Quick Definition
χρή v. it is necessary, proper
Strong's Definition
it needs (must or should) be
Derivation: third person singular of the same as G5530 (χράομαι) or G5531 (χράω) used impersonally;
KJV Usage: ought
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | χράομαι
71.22 · Mode · Should, Ought
should, ought that which should be or happen, with the implication of propriety
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
χρή; (fr. xpaw, χράει contr. χρῆ) ; impers. verb, it is necessary ; it behooves: foll. by an inf. Jas. iii. 10 [(B. §§ 131, 3; 132,12). FromHom.on. Syn. see δεῖ, fin.]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
χρή chrē 1x
impersonal verb, there is need or occasion, it is necessary, it is requisite; it becomes, it is proper, Jas. 3:10*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
* χρή impers.
(< χράω, v. LS, s.v.),
it is necessary: Ja 3:10 (cf. δεῖ.).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
χρη occurs in the NT only in Jas 310 (but cf. Prov 2527, 4 Macc 876 A), where Hort (Comm. ad /.) notes that “it is a somewhat vague word, apparently starting from the sense ‘there is need.’”’ This is borne out by such exx. as the following—P Hib I. 6419 (B.c. 264) χρὴ δὲ Kal [γράφειν μοι πίερ] ὧν ἂν χρείαν ἔχὴς, ‘and you must write to me about anything which you require ’’ (Edd.), BGU III. $3078 (i/a.D.) χρ]ὴ οὖν ἑτοιμάσ[ε]ιν (1 ἑτοιμάσαι) καὶ προαιρ[ εῖν], tv’ ἔχι (2. ἔχῃ) τοῦ π[ωλ]εῖν, “it is therefore necessary to prepare and bring forward, in order that he may be able to sell,” P Flor III. 309° (iv/a. D.) οὐ χρὴ σ[ι]ωπῇ παραδίδοσθαι τὰ tm αὐτῆς εἰρημένα, P Oxy I. 120° (iv/A.D.) χρὴ yap τινα ὁρῶντα αἱαυτὸν (/. ἑαυτὸν) ἐν δυστυχίᾳ κἂν ἀναχωρεῖν, ‘when a man finds himself in adversity he ought to give way’’ (Edd.), 26. VIII. 11635 (v/A.D.) ἐρωτηθὶς παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μεγαλοπρεπίας ὅσα ἔχρην ἀνεδίδαξα αὐ[τ]ὸν περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεγαλοπρεπίας, ““on the inquiry of his magnificence I told him what was fitting about your magnificence”’ (Ed.). See also the Attic inser. Prezszgke 4217° (= LAE*, p. 367) χρή, τιμιώτατε, τὰς θεὰς (or θέας) κωμάζεσθαι, ‘it is necessary, O most honourable, that the goddesses (or spectacles) be celebrated in festal procession.”’
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
χρή (chrē) — to ought/need. χρή, impersonal, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect χρῆ [Refs 7th c.BC+]; other forms are contractions (crases) of χρή (probably originally a neuter substantive) with forms of εἰμί (sum): future χρἤσται [Refs 5th c.BC+]: subjunctive χρῇ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive χρῆναι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also χρῆν (see. below 111); participle neuter plural χρηεόντα (or χρὴ ἐόντα) [Refs 3rd c.AD+]: imperfect ἐχρῆν [Refs 5th c.BC+]: frequently also without the augment, χρῆν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; both forms in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future χρήδει [Refs 5th c.BC+]: —it is necessary: with infinitive praes. aut aorist, it must needs, one must or ought to do (like δεῖ, which is only once used in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὅτι χ. πάσχειν ἐθέλω[Refs 5th c.BC+]: more frequently with accusative person et infinitive, one must, ἐμὲ δὲ χ. γήραϊ πείθεσθαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐδέ τί σε χ. νηλεὲς ἦτορ ἔχειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]—Sts. the infinitive must be supplied from the context, especially in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (i.e. ἀποπαύεσθαι) [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὅθι χ. πεζὸν ἐόντα (i.e. μάρνασθαι) [Refs 8th c.BC+]; so in Trag. and Attic dialect, πορθεῖν ἃ μὴ χ. (i.e. πορθεῖν) [Refs 4th c.BC+]; φύς τ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ὧν οὐ χρῆν (i.e. φῦναι), ξὺν οἷς τ᾽ οὐ χρῆν (i.e. ὁμιλεῖν) ὁμιλῶν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔκανες ὃν οὐ χρῆν (i.e. κτεῖναι) [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐπιπλεύσειέ τις ὡς χ. (i.e. ἐπιπλεῦσαι) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θύσαντες οἷς χ. (i.e. θῦσαι) [Refs 5th c.BC+] —The imperfect frequently expresses something that ought to have been, but is not, ἐνθάδ᾽ οὐ παραστατεῖ, ὡς χρῆν, Ὀρέστης[Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. in [Refs 8th c.BC+]infinitive, with accusative person et genitive of things, οὐδέ τί σε χρὴ ἀφρποσύνης thou hast no need of imprudence, i. e. it does not befit thee, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μυθήσεαι ὅττεό (i.e. ὅτου) σε χ. [Refs] is found in most codices of [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. with dative person pro accusative is not found; in [Refs 8th c.BC+], the dative belongs to the infinitive μέλει; in [Refs 5th c.BC+] Dobree restored με for γ; in [Refs 5th c.BC+] depends on μετεῖνα; in [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. sometimes in a less strong sense, πῶς τοῦτο περᾶσαι χρ; how is one to get through this? [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; τί ἐχρῆν με ποιεῖ; what was I to do? [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἓν οὐδὲν κατέστη ἴαμα ὅτι χρῆν προσφερόντας ὠφελεῖν there was no one remedy by the application of which one could (or was bound to) help them, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. τὸ χρῆν (infinitive) fate, destiny, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ χρή [Refs]; conjecture for τὸ χρεών (monosyllable) in [Refs]