1942. epikalumma

Lexical Summary

epikalumma: Covering, veil

Original Word: ἐπικάλυμμα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: epikalumma
Pronunciation: eh-pee-KAL-oom-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-kal'-oo-mah)
KJV: cloke
NASB: covering
Word Origin: [from G1943 (ἐπικαλύπτω - covered)]

1. a covering
2. (figuratively) pretext

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

cloak.

From epikalupto; a covering, i.e. (figuratively) pretext -- cloke.

see GREEK epikalupto

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from epikaluptó
Definition
a cover, veil
NASB Translation
covering (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1942: ἐπικάλυμμα

ἐπικάλυμμα, ἐπικαλυμτος, τό (ἐπικαλύπτω), a covering, veil; properly, in the Sept.: Exodus 26:14; Exodus 36:19 Complutensian (cf. 39:21 Tdf.); metaphorically, equivalent to a pretext, cloak: τῆς κακίας, 1 Peter 2:16 (πλοῦτος δέ πολλῶν ἐπικαλυμμ' ἐστι κακῶν, Menander quoted in Stobaeus, flor. 91, 19 (iii. 191, Gaisf. edition); quaerentes libidinibus suis patrocinium et velamentum, Seneca, vita beata 12).

Topical Lexicon

Term and Idea

ἐπικάλυμμα (epikálymma) denotes a covering, cloak, or pretext. In the New Testament it appears only in 1 Peter 2:16, where Peter warns against treating Christian freedom as a “cover-up” for wrongdoing. The image is of something laid over an underlying reality so that the true nature of a deed or motive is concealed.

Biblical Usage

1 Peter 2:16 situates the word in the midst of Peter’s exhortations to scattered believers living under social and governmental scrutiny. “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God”. The verse intertwines three themes:

1. Genuine liberty purchased by Christ.
2. The temptation to misuse that liberty.
3. The higher calling to servanthood under God’s authority.

Though ἐπικάλυμμα itself is unique to this verse, the idea of hiding sin beneath a façade recurs throughout Scripture:
• Galatians 5:13 warns, “You, brothers, were called to freedom, but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.”
• Jude 4 condemns those who “turn the grace of our God into licentiousness.”
• Romans 6:1-2 rejects the notion that grace should encourage continued sin.
• Psalm 32:5 celebrates the blessing of sin no longer “covered” but confessed and forgiven.

Historical Background

In secular Koine Greek, epikálymma described a literal cover or veil and, figuratively, any excuse or stratagem concealing true intent. Classical authors used it for ornamental coverings on vessels, disguises in warfare, or legal pretexts advanced in court. Peter’s audience—Jewish and Gentile believers dispersed across Asia Minor—would have known the civil and religious freedoms unique to the Christian message, yet also understood how easily “freedom” could be manipulated as a loophole in both pagan and Jewish settings.

Theological Significance

1. Freedom under Authority. 1 Peter 2 balances liberty with submission (to emperors, governors, masters, and ultimately God). True Christian freedom is not autonomy but emancipation from sin’s dominion so that one may willingly serve righteousness.
2. Integrity of Witness. For persecuted believers, credibility before a watching world depended on transparent conduct. A concealed moral compromise would invite slander and contradict the gospel.
3. Grace versus License. The verse encapsulates the perennial tension between salvation by grace and the call to holiness. Grace that becomes a “cloak” for evil misrepresents the character of God who is both merciful and holy.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Discipleship: Teach new believers that liberty in Christ entails responsibility; freedom is not self-rule but Spirit-led service.
• Leadership Accountability: Elders and ministry workers must avoid using positional authority or doctrinal nuance as a smokescreen for personal sin. Transparent oversight models the opposite of ἐπικάλυμμα.
• Counseling and Confession: Encouraging honest disclosure of hidden sin aligns with Psalm 32:5 and prevents hypocrisy from taking root.
• Public Engagement: When defending religious liberty, Christians must demonstrate that such liberty fosters virtue, not license, thereby silencing accusations (1 Peter 2:15).

Related Biblical Themes and References

Hypocrisy – Matthew 23:27; Luke 12:1

Transparency and Truth – 2 Corinthians 4:2; Ephesians 4:25

Servanthood – Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 9:19

Holiness – 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14

Grace and Responsibility – Titus 2:11-12

Conclusion

ἐπικάλυμμα stands as a pointed reminder: the gospel grants authentic freedom, yet any attempt to drape that freedom over willful evil betrays the very grace that saves. The believer’s life is to be an open proclamation of God’s righteousness, not a veiled pretext for sin.

Forms and Transliterations

επικαλυμμα επικάλυμμα ἐπικάλυμμα επικαλύμματα επικαλύμματος epikalumma epikalymma epikálymma

Englishman's Concordance

1 Peter 2:16 N-ANS
GRK: μὴ ὡς ἐπικάλυμμα ἔχοντες τῆς
NAS: your freedom as a covering for evil,
KJV: for a cloke of maliciousness,
INT: not as a covering having of the

Strong's Greek 1942
1 Occurrence

ἐπικάλυμμα — 1 Occ.