Greek · Strong's G2167
εὐφραίνω
euphraínō (yoo-FRAH-ee-no)
verb
To make glad, cheer; in the passive, to rejoice—often the public, celebratory gladness of a feast or homecoming.
Euphrainō is formed from eu ("well") and phrēn ("mind, heart"). At root it means "to put someone in good spirits"; in the passive (its most common form in the New Testament) it means "to be in a glad frame of mind, to rejoice." The flavor is festive and often communal—the gladness of a banquet, a party, a celebration.
Luke uses the word more than any other writer. The rich fool plans to "eat, drink, and be merry" (Luke 12:19). The rich man in the parable "fared sumptuously" (Luke 16:19). Most movingly, the father of the prodigal twice declares, "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad," because his lost son has been found (Luke 15:23, 24, 29, 32). Euphrainō is the verb of homecoming.
Paul applies it to the worship of the redeemed: "Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people" (Romans 15:10, quoting Deuteronomy 32:43), and Revelation places it on the lips of heaven when judgment falls and the saints are vindicated (Revelation 12:12; 18:20). The trajectory is consistent: God-given joy that overflows in praise. Even Acts 2:26, quoting Psalm 16, anchors this gladness in resurrection hope—"my heart was glad… because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell."
Common English renderings
- rejoice
- be merry
- be glad
- fare sumptuously
Key verses
"and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:"
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"But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
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"Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day:"
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"Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope:"
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"And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people."
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"Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time."
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