4288. prothumia

Lexical Summary

prothumia: Eagerness, willingness, readiness, zeal

Original Word: προθυμία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: prothumia
Pronunciation: pro-thoo-mee'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (proth-oo-mee'-ah)
KJV: forwardness of mind, readiness (of mind), ready (willing) mind
NASB: readiness, eagerness
Word Origin: [from G4289 (πρόθυμος - willing)]

1. predisposition, i.e. alacrity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

readiness, eagerness

From prothumos; predisposition, i.e. Alacrity -- forwardness of mind, readiness (of mind), ready (willing) mind.

see GREEK prothumos

HELPS Word-studies

4288 prothymía (from 4235 /práos, "before, in front of" and 2372 thymós, "passion") – properly, "before-passion" referring to someone who is already being willing, i.e. an eager disposition which is pre-inclined (already "ready and willing").

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from prothumos
Definition
eagerness
NASB Translation
eagerness (1), readiness (4).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4288: προθυμία

προθυμία, προθυμίας, ἡ (πρόθυμος), from Homer down;

1. zeal, spirit, eagerness;

2. inclination; readiness of mind: so Acts 17:11; 2 Corinthians 8:11f, 19; 2 Corinthians 9:2.

Topical Lexicon

Concept and Nuance

Strong’s Greek 4288, προθυμία, describes an inner inclination that gladly hastens to meet a need or fulfill a task. More than a mere mood, it is a Spirit-wrought disposition that unites desire with decisive action. While English versions render it “eagerness,” “willingness,” or “readiness,” each occurrence shows a heart already leaning forward, prepared to sacrifice convenience for Christ and His people.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. 2 Corinthians 8:11 – Paul urges the Corinthians to match their “eager willingness” with completed giving.
2. 2 Corinthians 8:12 – He affirms that “the willingness is present,” making their gift acceptable.
3. 2 Corinthians 8:19 – A trusted delegate accompanies the collection “to show our readiness.”
4. 2 Corinthians 9:2 – Their “eagerness to help” has stirred Macedonia to imitate them.
5. Acts 17:11 – Bereans receive the word “with great eagerness” and test it by Scripture.

Historical Setting

In 2 Corinthians 8–9 Paul coordinates a relief offering for famine-stricken believers in Jerusalem. Economic disparity between Gentile churches and the Jewish mother church created both tension and opportunity. προθυμία becomes the touchstone of Gentile gratitude for the gospel they had received from Jerusalem (Romans 15:27). In Acts 17 Luke applies the same term to the Bereans, linking financial generosity in Corinth with intellectual receptivity in Berea: both are manifestations of a heart promptly responsive to God.

Theological Significance

1. Fruit of Grace. Paul attributes προθυμία to “the grace of God” at work in Macedonian believers (2 Corinthians 8:1–5). Readiness, therefore, is not self-generated but evidence of divine enablement.
2. Measure of Sincerity. “If the willingness is present, the gift is acceptable” (2 Corinthians 8:12). God weighs the intent before the amount.
3. Catalyst for Others. The Corinthians’ zeal “has stirred most of them to do likewise” (2 Corinthians 9:2). Genuine eagerness is contagiously edifying.
4. Safeguard of Truth. In Berea, eagerness drives careful Scriptural examination (Acts 17:11). Zeal is never divorced from discernment.

Ministry Applications

Giving. προθυμία guides stewardship: believers plan, pledge, and complete acts of mercy without coercion (2 Corinthians 8:3–4; 9:7). Churches today mirror apostolic practice when they cultivate willing, rather than pressured, generosity.

Teaching. Preachers and teachers labor to elicit Berean-style eagerness—hearts that welcome the word and test it daily. Where such readiness thrives, doctrinal stability follows.

Leadership Accountability. Paul assembles a team to transport the collection, “avoiding any criticism” (2 Corinthians 8:20). Their “readiness” is transparent, providing a model for financial integrity in modern missions and church administration.

Missionary Initiative. The Macedonians implore Paul “for the privilege of sharing” (2 Corinthians 8:4). A willing spirit precedes and sustains missionary enterprise, whether across a sea or across the street.

Related Old Testament Threads

Hebrew נְדָבָה (nedabah, freewill offering) and a “heart stirred” for tabernacle construction (Exodus 35:21) foreshadow προθυμία. In both covenants God delights in volunteers, not reluctance.

Illustrations from Church History

• Early second-century believers in Lyons and Vienne sent alms to Jerusalem, imitating Corinthian readiness.
• The Moravian community of Herrnhut (eighteenth century) pooled resources voluntarily to launch round-the-clock prayer and global missions.
• Modern disaster-relief drives, when rooted in joyful willingness rather than emotional manipulation, continue this legacy.

Practical Counsel

1. Nurture gratitude; eagerness is gratitude in motion.
2. Plan systematically; readiness is organized, not haphazard (1 Corinthians 16:2).
3. Pair zeal with discernment; the Bereans show that an eager mind still tests all things.
4. Lead by example; leaders who give and serve readily authorize others to do the same.

Summary

Strong’s 4288 marks a disposition indispensable to Christian life—voluntary, joyful, prompt obedience. Whether opening the purse, the schedule, or the Scriptures, προθυμία translates grace received into grace expressed, displaying the character of the Lord who “for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).

Forms and Transliterations

προθυμια προθυμία προθυμιαν προθυμίαν προθυμιας προθυμίας prothumia prothumian prothumias prothymia prothymía prothymian prothymían prothymias prothymías

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 17:11 N-GFS
GRK: μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας τὸ καθ'
NAS: with great eagerness, examining
KJV: all readiness of mind, and searched
INT: with all readiness on the every

2 Corinthians 8:11 N-NFS
GRK: καθάπερ ἡ προθυμία τοῦ θέλειν
NAS: that just as [there was] the readiness to desire
KJV: as [there was] a readiness to will,
INT: even as [there was] the readiness of the being willing

2 Corinthians 8:12 N-NFS
GRK: γὰρ ἡ προθυμία πρόκειται καθὸ
NAS: For if the readiness is present,
KJV: be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted
INT: indeed the readiness is present as

2 Corinthians 8:19 N-AFS
GRK: δόξαν καὶ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν
NAS: Himself, and [to show] our readiness,
KJV: and [declaration of] your ready mind:
INT: glory and [a witness of] readiness our

2 Corinthians 9:2 N-AFS
GRK: γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν ἣν
NAS: for I know your readiness, of which
KJV: your mind, for which
INT: indeed the readiness of you which

Strong's Greek 4288
5 Occurrences

προθυμία — 2 Occ.
προθυμίαν — 2 Occ.
προθυμίας — 1 Occ.