Lexical Summary kakia: Wickedness, malice, evil, depravity Original Word: κακία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance evil, malice, naughtiness, wickedness. From kakos; badness, i.e. (subjectively) depravity, or (actively) malignity, or (passively) trouble -- evil, malice(-iousness), naughtiness, wickedness. see GREEK kakos HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 2549 kakía (from 2554 /kakopoiéō, "a wicked disposition") – properly, the underlying principle of evil (inherent evil) which is present, even if not outwardly expressed. [2549 /kakía ("malice") shares the same essential meaning as 2556 /kakós ("wretched evil," its adjectival cognate).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kakos Definition wickedness NASB Translation evil (3), malice (5), trouble (1), wickedness (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2549: κακίακακία, κακίας, ἡ (κακός) (from Theognis down), the Sept. chiefly for רַע , and רָעָה; 1. malignity, malice, ill-will, desire to injure: Romans 1:29; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8; Titus 3:3; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1. 2. wickedness, depravity: 1 Corinthians 5:8 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 120 (114)); 3. Hellenistically, evil, trouble: Matthew 6:34 (as Amos 3:6; (1 Samuel 6:9); Ecclesiastes 7:15 ( Strong’s Greek 2549 denotes an inner disposition of ill-will that schemes harm against God or neighbor. Scripture treats it as a heart-level corruption that surfaces in attitudes, words, and systems, and that must be renounced by all who have been joined to Christ. Old Testament Background Although the specific term belongs to Koine Greek, its moral weight echoes the Hebrew רַע (raʿ, evil) and רִשְׁעָה (rishʿâ, wickedness). The prophets link such evil to covenant breach (Isaiah 1:16) and identify the new covenant as God’s answer, promising hearts cleansed from malice (Ezekiel 36:25-27). New Testament Usage 1. Humanity’s natural condition 2. Personal sanctification commands 3. Corporate purity and discipline 4. Misuse of Christian liberty 5. Daily realities in a fallen world Theological Significance Malice differs from momentary anger; it is calculated ill-intent. Jesus locates such evil in the heart (Matthew 15:19), showing that sin’s root precedes its fruit. The cross addresses both: Christ “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24), breaking malice’s penalty and power. Regeneration implants a new nature that “hates evil” (Romans 12:9) and progressively conforms the believer to Christ, who “when reviled, did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23). Relationship to Other Sins In every list κακία sits among social vices—slander, deceit, envy—revealing its relational damage. It fuels strife (James 4:1), corrodes unity (Philippians 2:3), and provokes divine judgment (Romans 2:9). By contrast, the Spirit’s fruit—kindness, goodness, self-control—directly opposes malice. Practical and Pastoral Application • Self-examination: believers are urged to confess hidden ill-will before it matures into outward sin. Historical Reception Early Fathers treated malice as the antithesis of agapē; Chrysostom called it “the devil’s image in man.” The Reformers, emphasizing total depravity, saw malice as evidence of the heart’s need for grace. Puritans preached that suppression without regeneration merely “muzzles the dog”; only new birth changes its nature. Eschatological Hope The New Jerusalem descends “nothing unclean” (Revelation 21:27). Malice will be forever absent, fulfilling the promise of hearts wholly aligned with God’s love. Until that day the church pursues holiness, witnessing to a world still “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3), proclaiming the gospel that liberates from malice to mercy. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 6:34 N-NFSGRK: ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς NAS: has enough trouble of its own. KJV: unto the day [is] the evil thereof. INT: day [is] the trouble of it Acts 8:22 N-GFS Romans 1:29 N-DFS 1 Corinthians 5:8 N-GFS 1 Corinthians 14:20 N-DFS Ephesians 4:31 N-DFS Colossians 3:8 N-AFS Titus 3:3 N-DFS James 1:21 N-GFS 1 Peter 2:1 N-AFS 1 Peter 2:16 N-GFS Strong's Greek 2549 |
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