καί G2532
Conjunction 'and'; also adverbial 'also, even, likewise' for emphasis or addition
The most common word in the Greek New Testament, kai is the basic connective tissue of biblical narrative and discourse. As a simple copulative conjunction it chains clauses and lists: 'and Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob' (Matt 1:2). But kai also carries an adverbial force meaning 'also, even, likewise,' often introducing a surprising or emphatic addition — 'even the winds and the sea obey him' (Matt 8:27). Translators across languages consistently split these two roles: Spanish 'y' versus 'tambien,' French 'et' versus 'et' with emphatic nuance, German 'und' in both but with distinct contextual weight.
1. sense 1 — The copulative conjunction 'and,' joining words, phrases, and clauses in sequence. This is the default connective of Greek prose and narrative, carrying the story forward or coordinating parallel elements. Every language renders it with its basic conjunction: Spanish 'y,' French 'et,' German 'und.' Matt 1:2 and Matt 2:9 show its narrative chain function. It accounts for over 8,300 of its 9,083 occurrences. 8312×
AR["وَ","وَ-"]·ben["আর","এবং"]·DE["und"]·EN["And-","and-"]·FR["et"]·heb["וְ","וְ-","וְ-אֶת","וְ-אֶת-","וְ-לְ-"]·HI["और"]·ID["Dan","[dan]","dan"]·IT["e"]·jav["Lan","kaliyan","lan","nanging","sarta"]·KO["그러나","그리고"]·PT["E","e"]·RU["И","и"]·ES["Y","y"]·SW["Na","na"]·TR["ve"]·urd["اور"]
Matt 1:2, Matt 2:9, Matt 2:20, Matt 3:16, Matt 4:15, Matt 4:24, Matt 5:18, Matt 6:26, Matt 7:13, Matt 7:27, Matt 8:9, Matt 8:17 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. sense 2 — The adverbial or ascensive use meaning 'also, even, likewise,' adding emphasis or an unexpected element. Spanish distinctly renders this as 'tambien' rather than 'y,' revealing the semantic shift. Found in passages like Matt 5:39-40 ('if anyone strikes your right cheek, turn the other also') and Matt 5:46 ('do not even the tax collectors do the same?'). This sense covers about 771 occurrences where kai goes beyond simple conjunction to signal addition, climax, or surprise. 771×
AR["أيضاً","أَيضًا","أَيْضًا","أَيْضًا-","كَذَلِكَ","وَ"]·ben["-ও","καὶ-ও","আবার","আরও","এবং","এমনকি","ও","তেমনি"]·DE["und","und-"]·EN["also","also-","even"]·FR["et","et-"]·heb["גַּם","וְ","וְ-"]·HI["और","ताकि","भी","वैसे"]·ID["bahkan","dan","demikian-juga","juga"]·IT["e","e-"]·jav["lan","makaten-ugi","ugi"]·KO["그리고","또한"]·PT["assim","também"]·RU["и","и-","так-и"]·ES["también"]·SW["na","na-","pia","pia-"]·TR["ayrıca","da","de","hem","hem-de","ve"]·urd["اور","بھی","تمثیل","تو","ویسے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)H0518a 1. conditional particle: if (827×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καί, conjunction, copulative, joining words and sentences, __A and; also adverb, even, also, just, frequently expressing emphatic assertion or assent, corresponding as positive to the negative οὐ (μή) or οὐδέ (μηδέ). copulative, and, __A.I joining words or sentences to those preceding, ἦ, καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπ᾽ ὀφρύσινεῦσε Κρονίων Refs 8th c.BC+: repeated with two or more Nouns, αἱ δὲ ἔλαφοι κ.…