Biblical Lexicon

G2560 G2560

Adv | 16× in 2 senses

Badly, severely (of illness); wrongly, wickedly (of moral conduct or speech)

The adverb kakos spans two distinct registers in the New Testament. In its dominant medical usage, it modifies conditions of sickness and affliction -- 'those who had it badly' -- appearing twelve times in the Gospels' formulaic healing summaries (Matt 4:24, 8:16, 9:12). In its rarer ethical usage, it describes morally wrong speech or behavior, as when Jesus challenges his accusers at his trial: 'if I spoke wrongly, testify about the wrong' (John 18:23). Spanish and German both render both senses with the same word ('mal,' 'uebel'), but the surrounding collocations -- illness verbs versus speech and conduct verbs -- make the distinction unmistakable.

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Senses

1. badly, severely (of illness) — Adverb describing the severity of physical affliction: 'badly, severely ill.' This is the dominant NT usage, appearing twelve times almost exclusively in the Synoptic healing narratives. The formulaic phrase kakos echontes ('those having badly,' i.e. the severely ill) recurs at Matt 4:24, 8:16, 9:12, 14:35, and Mark 1:32. Multilingual glosses converge on general adverbs of degree -- Spanish 'mal,' French 'mal,' German 'uebel' -- collocated with verbs of illness rather than moral action, confirming the medical rather than ethical register. 12×

MORAL_QUALITY › Moral and Ethical Qualities › Evil and Wickedness

AR["المَرْضى", "الَّذِينَ-بِهِمْ-سُوءٌ", "الْمَرْضَى-بِسُوءٍ", "بِسوءٍ", "بِشِدَّةٍ", "سوءًا", "سُوءًا", "مَرْضَى"]·ben["অসুস্থদের", "খারাপভাবে", "মন্দভাবে"]·DE["uebel", "κακῶς"]·EN["badly"]·FR["mal"]·heb["חוֹלִים", "חוֹלִים-רָע", "רַע", "רָע", "רָעִים", "רָעָה"]·HI["को", "बीमार", "बीमारों", "बीमारों-को", "बुरि-तरह", "बुरी-तरह"]·ID["buruk", "dengan-parah", "menderita", "orang-sakit", "sakit", "yang-sakit"]·IT["malamente"]·jav["awon", "awrat", "gerah", "ingkang-gerah", "ingkang-sakit", "sakit"]·KO["병든", "병들어", "심하게", "아픈", "아픈-상태로", "앓는"]·PT["gravemente", "mal", "que-mal", "terrivelmente"]·RU["больные", "больных", "зло", "плохо", "тяжко"]·ES["mal", "malamente", "que-mal"]·SW["vibaya", "wagonjwa"]·TR["hasta", "kötü"]·urd["-کے", "بری-طرح", "برے", "بُری-طرح", "بیمار", "بیماری-سے"]

Matt 4:24, Matt 8:16, Matt 9:12, Matt 14:35, Matt 15:22, Matt 17:15, Mark 1:32, Mark 1:34, Mark 2:17, Mark 6:55, Luke 5:31, Luke 7:2

2. wrongly, wickedly — Adverb of moral quality describing wrongful speech or conduct: 'wrongly, wickedly, with evil intent.' At John 18:23 Jesus uses it of speech ('if I spoke wrongly'), at Acts 23:5 Paul is rebuked for speaking wrongly of the high priest, at James 4:3 believers 'ask wrongly,' and at Matt 21:41 the wicked tenants will be 'miserably' (kakos kakous) destroyed. The same surface glosses appear across languages ('mal,' 'uebel'), but the collocations shift entirely from illness to moral agency -- speech acts, petitions, and judgments -- marking a clear sense boundary. 4×

MORAL_QUALITY › Moral and Ethical Qualities › Evil and Wickedness

AR["بِشَرٍّ", "رَدِيئًا", "شَرًّا"]·ben["খারাপভাবে", "মন্দ", "মন্দভাবে"]·DE["uebel", "κακῶς"]·EN["evil", "evilly", "wrongly"]·FR["mal"]·heb["רָע", "רָעָה"]·HI["बुराई-से", "बुरा।", "बुरी-तरह"]·ID["dengan-jahat", "jahat.", "salah"]·IT["kakōs", "malamente", "male"]·jav["awon", "awon."]·KO["나쁘게", "비참하게", "악하게", "잘못"]·PT["mal", "malvadamente"]·RU["дурно", "зло", "плохо", "худо"]·ES["mal", "malamente"]·SW["atawaangamiza", "vibaya"]·TR["kötü", "kötüce", "kötüe"]·urd["برا", "بُرا", "بُری-طرح"]

Matt 21:41, John 18:23, Acts 23:5, Jas 4:3

BDB / Lexicon Reference

Included with: κᾰκός, ή, όν, __A bad: __A.I of persons, __A.I.1 of appearance, ugly, εἶδος μὲν ἔην κακός Refs 8th c.BC+ __A.I.2 of birth, ill-born, mean, γένος ἐστὲ διοτρεφέων βασιλήων.., ἐπεὶ οὔ κε κακοὶ τοιούσδε τέκοιεν Refs 8th c.BC+ __A.I.3 of courage, craven, base, Refs 8th c.BC+; Ἕκτωρ σε κ. καὶ ἀνάλκιδα φήσει Refs 8th c.BC+; οὐδαμῶν κακίονεςRefs 5th c.BC+ __A.I.4 bad of his kind, i. e.…