Greek · Appointed Time · Meaningful Moment
καιρός
kairos
Often translated as: Time
Not clock time, but the right moment, the appointed moment, time filled with purpose.
Translation range
time · season · opportune moment
Beneath the translation
Greek had two words for time. Chronos is duration, the ticking clock. Kairos is the charged moment — the season ripe for something to happen.
Why this matters
Scripture often does not say a moment was scheduled. It says the moment had come. There is a kind of time you do not watch — you receive.
In context
Mark 1:15
πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρός
"The time is fulfilled."
Translated 'time,' but kairos here is the ripened moment — the season that has finally come.
Ephesians 5:16
ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν
"Making the most of the time."
Often rendered 'time' or 'opportunity' — the sense is an opening to be recognized, not measured.
Reflection
What if some moments are not measured, but recognized?
For contemplation
We live by chronos — the clock that measures. But Scripture keeps interrupting with kairos — the moment that arrives. Some things cannot be scheduled; they can only be recognized when they come.
Questions to sit with
- 01
What kairos moment have you walked through without noticing?
- 02
Where might you be measuring time when you should be listening for it?
- 03
What is being asked of you, right now, that belongs to this moment and no other?
Related words