Strong's Lexicon
kairos: Time, season, opportunity
Original Word:καιρός
Part of Speech:Noun, Masculine
Transliteration:kairos
Pronunciation:kah-ee-ROS
Phonetic Spelling:(kahee-ros')
Definition:Time, season, opportunity
Meaning:fitting season, season, opportunity, occasion, time.
Word Origin:Derived from the primary Greek verb κεῖμαι (keimai), meaning "to lie outstretched" or "to be set."
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H6256 עֵת (eth) – time, season
- H4150 מוֹעֵד (moed) – appointed time, place, or meeting
Usage:In the New Testament, "kairos" refers to a specific, appointed time or season, often implying a divinely ordained moment or opportunity. Unlike "chronos," which denotes chronological or sequential time, "kairos" signifies a moment of significance or a period marked by a particular characteristic. It is used to describe times of fulfillment, opportunity, or crisis.
Cultural and Historical Background:In ancient Greek culture, "kairos" was associated with the right or opportune moment. It was often depicted as a fleeting, decisive moment that required action. In the biblical context, "kairos" is used to convey God's timing and the importance of recognizing and responding to His divine appointments. The concept underscores the belief that God orchestrates events in human history according to His sovereign plan.
HELPS Word-studies
2540kairós –time asopportunity.2540/kairós ("opportune time") is derived fromkara ("head") referring to things "coming to a head" to take full-advantage of.2540 (kairós) is "thesuitable time, theright moment (e.g. Soph.,El. 1292), a favorable moment" (DNTT, 3, 833).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. word
Definitiontime, season
NASB Translationage (1), epochs (2), occasion (1), opportune time (1), opportunity (3), proper time (5), right time (1), season (1), seasons (4), short* (1), time (54), times (11), while (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2540: καιρόςκαιρός,
καιροῦ,
ὁ (derived by some from
κάρα or
κάρη,
τό, the head, summit (others besides; cf.
Vanicek, p. 118)); the
Sept. for
עֵת and
מועֵד; in Greek writings (from
Hesiod down):
1.due measure; nowhere so in the Biblical writings.
2.a measure of time; a larger or smaller portion of time; hence,
a. universally,a fixed and definite time:Romans 13:11;2 Corinthians 6:2;ὕστεροικαιροί,1 Timothy 4:1;ἄχρικαιροῦ, up to a certain time, for a season,Luke 4:13 (but inἄχρι, 1 b. referred apparently to b. below; cf. Fritzsche, Romans, i., p. 309f);Acts 13:11;πρόςκαιρόν, for a certain time only, for a season,Luke 8:13;1 Corinthians 7:5;πρόςκαιρόνὥρας, for the season of an hour, i. e. for a short season,1 Thessalonians 2:17;κατάκαιρόν, at certain seasons (from time to time),John 5:4 (RGL); at the (divinely) appointed time,Romans 5:6 (others bring this under b.); before the time appointed,Matthew 8:29;1 Corinthians 4:5;ἔσταικαιρός,ὅτε etc.2 Timothy 4:3;ὀλίγονκαιρόνἔχει, a short time (in which to exercise his power) has been granted him,Revelation 12:12;ἐνἐκείνῳτῷκαιρῷ,Matthew 11:25;Matthew 12:1;Matthew 14:1;Ephesians 2:12;κατ'ἐκεῖνοντῷκαιρῷ,Acts 12:1;Acts 19:23;κατάτῷκαιρῷτοῦτον,Romans 9:9;ἐναὐτῷτῷκαιρῷLuke 13:1;ἐνᾧκαιρῷ,Acts 7:20;ἐντῷνῦνκαιρῷ,Romans 3:26;Romans 11:5;2 Corinthians 8:14 (13);ἐνπαντίκαιρῷ always, at every season (Aristotle, top. 3, 2, 4, p. 117{a}, 35),Luke 21:36;Ephesians 6:18;εἰςτινακαιρόν,1 Peter 1:11. with the genitive of a thing,the time of etc. i. e. at which it will occur:τῆςἐμῆςἀναλύσεώς,2 Timothy 4:6;τῆςἐπισκοπῆς,1 Peter 5:6 Lachmann;Luke 19:44;περιασμου,Luke 8:13;τοῦἄρξασθαιτόκρίμα, for judgment to begin,1 Peter 4:17;καιροίτῶνλόγων, of the time when they shall be proved by the event,Luke 1:20; — or when a thing usually comes to pass:τοῦθερισμοῦ,Matthew 13:30;τῶνκαρπῶν, when the fruits ripen,Matthew 21:34, 41;σύκων,Mark 11:13. with the genitive of a person:καιποιἐθνῶν, the time granted to the Gentiles, until God shall take vengeance on them,Luke 21:24;ὁἑαυτοῦ (TTrWHαὐτοῦ)καιρῷ, the time when antichrist shall show himself openly,2 Thessalonians 2:6;ὁκαιρόςμου, the time appointed for my death,Matthew 26:18;τῶννεκρῶνκριθῆναι, the time appointed for the dead to be recalled to life and judged,Revelation 11:18 (Buttmann, 260 (224));ὁἐμός,ὁὑμέτερος, the time for appearing in public, appointed (by God) for me, for you,John 7:6, 8;καιρῷἰδίῳ, the time suited to the thing under consideration, at its proper time,Galatians 6:9; plural,1 Timothy 2:6;1 Timothy 6:15;Titus 1:3.ὁκαιρός alone,the time when things are brought to a crisis, the decisive epoch waited for: so of the time when the Messiah will visibly return from heaven,Mark 13:33;ὁκαιρόςἤγγικεν,Luke 21:8;ἐγγύςἐστιν,Revelation 1:3;Revelation 22:10.
