Hospitable (5382) philoxenos by Greek Word Studies

Hospitable (5382)(philoxenos from phílos = friend, to be friendly to one or to wish him well, beloved, dear + xenos = stranger, unknown, foreign or foreigner, alien, guest) is literally "stranger loving" or a friend of strangers, showing them care and kindness. Practically philoxenos means fond of guests and so hospitable or given to (lover of) hospitality. It describes one who is given to generous, welcoming and cordial reception of visitors, guests or strangers. It means to give practical help to anyone who is in need (friend or stranger, believer or unbeliever) Hospitality was a highly valued Greek and Jewish virtue. It was absolutely necessary for the expansion of the gospel and necessary for the maintenance of the fellowship within the church as well as the image of the church from without. Hospitable is from Medieval Latin hospitāre = to receive as a guest which in turn is from Latin hospes = guest. The hospitable man gives practical help to anyone who is in need, friend or stranger, believer or unbeliever, freely offers his time, his resources, and his encouragement to meet the needs of others. Steven Cole... The Greek word means, literally, “a lover of strangers.” Again, this is a quality that every Christian must strive for (Ro 12:13; 1Pe 4:9), but it is especially incumbent on elders. If elders are not friendly and warm towards others, the entire church will reflect that indifference and selfishness. Hospitality means taking a genuine interest in others and making them feel welcomed and at ease. It should be begin here when the church gathers. If you’re talking with someone you know and see a visitor all alone, don’t keep talking to each other. Go to the visitor and make him feel welcome!. (Read the full sermon) Philoxenos is used 3 times in the NT (no uses in the Septuagint), in this verse and in... 1Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1Peter 4:9 (see note) Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Wuest says that philoxenos describes one who is fond of offering hospitality. But the hospitality referred to here is not of the kind which says, “Come over for dinner and let us have a good time. Some day you will return the favor and I will enjoy your hospitality.” The hospitality spoken of here found its occasion in the fact that in the days of the great Roman persecutions, Christians were banished and persecuted, and rendered homeless. Or, in the case of traveling preachers and teachers, ministering from church to church, these servants of God were to be received and cared for by the bishop. Or, because in the early centuries, the local churches had no church edifice in which to worship, the church met in the home of an individual. The bishop should be glad to thus open his home for this purpose." (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans) Lydia from Thyatira is an excellent example of this virtue, for when Lydia and her household "had been baptized, she urged (Paul, et al), saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us...And they (Paul and Silas) went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed." (Acts 16:15, 40) Likewise, the overseer's home should always be open to strangers, to those with personal problems, to the disheartened and the oppressed. An elder should be a person who reaches out to strangers, the unsaved as well as believers, and makes them feel at home in his house. It should be a place of blessed Christian fellowship, where every guest is received as if he were the Lord Himself as in the example of Abraham below. Abraham (Gen 18:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and Lot (Gen 19:1, 2, 3) are notable examples of men who opened their homes to entertain strangers, Abraham probably entertaining the Lord Himself in a pre-incarnate Christophany and Lot certainly entertaining angels (see He 13:2- note). (See related studies on Angel of the LORD ><> Jehovah = Jesus) Matthew Henry makes a good point that this trait is evidence that he is not given to filthy lucre, but is willing to use what he has to the best purposes, not laying up for himself, so as to hinder charitable laying out for the good of others. Jesus spoke on hospitality, saying to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Lk 14:12, 13, 14) Jesus as alluded to above was warning against showing hospitality only to those who would return the favor. Hebrews amplifies this idea instructing believers to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (He 13:2-note). In Romans Paul wrote that believers should be contributing to the needs of the saints, (present tense = continually) practicing (literally "pursuing") hospitality. (Ro 12:13-note) This was a necessary injunction when so many Christians were banished and persecuted. "Pursuing" indicates not only that hospitality is to be furnished when sought, but that Christians were (and are still) to seek opportunities of exercising it! Peter exhorts believers to "be hospitable to one another without complaint." (1Pe 4:9-note) The Amplified translates it Practice hospitality to one another (those of the household of faith). [Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers, with brotherly affection for the unknown guests, the foreigners, the poor, and all others who come your way who are of Christ’s body.] And [in each instance] do it ungrudgingly (cordially and graciously, without complaining but as representing Him)." John commends Gaius' example of acting faithfully" in what he was accomplishing "for the brethren...even though they are strangers.... (3John 1:5). In view of this NT emphasis on believers exhibiting hospitality, it would be especially important for the overseers and elders to lead by their example of concern for the welfare of others in need. The conditions in the ancient world made hospitality on the part of Christians very important. Christian and Jewish travelers, normally carried letters of recommendation attesting that they could be trusted. Hiebert adds that Believers who were traveling could not resort to the homes of heathen or to the public inns without being exposed to insult and danger. It was important that fellow believers offer them hospitality on their. It was further necessary because Christians were often persecuted and rendered homeless." Barclay reminds us that in the ancient world there were always many who were on the move. Inns were notoriously expensive, dirty and immoral; and it was essential that the wayfaring Christian should find an open door within the Christian community. To this day no one needs Christian fellowship more than the stranger in a strange place." Hospitality was essential in NT times because of absence of hotels or motels and the fact that the inns were notoriously evil, often in fact functioning as brothels and as places where travelers were robbed or beaten. Barclay described the ancient inn as "notoriously bad. In one of Aristophane’s plays Heracles asks his companion where they will lodge for the night; and the answer is: “Where the fleas are fewest.” Plato speaks of the innkeeper being like a pirate who holds his guests to ransom. Inns tended to be dirty and expensive and, above all, immoral. The ancient world had a system of what were called Guest Friendships. Over generations families had arrangements to give each other accommodations and hospitality. Often the members of the families came in the end to be unknown to each other by sight and identified themselves by means of what were called tallies. The stranger seeking accommodation would produce one half of some object; the host would possess the other half of the tally; and when the two halves fitted each other the host knew that he had found his guest, and the guest knew that the host was indeed the ancestral friend of his household. In the Christian church there were wandering teachers and preachers who needed hospitality. There were also many slaves with no homes of their own to whom it was a great privilege to have the right of entry to a Christian home. It was of the greatest blessing that Christians should have Christian homes ever open to them in which they could meet people like-minded to themselves." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press) Life Application Bible adds this practical note A Christian leader must be known for entertaining even strangers. In the early days of Christianity, traveling evangelists and teachers were helped by Christians who housed and fed them. We would benefit from inviting people to eat with us—visitors, fellow church members, young people, those in need. Giving hospitality is very important today because there are so many people struggling with loneliness. In our self-centered society, we can show that we care by being hospitable. Christians were not to entertain false teachers (2Jn 1:10), but this prohibition did not apply to non-Christians in general. God wants us to be generous, courteous, and hospitable with non-Christians; through our friendship, some may be won to Christ.(cf 1Cor 9:22) (Barton, B, et al: The NIV Life Application Commentary Series: Tyndale or Logos) LOVING WHAT IS GOOD: philagathon: (Amos 5:15; 1Jn 3:14; 5:1, Phil 4:8) must love all that is good (NLT) [he must be] a lover of goodness [of good people and good things] (Amp) a lover of all good things and all good people (Barclay)

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Hospitable (5382) philoxenos

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