κᾰλᾰμ-η G2562
stalk, straw, stubble; the dried stalks of grain after harvest
This noun refers to the stalk or straw of grain, especially what remains after the harvest—stubble. In 1 Corinthians 3:12, it appears in Paul's metaphor of building on Christ's foundation: some build with 'gold, silver, precious stones,' others with 'wood, hay, straw (kalamēn).' Stubble represents worthless, combustible material that cannot withstand fire. Paul warns that each builder's work will be tested, and what is built with perishable materials like straw will be consumed. Only what survives the fire earns reward.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul uses kalamē as the most worthless building material imaginable—dry stubble that ignites instantly. The Spanish 'paja' and French 'chaume' both mean straw or stubble. The metaphor warns ministers that not all work done 'on' the foundation of Christ is equally valuable. Teaching that merely entertains or flatters, ministry that seeks human approval rather than spiritual transformation—these are stubble-building. Fire will reveal quality, burning away what was worthless while refining what was genuine. 1×
AR["قَشّاً"]·ben["খড়কুটো,"]·DE["Stoppel"]·EN["straw"]·FR["chaume"]·heb["קַשׁ"]·HI["पराली"]·ID["jerami"]·IT["stoppia"]·jav["jerami,"]·KO["짚"]·PT["palha"]·RU["солому"]·ES["paja"]·SW["mabua,"]·urd["پرالی"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κᾰλᾰμ-η, ἡ, (see. κάλαμος) stalk, especially the stalk or straw of corn, metaphorically in Refs 8th c.BC+, i.e. when there is much straw and little harvest, much slaughter and little profit, Refs 8th c.BC+; κ. πυρῶν wheat-straw, Refs 5th c.BC+; proverbial of a greedy farmer, πυροὺς ἐπὶ καλάμῃ ἀροῦν to exhaust ground by one corn-crop after another, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 stubble, NT+4th c.BC+ thou…