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μαλακία

malakía

G3119 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Condition of softness or weakness; in a physical sense, refers to bodily debility, frailty, or feebleness; in extended use may refer to a general state of lack of vigor or resilience, including physical illness or infirmity. Occasionally, the word can carry connotations of moral weakness or effeminacy, depending on context, but in primary usage indicates physical frailty or disease.

Semantic Range

bodily frailty, physical weakness, illness, debility, general disease or sickness, condition of being enervated

Root / Etymology

Derived from the adjective μαλακός ('soft, gentle, weak'). The suffix -ία forms an abstract noun indicating a quality or condition: thus, 'softness' or 'weakness'. Closely related to μαλακότης (softness).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, μαλακία primarily described physical softness or weakness and could extend to general debility or illness. In Hellenistic and medical texts, it commonly referred to bodily ailments characterized by lack of strength, such as paralysis or chronic weakness. In the Septuagint, the term is rare but may reflect a Hebrew term for sickness or feebleness. By the Roman era—including the New Testament period—μαλακία typically refers to illness, especially maladies involving loss of physical strength (e.g., Matt 4:24). Later, it could also be used in a moralizing way for softness of character, but such connotations are secondary and context-dependent; standard English translations often use 'disease' or 'infirmity' but may obscure the nuance of 'weakness, frailty' implicit in the Greek. The connotations of moral weakness or effeminacy appear more sharply in the related word μαλακός when applied to persons, not conditions.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from μαλακός; softness, i.e. enervation (debility):--disease.

Root Family

μαλακία (malakia) — softness, weakness, frailty, debility

Root μαλακ- soft, weak, frail

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3119-01 μαλακίαν malakian N ACC F SG sickness bodily weakness bodily weakness 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3119-01 Matthew 4:23 μαλακίαν malakian N ACC F SG sickness bodily weakness bodily weakness
G3119-01 Matthew 9:35 μαλακίαν malakian N ACC F SG sickness bodily weakness sickness
G3119-01 Matthew 10:1 μαλακίαν malakian N ACC F SG disease bodily weakness weakness
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