μαλακός (malakos)
malakos
soft/effeminate
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective malakos literally means "soft" or "delicate to the touch," serving as the opposite of hard or rough. In the Gospels, Jesus uses this concrete sense when describing fine clothing in Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25, noting that royal attire is soft compared to the rough garments of John the Baptist.
However, the word takes a sharp ethical turn in 1 Corinthians 6:9. Here, it describes men who are sexually passive or effeminate, often interpreted as referring to male prostitutes or those who submit to homosexual acts. The sources suggest this usage carries an obscene or shameful connotation, marking a shift from physical texture to moral character.
This dual meaning highlights how the New Testament repurposes everyday vocabulary for spiritual warning. While "soft" can simply describe luxury, Paul employs it to identify behaviors that exclude individuals from the kingdom of God, contrasting physical delicacy with spiritual hardness.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word malakos carries a dual weight in Scripture, shifting from physical texture to moral character. In the Gospels, Jesus uses it simply to describe fine clothing found in royal courts, contrasting them with the rough garments of John the Baptist. This usage highlights that luxury itself is not inherently sinful; rather, it points to a life removed from hardship.
However, in 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul repurposes this term for ethical warning. Here, malakos describes men who are sexually passive or engage in practices contrary to God’s design. This sharp turn reminds us that physical softness can mirror spiritual compromise when it leads away from holiness. The word challenges us to examine where we seek comfort versus where we stand firm in faith.
Understanding this shift helps us see how language evolves under the Spirit’s guidance. What begins as a description of fabric becomes a call to moral clarity. We are invited to live with integrity, avoiding both the extremes of harshness and the pitfalls of indulgence that distance us from God’s kingdom.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- fine1×
- effeminate1×
- delicate [clothing]1×
- delicate1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μαλακοῖς2×
- μαλακὰ1×
- μαλακοὶ1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 11:8
But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
Jesus uses malakos here to contrast John the Baptist’s asceticism with royal luxury, showing the word originally denoted physical comfort rather than moral failure.
-
Luke 7:25
But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed and live delicately are in kings’ courts.
This parallel account reinforces the concrete sense of 'soft clothing' as a marker of elite status, grounding the term in material reality before its later ethical usage.
-
I Corinthians 6:9
Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,
Paul employs malakos here to identify sexual passivity or effeminacy in a moral context, marking a significant shift from physical description to spiritual warning about behavior excluded from God’s kingdom.