This "holy optimism" keeps him going in spite of difficulties."
Matthew Henry defines joy as "cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God."
Donald Campbell former President of Dallas Theological Seminary says "Joy (chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ (Jn 15:11). It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things (cf. Ro 8:28-note)."
William MacDonald says "Joy is contentment and satisfaction with God and with His dealings. Christ displayed it in John 4:34."
Adam Clarke defines joy as"The exultation that arises from a sense of God’s mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin."
Beet defines joy as "triumphant overflow of Christian gladness.:
Barclay adds that "it is not the joy that comes from earthly things, still less from triumphing over someone else in competition. It is a joy whose foundation is God."
Joy is the byproduct of obedience. (Source Unknown) (Ed note: Nothing like unconfessed sin to steal your joy!)
Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy. (Richard Sibbes)
God is not otherwise to be enjoyed than as He is obeyed. (John Howe)
Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, and he replied:
When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen, and since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.
Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:
• Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born… (and at his death cried out desperately) I am abandoned by God and man! I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six month's life. Then I shall go to hell; and you will go with me. O Christ! O Jesus Christ!”
• Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”
• Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”
• Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”
• Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”
• Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple, in Christ alone. (The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993)
In Psalm 126:2 we see a wonderful association of joy with laughter and in turn this heart attitude leads to a vibrant witness to the greatness of our God...
Then our mouth was filled with laughter (Lxx = chara)
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them.
The eternal effect of a Christian filled with the Joy of the Lord: Many years ago when the great missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough, he passed through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharves at the time of Judson’s arrival was struck by the man’s appearance. Never before had he seen such a light on any human face. He ran up the street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the impatient youngster standing near him. Many years afterward that boy—who could never get away from the influence of that wonderful face—became the famous preacher Henry Clay Trumbull. In a book of memoirs he penned a chapter entitled: “What a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson.” That lighted countenance had changed his life. Even as flowers thrive when they bend to the light, so shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn toward Christ!
CHARA in the Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary -
Chara occurs about 60 times in the New Testament. Luke used it slightly more than other writers. As Beyreuther notes: “It is no accident that the words appear particularly where there is express mention of the eschatological fulfillment in Christ, of being in him, and of hope in him . . . . The whole NT message . . . of God’s saving work in Christ is a message of joy” (“Joy,” Colin Brown, 2:357).
Luke’s use of chara-language reveals a basic assumption that the gospel brings “great joy” (charan megalēn; Luke 2:10; cf. 1:14). Joy is the response of those who see God at work through His servant Jesus or through His followers (Luke 10:17; 19:37; Acts 8:8; 15:3; cf. Luke 13:17). Joy characterizes those who put their faith in Him (Luke 8:13), and it is a by-product of repentance (see Jeremias, New Testament Theology, p.157f.). Joy also characterizes God’s attitude toward the repentant sinner (Luke 15:7,10). Clearly joy is indicative of God’s great love for the sinner.
The fulfillment of God’s promises and plans brings joy (John 3:29; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:19f.). As the fulfillment of such anticipation, Jesus himself became the basis for another view of the future which is also characterized by joy (Hebrews 10:34; 1 Peter 1:8). The idea of “perfect” or “completed” joy in the present is a preview of an even greater future joy (e.g., John 15:11; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 12). All of this is possible only because of Christ.
This viewpoint concerning God’s plans for the future in turn enables the Christian paradoxically to have joy in times of trial, affliction, suffering, and persecution (Luke 6:23; John 16:20-24; cf. Romans 15:13; 2 Corinthians 7:4; 8:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:2). In fact, Paul pointed out that authentic joy most often occurs precisely under such conditions (Beyreuther, “Joy,” Colin Brown, 2:359; cf. the similar thought in 2 Maccabees 6:30; 4 Maccabees 10:20).
Joy is moreover a fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer. The coming of the Spirit, it should be recalled, shows that the new age of the Church has dawned and that the consummation of God’s promises is certain. Thus the Spirit is indispensable in terms of the eschatological perspective outlined above (Galatians 5:22; cf. Romans 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). Joy, therefore, is a reminder and sign of the way believers view the present in light of God’s plan for the future.
A Creed of Joy - from The God Who Smiles An Invitation to a Joy-Filled Life by Sherwood Eliot Wirt - 200 page book
God is the almighty, living, ruling Lord of all. He is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who dwells in heaven, a place of eternal joy. As the psalmist says, "In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
God created the universe for His own pleasure and enjoyed doing it. He brought into being planet earth as an amazingly beautiful dwelling place for living creatures. He fashioned man and woman in His image to glorify and serve Him, and to live and rule in peace and joy in a garden. When He saw everything He had made, the totality of His creation, He smiled and called it "very good."
Something went wrong. Iniquity appeared, sin entered humanity with its curse, and earth became a place of sorrow, a troubled segment of the universe. Because God loves His children, He sent His Son, Jesus, to us by a virgin daughter of Israel, with a mission to free the earth from its curse and to return all its people from their burden of sin to an abundant life of love, joy, and praise.
