κᾰκία G2549
Badness of character, malice, or wickedness; also trouble or hardship experienced in daily life.
In the New Testament, kakia most often denotes moral badness — the disposition of malice, ill-will, or wickedness that corrupts character from within. Paul includes it in his vice catalogue in Romans 1:29, and Peter urges believers to put it aside like soiled clothing (1 Pet 2:1). Interestingly, in Matt 6:34 Jesus uses the same word to mean simply 'trouble' or 'hardship,' the burdens each day carries — a usage well attested in the Septuagint. The multilingual evidence splits cleanly: most languages render the dominant sense as 'malice' or 'evil' (Spanish maldad, German Bosheit), while the Matt 6:34 occurrence draws translations like 'trouble' or 'mal,' pointing to an experiential rather than moral nuance.
Senses
1. malice, wickedness — Moral badness, malice, or wickedness as a settled character disposition. This is the dominant NT usage, appearing in vice lists where it stands alongside envy, deceit, and slander (Rom 1:29, Eph 4:31, Col 3:8). Paul contrasts it with sincerity in 1 Cor 5:8 ('the leaven of malice and wickedness'), and in 1 Cor 14:20 urges believers to be 'infants in malice' — innocent of evil intent. Cross-linguistic translations consistently render this sense with moral vocabulary: Spanish maldad, French méchanceté, German Bosheit. 10×
AR["الخُبثَ", "الشَّرِّ", "خُبثٍ", "شَرِّ", "لِلخُبثِ"]·ben["দুর্নীতি", "দুষ্টতা", "দুষ্টতায়", "দুষ্টতার", "মন্দতা;", "মন্দে,"]·DE["Bosheit"]·EN["evil", "malice", "of-malice", "of-wickedness", "wickedness"]·FR["méchanceté"]·heb["רָעָה", "רֹעַ"]·HI["बुरऐ", "बुराई", "बुराई-का", "बुराई-की"]·ID["keburukan;", "kejahatan", "kejahatan,", "kejahatan.", "kejahatanmu"]·IT["malizia"]·jav["-piawon", "awon", "awon;", "piawon", "piawon,", "piawon.", "piawonipun"]·KO["악", "악에는", "악을", "악을,", "악의", "악의-에서", "악의-의", "악함-에서", "악함과."]·PT["de-maldade", "de-malícia", "maldade", "malícia", "malícia,", "malícia."]·RU["зла", "злобе", "злобой.", "злобу", "злобу,", "злобы", "злобы,", "злу"]·ES["de-maldad", "maldad", "malicia"]·SW["ubaya", "ubaya;", "uovu", "wa-ubaya", "wote", "ya-uovu"]·TR["fesatlıkla", "kotulugu", "kotulukle", "kötülük", "kötülüğü", "kötülüğün", "kötülüğünden", "o-"]·urd["بدخواہی-سے", "بدی", "بدی-کے", "بدی،", "بدی٬", "برائی", "بُرائی-میں", "بُرائی-کا،"]
2. trouble, hardship — Trouble, distress, or hardship as an experiential reality rather than a moral quality. Attested solely in Matt 6:34 where Jesus teaches 'sufficient for the day is its own trouble (kakia).' Here the word denotes the burdens and difficulties life brings, not moral evil. Several translations capture this distinction: English 'trouble' rather than 'malice,' Spanish mal (generic 'bad thing') rather than maldad ('wickedness'). This usage echoes the Septuagint's broader application of kakia to calamity or misfortune (cf. Eccl 5:13, Jonah 1:2). 1×
AR["شَرُّهُ"]·ben["কষ্ট"]·DE["Bosheit"]·EN["trouble"]·FR["méchanceté"]·heb["רָעָה"]·HI["बुराई"]·ID["kesusahan"]·IT["kakia"]·jav["kasusahan"]·KO["고난"]·PT["mal"]·RU["зла"]·ES["mal"]·SW["taabu"]·TR["sıkıntısı"]·urd["بُرائی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κᾰκία, ἡ, (κακός) badness in quality, opposed to ἀρετή (excellence), Refs 6th c.BC+; κακίᾳ ἡνιόχων by their incapacity, Refs defects, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2 cowardice, faint-heartedness, Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 moral badness, vice, μετ᾽ ἀρετῆς ἀλλ᾽ οὐ μετὰ κακίας Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ ἀρετή, ὡσαύτως δὲ.. καὶ ἡ κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; personified in the Fable of Prodicus, Refs 5th c.BC+ __4 Philos., Refs 3rd c.AD+ __II ill-repute, dishonour, κ. ἀντιλαβεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.2 hurt, damage done or suffered, LXX+NT