b.opportune or seasonable time: with verbs suggestive of the idea of advantage,καιρόνμεταλαμβάνειν,Acts 24:25;ἔχειν,Galatians 6:10 (Plutarch, Luc. 16);ἐξαγοράζεσθαι,Ephesians 5:16;Colossians 4:5, seeἐξαγοράζω, 2; followed by an infinitive, opportunity to do something,Hebrews 11:15;παράκαιρόνἡλικίας, past the opportunity of life (A. V.past age),Hebrews 11:11 (simplyπαράκαιρόν,Pindar Ol. 8, 32; several times inPlato, cf. Ast, Platonic Lexicon, ii., p. 126).
c.the right time:ἐνκαιρῷ (often in classical Greek), in due season,Matthew 24:45;Luke 12:42;Luke 20:10RGL ((stereotype edition only));1 Peter 5:6; alsoκαιρῷ,Luke 20:10LTTrWH;τόκαιρῷ,Mark 12:2.
d.a (limited) period of time: (1 Corinthians 7:29); plural the periods prescribed by God to the nations, and bounded by their rise and fall,Acts 17:26;καιροίκαρποφοροι, the seasons of the year in which the fruits grow and ripen,Acts 14:17 (cf.Genesis 1:14, theSept.);καιρόνκαίκαιρούςκαίἥμισυκαιροῦ, a year and two years and six months (A. V.a time, and times, and half a time; cf.Winer's Grammar, § 27, 4),Revelation 12:14 (cf. 6; fromDaniel 7:25;Daniel 12:7); stated seasons of the year solemnly kept by the Jews, and comprising several days, as the passover, pentecost, feast of tabernacles,Galatians 4:10 (2 Chronicles 8:13; cf. Baruch 1:14). in the divine arrangement of time adjusted to the economy of salvation:καιρός (πεπλήρωται), the preappointed period which according to the purpose of God must elapse before the divine kingdom could be founded by Christ,Mark 1:15; plural, the several parts of this period,Ephesians 1:10;ὁκαιρόςὁἐνεστως, the present period, equivalent toὁαἰώνοὗτος (seeαἰών, 3),Hebrews 9:9, opposed toκαιρόςδιορθώσεως, the time when the whole order of things will be reformed (equivalent toαἰώνμέλλων),Hebrews 9:10;ὁκαιρόςοὗτος, equivalent toὁαἰώνοὗτος (seeαἰών, 3),Mark 10:30;Luke 18:30;ὁνῦνκαιρός,Romans 8:18;ἐνκαιρῷἐσχάτῳ, the last period of the present age, the time just before the return of Christ from heaven (seeἔσχατος, 1 under the end, etc.),1 Peter 1:5;καιροίἀναψύξεωςἀπόπροσώπουτοῦκυρίου, denotes the time from the return of Christ on, the times of the consummated divine kingdom,Acts 3:20 (19).
e. as often in Greek writings, and like the Latintempus,καιρός; is equivalent towhat time brings, the state of the times, the things and events of time:Luke 12:56;δουλεύειντῷκαιρῷ, Latintempori servire (seeδουλεύω, 2 a.),Romans 12:11Rec.st;τάσημεῖατῶνκαιρῶν, equivalent toἅοἱκαιροίσημαινουσι,Matthew 16:3 (hereT bracketsWH reject the passage);καιροίχαλεποί,2 Timothy 3:1;χρονοιἤκαιροί (times or seasons, GermanZeitumstände),Acts 1:7;οἱχρονοικαίοἱκαιροί1 Thessalonians 5:1; and in the opposite order,Daniel 2:21 theSept.; Wis. 8:8. [SYNONYMS:καιρός,χρόνος:χρόνος time, in general;καιρός a definitely limited portion of time, with the added notion of suitableness. Yet while, on the one hand, its meaning may be so sharply marked as to permit such a combination asχρόνουκαιρός 'the nick of time,' on the other, its distinctive sense may so far recede as to allow it to be used as nearly equivalent toχρόνος; cf.Thomas Magister, Ritschl edition, p. 206, 15ff (afterAmmonius under the word); p. 215, 10ffκαιρόςοὐμόνονἐπίχρόνουἁπλῶςτίθεται,ἀλλάκαίἐπίτοῦἁρμοδιουκαίπρεποντος,κτλ.;Schmidt, chapter 44;Trench, § lvii.; Tittmann i. 41ff; Cope onAristotle, rhet. l, 7, 32. "In modern Greekκαιρός meansweather,χρόνοςyear. In both words the kernel of meaning has remained unaltered; this in the case ofκαιρός is changeableness, ofχρόνος duration."Curtius, Etym., p. 110f]
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
appointed timeOf uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. Set or proper time -- X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Comparechronos.
see GREEKchronos
Forms and Transliterations
καιροι καιροί καιροὶ καιροις καιροίς καιροῖς καιρον καιρόν καιρὸν καιρος καιρός καιρὸς καιρου καιρού καιροῦ καιρους καιρούς καιροὺς καιρω καιρώ καιρῷ καιρων καιρών καιρῶν kairo kairō kairoi kairoì kairôi kairō̂i kairois kairoîs kairon kairón kairòn kairôn kairōn kairō̂n kairos kairós kairòs kairou kairoû kairous kairoùsLinks
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