Definition · Webster 1828 · Scriptures · Corruption · Roots · Usage · In the Text · Related
📖 Biblical Definition
Chloe is a Christian woman mentioned only once in the NT, but her one mention is theologically significant. Paul writes to the divided Corinthian church: "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you" (1 Cor 1:11). "The house of Chloe" was a household that had reported to Paul on the factions in Corinth ("I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ," 1 Cor 1:12). Chloe was apparently a Christian woman of some prominence whose household members could travel between Corinth and Ephesus (where Paul was writing from) and whose report Paul considered credible enough to base a major epistle on. We know nothing else about her — no place of residence, no marital status, no other reference. What we do know is the dignity her name carries by Paul's citation: Chloe is a woman whose household was actively involved in inter-church communication, who cared enough about gospel integrity to report division across long distances, and whose word Paul received without hesitation. Modern parents who name a daughter Chloe link her to the Christian woman Paul trusted to tell him the truth about the Corinthian church. The name's Greek meaning — "green sprout, young verdure" — also picks up resurrection-life imagery and the springtime renewal of God's people.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Greek "green sprout"; the Christian woman of 1 Cor 1:11 whose household reported the Corinthian divisions to Paul.
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CHLOE, proper noun. Greek Chloē — "green sprout, young verdure."
A Christian woman of the early church, mentioned only at 1 Cor 1:11. Her household reported the Corinthian church's factions to Paul, prompting much of the content of 1 Corinthians.
📖 Key Scripture
1 Corinthians 1:11 — "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you."
1 Corinthians 1:12 — "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ."
Romans 16:1-2 — "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you."
1 Corinthians 1:10 — "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Chloe is corrupted when her single canonical mention is dismissed as too brief to matter (her one mention establishes a Christian woman's witness as Paul's basis for a major epistle), or when modern egalitarian readings inflate her role beyond what the text actually says.
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Brevity-dismissal. Chloe is mentioned once. Some commentaries pass over her as a minor name. But Paul's CITATION of her household as his source for the Corinthian factions is itself a dignity: Paul received a Christian woman's household-report as reliable, named her by name, and built much of 1 Corinthians on what she reported. The brevity is not insignificance; it is the canonical preservation of a woman whose witness mattered to apostolic correspondence.
Overreach-inflation. Some egalitarian readings turn Chloe into a senior-pastor figure or co-equal apostle. But the text doesn't say this. It says she had a household that reported on the church to Paul. That is a real ministry of communication and care; it is not necessarily evidence of pastoral office. The canonical balance: Chloe is honored in Scripture as a real Christian woman with real influence in inter-church communication, without making her something the text doesn't make her.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek Chloē (G5514) — "green sprout, young verdure"; the Christian woman of 1 Cor 1:11.
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Greek Chloē (G5514) — "green sprout, young verdure"
Originally an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter as patroness of spring vegetation
Christian woman mentioned only at 1 Cor 1:11 — her household reported Corinthian divisions to Paul
The brevity of her mention is itself dignified — Paul cited her by name as his source for a major epistle
Usage
"By them which are of the house of Chloe — Paul cited a Christian woman's household-report as his source for 1 Corinthians."
"Chloe's name means GREEN SPROUT — resurrection-life imagery in the springtime renewal of God's people."
"Modern parents naming a daughter Chloe link her to the woman Paul trusted to tell him the truth about Corinth."
📖 In the Text
Chapters of the reading Bible where this entry is linked.