Greek Word of the Week

Kalos and agathos-these two words are translated as good but they mean different things in terms of "good". Kalos is an adjective which means the best not just "good". Kalos speaks of the quality or in God's case the inherent "goodness" of His character. It is also imparted to us through Christ and the best God wants for us. James 4:17 says that the one knowing what the (kalos) good is and doesn't do it it is sin to him. In contrast agathos means to be beneficially good or profitable. In Romans 12:2 Paul uses agathos, "proving that the will of God is (agathos) good, well-pleasing and perfect." Here Paul is characterizing God's well as beneficial and profitable. In Romans 2:7 agathos describes the works of those who have obtained eternal life through Christ. Out of kalos, agathos externally is seen. In the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Old Testament, in Genesis 1 "it was good" is kalos showing again that our English word doesn't describe adequately how God viewed what He had created. In Romans 9:11 we see that before the twins Jacob and Esau were born and before they did (agathos) good or bad God's purpose would stand in terms of Jacob obtaining the birthright of Isaac. Agathos will characteristically describe actions while Kalos will describe the character of the individual. For this reason both are often confused. Check when you come across "good" and see which word it actually is in the Greek.