καλός G2566
very well, better; excellently or more fittingly
This is the comparative form of kalos (good, beautiful), meaning 'better' or 'more fittingly.' In Acts 25:10, Paul responds to Festus's suggestion that he stand trial in Jerusalem: 'I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought (kallion) to be judged.' The comparative asserts Paul's right to Roman jurisdiction—it is 'more fitting' or 'better' for a Roman citizen accused of no crime against Jewish law to be tried before Caesar's court than before a hostile Sanhedrin. Paul insists on the legal propriety of his appeal.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul uses kallion to assert the appropriateness of his appeal to Caesar. The Spanish 'mejor' (better) captures the comparative force. Paul was not fleeing justice but seeking it—he recognized that a trial in Jerusalem, where Jewish authorities sought his death, would be neither fair nor safe. His Roman citizenship entitled him to imperial jurisdiction, and he exercises that right, insisting that Caesar's tribunal is the more fitting venue for his case. 1×
AR["بِأَفْضَلَ"]·ben["আরও-ভালো"]·DE["κάλλιον"]·EN["very-well"]·FR["mieux"]·heb["הֵיטֵב"]·HI["अच्छीतरह"]·ID["lebih-baik"]·IT["meglio"]·jav["langkung-saé"]·KO["더-잘"]·PT["muito-bem"]·RU["лучше"]·ES["mejor"]·SW["vizuri"]·TR["daha-iyi"]·urd["اچھی-طرح"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καλός, ή, όν, Aeolic dialect κάλος (see. below), α, ον, Boeotian dialect καλϝός Refs 6th c.BC+:— __A beautiful, of outward form, frequently of persons, κάλλιστος ἀνὴρ ὑπὸ Ἴλιον ἦλθεν Refs 8th c.BC+ usually in the phrase κ. τε μέγας τε Refs 8th c.BC+; μέγας καὶ κ. Refs 8th c.BC+; καλὸς δέμας beautiful of form,Refs 5th c.BC+; Χορῷ καλή beauteous in the dance, Refs 8th c.BC+: with infinitive,…