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Greek

Time/right time

καιρόςStrong’s G2540

kairos

Appears in 80 verses of the New Testament

In short

Kairos is the Greek word usually translated “time”, “season” and “times”. It appears in 80 verses of the New Testament.

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.”
2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “time”, “season” and “times”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • time 42
  • season 10
  • times 7
  • seasons 6
  • a time 5
  • occasion 2
  • the time 2
  • opportunity 2

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Luke 12
  • Matthew 10
  • Acts 8
  • Romans 6
  • Mark 5
  • Revelation 5

19 books in all.

Explore in Scripture
All 80 verses, by book
John 3
5:47:67:8
1 Corinthians 3
4:57:57:29
2 Corinthians 2
6:28:14
Galatians 3
4:106:96:10
Ephesians 4
1:102:125:166:18
Colossians 1
4:5
1 Thessalonians 2
2:175:1
2 Thessalonians 1
2:6
1 Timothy 3
2:64:16:15
2 Timothy 3
3:14:34:6
Titus 1
1:3
Greek dictionary

καιρός kairos · time/right time

καιρός, -οῦ, ὁ [in LXX chiefly for עֵת, also for מוֹעֵד, etc. ;] 1. due measure, fitness, proportion (Eur., Xen., al.). 2. Of Time (cl. also) in the sense of a fixed and definite period, time, season (Kennedy, Sources, 153): Mat.11:25, Mrk.1:15, Luk.21:8, Rom.13:11, Eph.6:18, Heb.11:15, 1Pe.1:5 1:11 Rev.1:3, al.; with genitive, πειρασμοῦ Luk.8:13; τ. καρπῶν, Mat.21:34; σύκων, Mrk.11:13; pl., Mat.21:41; χρόνοι ἢ (καὶ) κ., Act.1:7, 1Th.5:1; ἐθνῶν, Luk.21:24; of opportune or seasonable time, Act.24:25, Gal.6:10, Eph.5:16, Col.4:5; with inf., Heb.11:15; ὁ κ. οὗτος, Mrk.10:30, Luk.18:30; ὁ νῦν κ …

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “time” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

TIME, noun

[Latin tempus; tempora, the falls of the head, also tempest, etc. See Tempest. time is primarily equivalent to season; to the Gr.wpa in its original sense, opportunity, occasion, a fall, an event, that which comes.]

  1. A particular portion or part of duration, whether past, present or future.“God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets” Hebrews 1:1
  2. A proper time; a season.“There is a time to every purpose” Ecclesiastes 3:1“The time of figs was not yet” Mark 11:13
  3. Duration.
  4. A space or measured portion of duration.
All definitions and other forms of “time”
  1. Life or duration, in reference to occupation.
  2. Age; a part of duration distinct from other parts; as ancient times; modern times.
  3. Hour of travail.
  4. Repetition; repeated performance, or mention with reference to repetition.
  5. Repetition; doubling; addition of a number to itself; as, to double cloth four times; four times four amount to sixteen.
  6. Measure of sounds in music; as common time and treble time In concerts, it is all important, that the performers keep time or exact time
  7. The state of things at a particular period; as when we say, good times, or bad times, hard times, dull times for trade, etc.
  8. In grammar, tense.
  9. A considerable space of duration; process or continuation of duration.“The spirit began to move him at times” Judges 13:25
  10. To go too slow; as, a watch or clock loses time

TIME, verb transitive

To adapt to the time or occasion; to bring, begin or perform at the proper season or time; as, the measure is well timed, or ill timed. No small part of political wisdom consists in knowing how to time propositions and measures.

  1. To regulate as to time; as, he timed the stroke.
  2. To measure; as in music or harmony.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.