What does χρῆμα (chrēma) mean in the Bible?
Money or riches can be given to meet needs, offered to purchase power or desired as a bribe. Barnabas sells a field and brings the proceeds for the community's distribution to those in need.
Greek · G5536
χρῆμα
Money or riches can be given to meet needs, offered to purchase power or desired as a bribe. Barnabas sells a field and brings the proceeds for the community's distribution to those in need.
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χρῆμαG5536
Pronunciationchrēma
What does χρῆμα (chrēma) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for χρῆμα (G5536) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5536?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include money (3), rich (2), a bribe (1).
Where does χρῆμα (chrēma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 10:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (4), Luke (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Money or riches can be given to meet needs, offered to purchase power or desired as a bribe. Barnabas sells a field and brings the proceeds for the community's distribution to those in need. Simon offers money for the ability to confer the Holy Spirit, and Peter rejects his thought that God's gift can be bought. Felix hopes Paul will offer a bribe and keeps summoning him while the imprisonment continues.
Jesus also speaks about the difficulty riches pose in entering God's kingdom, with the following exchange pointing to God's possibility where human ability fails. These uses evaluate a transaction, intention or attachment rather than treating money as one uniform spiritual substance. Ask who has or offers it, who benefits and what is sought. Generous relief must remain distinct from purchasing religious authority, and a story about a bribe cannot be softened into ordinary gift-giving.
How the Bible Uses It
All six Greek witnesses include donated proceeds, Simon's rejected purchase, Felix's hoped-for bribe and Gospel warnings about riches. Actors, intended exchanges and stated judgments determine each use.
- Acts.4.37
Sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Barnabas brings the money from his sold field, within a context naming distribution according to need, rather than buying a spiritual privilege.
- Acts.8.20
But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
Peter explicitly rejects Simon's belief that God's gift could be bought with money and then calls for repentance, preserving the issue as an attempted purchase of power.
- Acts.24.26
At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.
Felix repeatedly summons Paul while hoping for a bribe, and the next verse reports Paul left imprisoned; the account exposes an official's hoped-for payment.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itmoney3×Acts 4:37, Acts 8:18, Acts 8:20
rich2×Mark 10:23, Luke 18:24
a bribe1×Acts 24:26
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 10:23χρήματαtorichNoun - Accusative Neuter PluralLuke 18:24χρήματαtorichNoun - Accusative Neuter PluralActs 4:37χρῆμαtomoneyNoun - Accusative Neuter SingularActs 8:18χρήματαtomoneyNoun - Accusative Neuter PluralActs 8:20χρημάτωνtomoneyNoun - Genitive Neuter PluralActs 24:26χρήματαtoa bribeNoun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMark 10:23
Aligned rows6
Books represented3
Mark1Luke1Acts4
Source forms
χρήματα4xchrēmataMark 10:23, Luke 18:24, Acts 8:18, Acts 24:26
χρῆμα1xchrēmaActs 4:37
χρημάτων1xchrēmatōnActs 8:20
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural3xMark 10:23, Luke 18:24, Acts 8:18
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular1xActs 4:37
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural1xActs 8:20
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural1xActs 24:26
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Invite transparent help for real needs without selling status, spiritual benefits or preferential pastoral access.
- Do not turn these narratives into individualized financial advice or a declaration that a wealthy person cannot be saved.
Avoid claiming...
- Every gift to a religious community purchases favor or grants the giver spiritual authority.
- The noun itself condemns every monetary exchange or guarantees salvation through generous payment.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Wealth or money viewed as concrete possessions one owns and uses, not merely abstract value
Strong'sG5536
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances7 timesWord forms4 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
money
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Wealth or money viewed as concrete possessions one owns and uses, not merely abstract value
(χράομαι) [in LXX: Jos.22:8, 2Ch.1:11-12 (נֶכֶס), Job.27:17 (כֶּסֶף), etc.; frequently in Sir (5:1, 8, al.), 2 and 4 Mac ;] a thing that one uses or needs (and generally, a matter, event, business); hence in pl.,
awealth, riches: οἱ τά χ. ἔχοντες, Mrk.10:23-24, Luk.18:24;
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
7 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 10:23Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
χρήματαcrhmata
money, riches
Read verseMark 10:24Noun Dative Plural Neuter
χρήμασινcrhmasin
money, riches
Read verseLuke 18:24Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
χρήματαcrhmata
money, riches
Read verseActs 4:37Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
χρῆμα,crhma
money, riches
Read verseActs 8:18Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
χρήματα,crhmata
money, riches
Read verseActs 8:20Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
χρημάτωνcrhmatwn
money, riches
Read verseActs 24:26Noun Nominative Plural Neuter
χρήματαcrhmata
money, riches
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns4Aligned forms6Case patternAccusative (4)Number patternPlural (5)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · NeuterActs 24:261×
Genitive · Plural · NeuterActs 8:201×
Accusative · Plural · NeuterMark 10:23 · Luke 18:24 · Acts 8:183×
Accusative · Singular · NeuterActs 4:371×
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Money takes different roles in these accounts, and the intended exchange matters. Barnabas' proceeds enter a setting in which needs are supplied. Simon seeks power through payment and is told that God's gift cannot be bought. Felix hopes for a bribe while controlling access to an imprisoned man. Jesus' warning about the rich and the disciples' astonished question are followed by the statement that what is impossible with people is possible with God.
These passages neither erase serious warnings nor make a coin carry one fixed moral status. Teach the purpose, the power relationship and the stated judgment. Refuse spiritual advantages sold to contributors, retain the call to repentance in Simon's account, and avoid pronouncing a living person's final destiny from wealth or from a single act described only in general terms.
Anchor passage
Acts.8.20
Doctrinal connections
- Acts 4:35-37 connects Barnabas' sold-field proceeds to distribution according to need, identifying the contribution's practical destination.
- Acts 8:18-19 identifies Simon's desired power as giving the Spirit through his own laying on of hands, explaining the aim of his money offer.
- Acts 8:20-22 rejects purchasing God's gift and calls Simon to repentance and prayer, preserving both rebuke and the stated response.
- Acts 24:24-27 reports Felix hearing Paul, hoping for a bribe and finally leaving him imprisoned, making the official's expectation explicit.
- Mark 10:21-27 holds the rich man's sorrow, Jesus' warning and God's possibility together, rather than ending the argument at possessions alone.
- Luke 18:22-27 likewise follows the wealthy ruler's sadness with the kingdom warning and a statement about what is possible with God.
The licensed Greek record covers money and riches, including a particular sum from a field sale and resources held by the rich. The passage's transaction and participants govern the teaching; a wider lexical history is not needed to turn the noun into a moral substance or spiritual currency.
From Old to New Testament
Jeremiah 9:23-24 rejects boasting in riches and redirects attention to knowing the Lord's loving devotion, justice and righteousness. This separate Hebrew teaching is not another occurrence of the Greek noun. It can be read alongside the Gospel warnings about possessions, while Acts' donation, purchase and bribe episodes keep their particular transactions and judgments.