What does καλύπτω (kalýptō) mean in the Bible?
καλύπτω (kalýptō): To cover or conceal, especially sins through forgiveness—veil from sight or knowledge.
Greek · G2572
καλύπτω
To cover up (literally or figuratively)
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.
καλύπτω G2572
Pronunciation kalýptō
What does καλύπτω (kalýptō) mean in the Bible?
καλύπτω (kalýptō): To cover or conceal, especially sins through forgiveness—veil from sight or knowledge.
Full entry for καλύπτω (G2572) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2572?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include veiled (2), [and] covers (1), concealed (1), Cover (1), cover over (1).
Where does καλύπτω (kalýptō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 8:24. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (2), Luke (2), Matthew (2), 1 Peter (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It veiled 2× 2 Corinthians 4:3
[and] covers 1× Luke 8:16
concealed 1× Matthew 10:26
Cover 1× Luke 23:30
cover over 1× James 5:20
covers over 1× 1 Peter 4:8
was engulfed 1× Matthew 8:24
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 8:24 καλύπτεσθαι to was engulfed Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive Matthew 10:26 κεκαλυμμένον to concealed Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular Luke 8:16 καλύπτει to [and] covers Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 23:30 Καλύψατε to Cover Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 2 Corinthians 4:3 κεκαλυμμένον to veiled Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular 2 Corinthians 4:3 κεκαλυμμένον to veiled Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular James 5:20 καλύψει to cover over Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Peter 4:8 καλύπτει to covers over Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 8:24
Aligned rows 8
Books represented 5
Matthew 2 Luke 2 2 Corinthians 2 James 1 1 Peter 1
Source forms
κεκαλυμμένον 3x kekalymmenon Matthew 10:26, 2 Corinthians 4:3
καλύπτει 2x kalyptei Luke 8:16, 1 Peter 4:8
καλύπτεσθαι 1x kalyptesthai Matthew 8:24
Καλύψατε 1x Kalypsate Luke 23:30
καλύψει 1x kalypsei James 5:20
Parsing patterns
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular 3x Matthew 10:26, 2 Corinthians 4:3
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Luke 8:16, 1 Peter 4:8
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x Luke 23:30
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x James 5:20
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive 1x Matthew 8:24
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To cover or conceal, especially sins through forgiveness—veil from sight or knowledge.
Strong's G2572
Lexical occurrences 8 verses Greek text appearances 8 times Word forms 4 forms 8 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 8:16-18 Source Gloss
to cover up (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To cover or conceal, especially sins through forgiveness—veil from sight or knowledge.
in cl., rare in prose, to cover: with accusative of person(s), Luk.23:30; with accusative of thing(s) and dative, Luk.8:16; pass., Mat.8:24; metaphorically, to veil, conceal: pf. ptcp. pass., Mat.10:26, 2Co.4:3; of the forgiveness of sins (cf. Psa.32:5 85:2; DB, ii, 56b): 1Pe.4:8, Jas.5:20; (seel. for καιομένη, WH, mg., Luk.24:32).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 8:24 Verb Present Passive Infinitive
καλύπτεσθαι kaluptesqai
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse Matthew 10:26 Verb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Singular Neuter
κεκαλυμμένον kekalummenon
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse Luke 8:16 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
καλύπτει kaluptei
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse Luke 23:30 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Imperative
Καλύψατε kaluyate
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse 2 Corinthians 4:3 Verb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Singular Neuter
κεκαλυμμένον kekalummenon
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse 2 Corinthians 4:3 Verb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Singular Neuter
κεκαλυμμένον· kekalummenon
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse James 5:20 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
καλύψει kaluyei
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
Read verse 1 Peter 4:8 Verb Third Person Singular Future Active Indicative
καλύψει kaluyei
I veil, hide, conceal, envelop
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 mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 8 Tenses Perfect, Present, Aorist, Future Voices Passive, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 3×
Perfect Passive Matt 10:26 · 2 Cor 4:3 3×
Indicative states a fact or reality 3×
Present Active Luke 8:16 · 1 Pet 4:8 2×
Future Active Jas 5:20 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Present Passive Matt 8:24 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Luke 23:30 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 3 future 1 aorist 1 perfect 1
Voice
active 4 passive 2
Mood
indicative 3 imperative 1 infinitive 1 participle 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 8:24 καλύπτεσθαι present passive infinitive infinitive Matthew 10:26 κεκαλυμμένον perfect passive participle participle Luke 8:16 καλύπτει present active indicative ongoing Luke 23:30 Καλύψατε aorist active imperative imperative James 5:20 καλύψει future active indicative prospective 1 Peter 4:8 καλύπτει present active indicative ongoing
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
literal covering to conceal light under a vessel or bed
figurative concealment, hidden things that will be revealed
love covering multitude of sins, forgiveness and concealment of wrongdoing
covering sins through restoration, forgiveness of spiritual transgressions
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
καλύπτω is built from these roots:
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.
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