Antioquia

Greek word · Strong G2540

What does Kairos mean?

Kairos is one of the Greek words for time: not the time that passes on the clock, but the right moment, the opportune occasion. When Jesus begins to preach he says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15) — God's kairos had come.

καιρός

kairós · transliteration

In Strong’s lexicon
an occasion, i.e. set or proper time
In the King James
  • time52
  • times11
  • season10
  • seasons4
Appears in
82 verses

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The meaning of Kairos in the Bible

Greek had another word, chronos (G5550), for time measured in hours and years. Kairos is time charged with meaning: the season of harvest, the hour to act, the moment God chooses. Paul uses it to say that the hour of grace is now: “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

That is why the Bible calls for attention to the times: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16) — literally, buying back the kairos, not letting the opportunity slip away. And it promises that good done is never lost: “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

Where Kairos appears

Mark 1:15

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
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2 Corinthians 6:2

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
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Galatians 6:9

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between kairos and chronos?
Chronos is measured time — minutes, days, years. Kairos is the opportune moment, the right occasion. The New Testament uses both, but kairos is the word used for God's appointed time.
What does God's kairos mean?
It is a way of speaking about the moment God chooses to act — like the coming of Jesus, when “the time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15). The word reminds readers that God rules not only the length of history but its decisive hours.

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