What does κακός · ἐργάτης mean in the Bible?
κακός · ἐργάτης is a Greek phrase meaning "evil workers, harmful laborers".
Greek · G2556, G2040
κακοὺς ἐργάτας
Evil/harm: evil · a toiler; figuratively, a teacher
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
κακός G2556 evil/harm: evil
Pronunciation kakós
Moral badness or harmfulness; encompasses both wickedness in persons and destructive consequences of actions.
Open lexicon entry →
ἐργάτης G2040 a toiler; figuratively, a teacher
Pronunciation ergátēs
One who labors physically or spiritually; applied to Christian teachers as active workers in God's field.
Open lexicon entry →
What does κακοὺς ἐργάτας (kakous ergatas) mean in the Bible?
κακός · ἐργάτης is a Greek phrase meaning "evil workers, harmful laborers".
Full entry for κακοὺς ἐργάτας (G2556, G2040) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G2556, G2040?
G2556, G2040 is connected to 50 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. evil workers, harmful laborers
Source Gloss
evil workers, harmful laborers
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 10 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 10 Aligned forms 50 Case pattern Accusative (26) Number pattern Singular (34)
Nominative · Singular · Neuter Rom 7:21 · Jas 3:8 · Rev 16:2 3×
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 24:48 1×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Mark 7:21 1×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine 1 Cor 15:33 1×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter Titus 1:12 1×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter John 18:23 · Rom 12:17 · Rom 12:21 · 1 Thess 5:15 · Heb 5:14 · 1 Pet 3:9 · 1 Pet 3:10 · 1 Pet 3:11 8×
Genitive · Plural · Neuter Rom 1:30 · 1 Cor 10:6 · 1 Tim 6:10 · Jas 1:13 4×
Dative · Singular · Neuter Rom 13:3 1×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Matt 27:23 · Mark 15:14 · Luke 23:22 · John 18:30 · Acts 16:28 · Acts 23:9 · Acts 28:5 · Rom 2:9 · Rom 7:19 · Rom 12:17 · Rom 12:21 · Rom 13:4 · Rom 13:10 · Rom 14:20 · Rom 16:19 · 1 Cor 13:5 21×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter Luke 16:25 · Acts 9:13 · Rom 3:8 · 2 Tim 4:14 · 1 Pet 3:12 5×
Word Origins
κακοὺς ἐργάτας is a primary word - no further derivation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain