What does κακῶς (kakōs) mean in the Bible?
This adverb can describe being physically unwell or acting wrongly, according to the sentence in which it appears. Mark describes people brought to Jesus who were sick, alongside people afflicted by demons.
Greek · G2560
κακῶς
This adverb can describe being physically unwell or acting wrongly, according to the sentence in which it appears. Mark describes people brought to Jesus who were sick, alongside people afflicted by demons.
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.
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κακῶςG2560
Pronunciationkakōs
What does κακῶς (kakōs) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for κακῶς (G2560) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2560?
The BSB source-word alignment has 16 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sick (8), [something] wrong (1), {is} miserably (1), {to a} wretched {end} (1), evil (1).
Where does κακῶς (kakōs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 4:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (7), Mark (4), Luke (2), Acts (1).
What This Word Actually Means
This adverb can describe being physically unwell or acting wrongly, according to the sentence in which it appears. Mark describes people brought to Jesus who were sick, alongside people afflicted by demons. Luke says the centurion's valued servant was sick and near death. John records Jesus asking for testimony about what He said wrongly if His speech was wrong.
James uses the word for asking with wrong motives. The shared vocabulary does not make illness a moral verdict about the sick person. Nor should a particular account involving demons become a diagnosis for every illness. Read the action being modified and the narrative's own distinctions. Physical distress, wrongful speech and selfish asking require different explanations and different responses.
How the Bible Uses It
Mark's sick crowds, Luke's endangered servant and John's examination of alleged wrongful speech show why physical illness and wrongdoing must remain distinct contextual uses.
- Mark.1.32
That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed,
People bring the sick and the demon-afflicted to Jesus; the narrative names both groups rather than declaring every illness to be demonic or morally blameworthy.
- Luke.7.2
There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die.
The centurion's highly valued servant is sick and near death, establishing serious need rather than a moral accusation against the servant.
- John.18.23
Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?”
Jesus asks that any wrong in His speech be identified by testimony, and questions the strike if He spoke correctly.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itsick8×Matthew 8:16, Matthew 9:12, Matthew 14:35, Mark 1:32
[something] wrong1×John 18:23
{is} miserably1×Matthew 15:22
{to a} wretched {end}1×Matthew 21:41
evil1×Acts 23:5
ill1×Mark 1:34
terribly1×Matthew 17:15
were ill1×Matthew 4:24
with wrong motives1×James 4:3
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 4:24κακῶςtowere illAdverbMatthew 8:16κακῶςtosickAdverbMatthew 9:12κακῶςtosickAdverbMatthew 14:35κακῶςtosickAdverbMatthew 15:22κακῶςto{is} miserablyAdverbMatthew 17:15κακῶςtoterriblyAdverbMatthew 21:41κακῶςto{to a} wretched {end}AdverbMark 1:32κακῶςtosickAdverbMark 1:34κακῶςtoillAdverbMark 2:17κακῶςtosickAdverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 4:24
Aligned rows16
Books represented6
Matthew7Mark4Luke2John1Acts1James1
Source forms
κακῶς16xkakōsMatthew 4:24, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 9:12, Matthew 14:35
Parsing patterns
Adverb16xMatthew 4:24, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 9:12, Matthew 14:35
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not accuse a sick person of wrongdoing because illness is described as being unwell.
- Avoid offering a diagnosis or guaranteed healing outcome from a lexical observation.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim illness proves personal wickedness; Luke presents the sick servant as valued rather than morally condemned.
- Do not claim every illness is demonic; Mark separately names the sick and demon-afflicted people brought to Jesus.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Describes both physical illness and moral wrongdoing; in NT, often paired with suffering or sickness conditions.
Strong'sG2560
Lexical occurrences16 versesGreek text appearances16 timesWord forms1 form16 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 5:27-32Source Gloss
badly (physically or morally)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 4:24Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 8:16Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 9:12Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 14:35Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 15:22Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 17:15Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMatthew 21:41Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMark 1:32Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMark 1:34Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMark 2:17Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseMark 6:55Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseLuke 5:31Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseLuke 7:2Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseJohn 18:23Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseActs 23:5Adverb
κακῶς.kakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseJames 4:3Adverb
κακῶςkakwv
badly, evilly
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns1Aligned forms16
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 4:24 · Matt 8:16 · Matt 9:12 · Matt 14:35 · Matt 15:22 · Matt 17:15 · Matt 21:41 · Mark 1:32 · Mark 1:34 · Mark 2:17 · Mark 6:55 · Luke 5:31 · Luke 7:2 · John 18:23 · Acts 23:5 · Jas 4:316×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Physical illness, those in poor health condition needing healing
Physical ailment, servant afflicted with paralysis and suffering
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 16 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
κακῶς is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Luke's description begins with a servant's severe illness and the value his master places on him. That combination matters: the person is vulnerable and valued, not labeled wicked because he is unwell. Mark also identifies sick people and demon-afflicted people within the crowd brought to Jesus, without making the two descriptions interchangeable. John supplies a different use altogether when Jesus asks for testimony about allegedly wrongful speech.
James's wrong asking is assessed by its stated motives, not by a bodily condition. A careful explanation follows those distinctions. It should encourage attention to the actual person and context, while refusing to turn a broad gloss into an accusation. No present-day medical diagnosis, cause of illness or guaranteed healing outcome follows from the adverb itself.
Anchor passage
Luke.7.2
Doctrinal connections
- Mark 1:32-34 distinguishes the sick and demon-afflicted within the people brought to Jesus.
- Luke 7:2-5 portrays a valued servant's grave illness and the centurion's request for help.
- John 18:23 tests an accusation about speech by asking for testimony rather than accepting violence as proof.
- James 4:3 identifies wrong asking through selfish motives stated in the surrounding exhortation.
- Matthew 9:12-13 uses the need for a physician in Jesus' explanation of His merciful calling of sinners.
- Matthew 15:22 describes one daughter's specific distress within the Canaanite mother's narrated appeal.
The attributed Greek comparator distinguishes physical and moral uses of badly or ill. The direct local word table places the wrong-asking occurrence at James 4:3; the actual action and clause govern the explanation.
From Old to New Testament
The distinction between illness and wrongdoing should remain intact when comparing biblical appeals for help or rebukes of unjust speech. Jesus' physician saying has its own explanation about mercy and sinners; it does not license reading every sick person as morally worse or assigning a spiritual cause to a present illness.