Bible Lexicons

Hort in his note on 1 Peter 2:12 has pointed out that while ἀγαθός ";denotes what is good in virtue of its results,"; καλός ";denotes that kind of goodness which is at once seen to be good."; It may not be possible always to press the distinction, but what we may call this self-evidencing power of καλός, a goodness as it appears to, and is realized by, others comes out generally speaking in the citations that follow. Thus in its application to persons the adj. is united with πιστός in the well-known early Christian letter of Psenosiris, where Psenosiris writes regarding Politike—τ ]αύτην παραδέδωκα τοῖς καλοῖς καὶ πιστοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν νεκροτάφων (";grave-diggers";) εἰς τήρησιν (P Grenf II. 73.12 (late iii/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 118)). And so in the Silco inscr., OGIS 201.9 (vi/A.D.), the King announces—ἐπίστευσα τὸν ὅρκον αὐτῶν, ὡς καλοί εἰσιν ἄνθρωποι, ";quia honesti homines sunt"; (Lepsius). With Hebrews 13:18 we may compare P Rein 52.5 (iii/iv A.D.) οὐ καλῷ συνειδότι χρώμενοι. Similarly with reference to animals we read of μόσχους καλούς in PSI IV. 409.31 (iii/B.C.), and in P Tebt II. 409.12 (A.D. 5) of certain he-asses (?) as—καλοὺς. . καὶ τελήους καὶ εὐνοικούς, ";fine animals without blemish and good-tempered"; (Edd.). The varied usage with reference to things is seen in such passages as : P Lond 356.4 (i/A.D.) (= II. p. 252, Selections, p. 59) καλῶς ποιήσεις ἰδίωι κινδύνῳ τὸ καλὸν πωλήσας ἐξ ὧν ἐάν σοι εἴπῃ φαρμάκων ἔχειν χρείαν Σώτας ὁ φίλος μου, ";be so good as to sell at your own risk good quality of those drugs of which my friend Sotas says that he has need,"; where καλόν is contrasted with σαπρόν a few lines further on, just as in Matthew 12:33; Matthew 13:48 : P Oxy I. 116.19 f (ii/A.D.) (as amended II. p. 319) κ [ί ]στην σταφυλῆς λείαν κ ̣α ̣λῆ ̣ς καὶ σφυρίδα φοίνικος καλοῦ, ";a box of very good grapes, and a basket of good dates"; : P Fay 133.8 (iv/A.D.) ὑ ]περθοῦ δὲ ἡμερῶν δ [ύο ] καὶ τριῶν ἵνα. . . ὁ οἶνος. . καλὸς γένηται, ";wait for two or three days in order that the wine may become good"; : and with reference to clothing, P Tebt II. 278.34 (early i/ A.D.) κάλλιστον ἱμάτιν, ib. 423.34 (early iii/A.D.) καλὸν χιτῶνα, P Oxy VII. 1069.26 (iii/A.D.) σπούδασον γὰρ τὸ κειθώνειν μου γενέστε (l. γενέσθαι) πρὸ λόγον, καὶ κ [α ]λὰ μέτρα αὐτῷ βαλέτωσαν, ";be careful to have my tunic made properly, and let them put good measure into it"; (Ed.). An unusual compar. form is seen in P Oxy XIV. 1672.6 ff. (A.D. 37–41) αἱ πράσεις ἡμῶν καλλιότεραι γεγ [ό ]νασι λείαν, καὶ ἐλπίζομεν ὅτι καλλιότεραι τούτων γενήσονται, ";our sales have become much more favourable and we hope that they will become more favourable than this"; (Edd.). The word is used more generally in P Petr II. 13(19).6 (B.C. 255–50), where, writing to his father, Philonides expresses the hope καὶ ἐάν τι τῶν κατ᾽ ἀνθρώπινον γίνηται, τυχεῖν σε πάντων τῶν καλῶν, ";and should any mortal chance befall you, that you should receive all attention"; (Ed.), and P Tebt II. 418.7 (iii/A.D.) εὐχόμενός σοι τὰ ἐν βίῳ κάλλιστα ὑπαρχθήσεσθαι, ";praying that you may have life’s greatest blessings"; (Edd.), and P Oxy XIV. 1679.4 (iii/A.D.) πολλά σε ἀσπάζομαι, κυρία, εὐχομένη σοι τὰ κάλλιστα, ";I send you many salutations, my lady, and best wishes"; (Edd.). For time we may cite P Goodsp Cairo 3.20 (iii/B.C.) (as completed in Witkowski.2, p. 48) ἐπιχέου, ὃν τρόπον κἀγὼ ἡμέραν καλὴν ἤγαγον, while the phrase καλῇ ὥρᾳ = ";à la bonne heure"; is found in a Paris papyrus (see P Par p. 422). With this last cf. P Tebt II. 418.14 (iii/A.D.) καλῇ πίστει, ";in good faith."; To the instances of the superlative given above we may add P Oxy II. 237viii. 8 (A.D. 186) a proclamation beginning—παραδείγματι τῷ καλλίστῳ χρώμενος, ";following a most illustrious precedent"; (Edd.), and P Flor II.201.10 (A.D. 259) ἰχθὺν κάλλιστον, ";a sufficient quantity of fish."; MGr πάαινε στὸ καλό, or simply στὸ καλό, ";farewell.";

 

καλα καλά καλὰ καλαί καλάς καλη καλή καλῇ καλην καλήν καλὴν καλης καλής καλῆς καλλίονα κάλλιστα κάλλιστον κάλλιστος καλοι καλοί καλοὶ καλοις καλοίς καλοῖς καλον καλόν καλὸν καλος καλός καλὸς καλου καλού καλοῦ καλους καλούς καλοὺς καλω καλώ καλῷ καλων καλών καλῶν kala kalà kale kalē kalêi kalē̂i kalen kalēn kalḗn kalḕn kales kalês kalēs kalē̂s kalo kalō kaloi kaloì kalôi kalō̂i kalois kaloîs kalon kalón kalòn kalôn kalōn kalō̂n kalos kalós kalòs kalou kaloû kalous kaloùs