To those who receive Him as Lord and acknowledge Him as Savior, Jesus Christ promised forgiveness, redemption from sin, a new birth, answers to prayer, the outpouring of His Holy Spirit of love, victory over death, and the everlasting joy of heaven. On a cross outside Jerusalem He kept that promise. "For the joy that was set before Him," Jesus bore our sins, accomplished our salvation, suffered and died and rose again to everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus lives today at the Father's right hand in resurrected glory and fullness of joy; and He has promised to come back for His church and to bring us where He is.
NAS Usage: 59x in 57v = greatly(1), joy(54), joyful(1), joyfully(1), joyously(1), rejoicing(1).
Is your joy at low ebb dear brother or sister in Christ? Then let me make a suggestion. The living Word is like the Balm of Gilead and will bring healing to your soul and renewal to your mind like nothing in this world! So take a moment (or half an hour out of eternity) and read through all the NT uses of CHARA, asking the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart to see the truth of God's Word and to transform your thinking from "horizontal" to "vertical" so to speak, supernaturally setting your minds on the things above (= "vertical", cp Col 3:1, 2) and not on the things of this world (= "horizontal"), so that ultimately you see Jesus high and lifted up and He through His Spirit in you might produce in your heart the fruit of exceeding abundant joy (Eph 3:20) for the sake of the glory of His Name and His Kingdom. Amen. Now take a moment to sing along with Twila Paris - The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (O how we need to have this mindset every day! Do it Lord! Amen)
Matthew 13:20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
Note that a "good" [glad] start does not assure a good finish! (Read the sad end - Mt 13:21)
Henry Morris comments on the phrase with joy. The hearer's response is emotional, rather than knowledgeably volitional. He hears what seems to be a happy release from his troubles and fears, and so receives Christ immediately and joyfully. But there is no root--or foundation--for his purely experiential faith. He feels good about it for a while, but salvation does not come through feelings. (Defender's Study Bible)
Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 25:21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Matthew 28:8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
Mark 4:16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
Luke 1:14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
Luke 8:13 "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luke 10:17 ¶ The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
Luke 15:7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Luke 24:41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
John 3:29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 16:20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
21 "Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 "Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
24 "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
John 17:13 "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.
Acts 8:8 So there was much rejoicing in that city.
Acts 12:14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.
Acts 13:52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 15:3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren.
Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 ¶ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.
2 Corinthians 2:3 This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all.
2 Corinthians 7:4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.
13 ¶ For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
2 Corinthians 8:2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Philippians 1:4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
Philippians 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
29 Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;
Philippians 4:1 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Colossians 1:11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
1 Thessalonians 1:6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
20 For you are our glory and joy.
1 Thessalonians 3:9 For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account,
2 Timothy 1:4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.
Philemon 1:7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Hebrews 10:34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Hebrews 13:17 ¶ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
James 1:2 ¶ Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
James 4:9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1 John 1:4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
2 John 1:12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
NAS - 22 verses in the Septuagint (Lxx)
Septuagint (Lxx) translate following Hebrew words with the Greek noun chara
גִּיל gîl (01524), Gladness (Joel 1:16).
מָשׂוֹשׂ māsôs (04885), Joy (Lam 5:15).
רִנָּה rinnāh (07440), Singing (Isa 55:12).
שְׂחֹק sᵉchōq (07814), Laughter (Ps 126:2).
שִׂמְחָה simchah (08057), Gladness, happiness (1 Chr 29:22, Ps 21;6, Jon 4:6).
שָׂשׂוֹן sāsôn (08342), Mirth (Jer 16:9).
Septuagint (Lxx) Usage - Chara appears as a somewhat inadequate equivalent for seven Hebrew words or constructions. There are only about 20 instances with a Hebrew original. Usually simchāh, “joy, hold a festival,” or sāsôn/māsôs, “joy, exultation,” stand behind it. Frequently it is joined with euphrosunē (2148), “gladness” (e.g., Esther 8:17; Proverbs 29:6; Joel 1:16). It does not appear until 1 Chronicles where it is a reference to festal, cultic joy following the installation of Solomon as king (1Chr 29:22). Joy and celebration followed King Xerxes’ (Ahasuerus’) edict allowing Jews to assemble and to protect themselves (Esther 8:17; cf. Esther 9:17,18 [no Hebrew]; Zechariah 8:19). God grants joy (Psalm 30:11); it is an external and internal response (see Conzelmann, “chara,” Kittel, 9:362f.) to the Lord’s triumphing over Israel’s enemies (Psalm 126:2; cf. 21:6 [20:6]). It is also a possession of the righteous (Proverbs 29:6; cf. Wisdom of Solomon 8:16 [of Wisdom’s granting joy]; Sirach 1:12). (Source: Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary)
><>><>><>
1 Chronicles 29:22 So they ate and drank that day before the LORD with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest.
Esther 8:17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.
Esther 9:17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
22 because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation.
Psalm 21:6 For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.
Psalm 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
Proverbs 29:6 By transgression an evil man is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.
Isaiah 39:2 Hezekiah was pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
Isaiah 55:12 "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Isaiah 66:10 "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.Jeremiah 16:9 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.
Jeremiah 25:10 'Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.
Lamentations 5:15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
Joel 1:5 Awake, drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you wine drinkers, On account of the sweet wine That is cut off from your mouth.
12 The vine dries up And the fig tree fails; The pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, All the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up From the sons of men.
16 Has not food been cut off before our eyes, Gladness and joy from the house of our God?
Jonah 4:6 So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.
Zechariah 8:19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'