3120. malakos
Lexical Summary
malakos: Soft, effeminate

Original Word: μαλακός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: malakos
Pronunciation: mah-lah-KOS
Phonetic Spelling: (mal-ak-os')
KJV: effeminate, soft
NASB: soft, effeminate
Word Origin: [of uncertain affinity]

1. soft, i.e. fine (clothing)
2. (figuratively) a catamite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
effeminate, soft.

Of uncertain affinity; soft, i.e. Fine (clothing); figuratively, a catamite -- effeminate, soft.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
soft, effeminate
NASB Translation
effeminate (1), soft (3).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3120: μαλακός

μαλακός, μαλακή, μαλακον, soft; soft to the touch: ἱμάτια, Matthew 11:8 R G L brackets; Luke 7:25 (ἱματίων πολυτελῶν καί μαλακων, Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 1, 78; ἐσθής, Homer, Odyssey 23, 290; Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 2, 3; χιτών, Homer, Iliad 2, 42); and simply τά μαλακά, soft raiment (see λευκός, 1): Matthew 11:8 T Tr WH. Like the Latinmollis, metaphorically, and in a bad sense: effeminate, of a catamite, a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness, 1 Corinthians 6:9 (Dionysius Halicarnassus, Antiquities 7, 2 under the end; ((Diogenes Laërtius 7, 173 at the end)).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 3120, μαλακός (malakos), moves from a literal description of something “soft” to a figurative indictment of moral softness or effeminacy. Its four New Testament occurrences form two distinct but complementary strands: (1) the outward softness of luxury garments worn in royal courts (Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25) and (2) the inward softness that surrenders masculine integrity and participates in sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Literal sense: soft or fine clothing

Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25 quote Jesus contrasting John the Baptist’s rugged austerity with palace courtiers:
Matthew 11:8 – “What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.”
Luke 7:25 – “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Indeed, those who wear fine clothes and live in luxury are in palaces.”

John’s camel-hair garment (Matthew 3:4) symbolized prophetic fortitude. By juxtaposing malakos apparel with a prophet’s rough attire, the Lord exposed a broader spiritual contrast: comfort versus conviction, the court’s approval versus the desert’s call to repentance. The word thus becomes a shorthand for complacency fostered by luxury.

Metaphorical sense: moral softness and effeminacy

In 1 Corinthians 6:9 malakos is lifted from closet to conscience:

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts.”

Here malakoi (“men who submit”) appears alongside ἀρσενοκοῖται (“men who… perform”) to bracket both passive and active participants in male-to-male intercourse. Paul labels such practice a kingdom-excluding sin, placing it in the same list with idolatry, adultery, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

Cultural background

In Greco-Roman society the passive partner in homosexual acts was socially scorned for perceived effeminacy. Jewish moral law (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) rejected all homosexual behavior. Paul, a Jew steeped in Scripture and writing to a sexually permissive Corinthian culture, draws on both backgrounds. His use of malakoi reaches beyond mere social stigma; it confronts any deliberate feminization of men that violates God’s creational design.

Theological significance

1. Creation order upheld. Malakos behavior contradicts the male-female complementarity instituted in Genesis 1–2 and affirmed by Jesus (Matthew 19:4–6).
2. Holiness demanded. Paul places malakoi in a vice list that excludes from the kingdom, showing the seriousness of sexual ethics for believers.
3. Transformation promised. The verse immediately following offers hope: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…” (1 Corinthians 6:11). The gospel does not merely condemn; it cleanses and re-creates.
4. Discipleship contrasted with luxury. Jesus’ sayings in Matthew and Luke warn against the spiritual lethargy bred by comfort, urging disciples toward sacrificial living.

Early church reception

Patristic writers such as Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom echoed Paul, interpreting malakos as effeminacy rooted in moral weakness. They urged Christian men to reject cosmetic vanities, luxurious dress, and sexual practices that blurred gender distinctions.

Pastoral implications

• Call to repentance. Those entangled in malakos behavior are offered the same cleansing promised in 1 Corinthians 6:11.
• Compassionate counsel. Restoration involves identity in Christ, disciplined obedience, and support from the body of believers.
• Guarding against complacency. Even lawful comforts can sap spiritual vigor; believers must resist becoming “soft” in devotion.
• Upholding biblical masculinity and femininity. Churches should celebrate God-given distinctions while mentoring believers toward holiness.

Contemporary relevance

Modern culture often celebrates both opulent self-indulgence and gender fluidity. Malakos warns that softness of character—whether birthed by luxury or moral compromise—erodes readiness for the kingdom of God. The term invites renewed courage, purity, and resilience in Christian witness today.

Forms and Transliterations
εμαλάκυνε μαλακα μαλακά μαλακὰ μαλακή μαλακοι μαλακοί μαλακοὶ μαλακοις μαλακοίς μαλακοῖς μαλακώς malaka malakà malakoi malakoì malakois malakoîs
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 11:8 Adj-DNP
GRK: ἄνθρωπον ἐν μαλακοῖς ἠμφιεσμένον ἰδοὺ
NAS: dressed in soft [clothing]? Those
KJV: clothed in soft raiment? behold,
INT: a man in fine [clothes] having been dressed Behold

Matthew 11:8 Adj-ANP
GRK: οἱ τὰ μαλακὰ φοροῦντες ἐν
NAS: who wear soft [clothing] are in kings'
KJV: they that wear soft [clothing] are
INT: those who the fine [clothes] wear in

Luke 7:25 Adj-DNP
GRK: ἄνθρωπον ἐν μαλακοῖς ἱματίοις ἠμφιεσμένον
NAS: A man dressed in soft clothing? Those
KJV: clothed in soft raiment? Behold,
INT: a man in fine clothing arrayed

1 Corinthians 6:9 Adj-NMP
GRK: μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται
NAS: nor effeminate, nor
KJV: nor effeminate, nor
INT: adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals

Strong's Greek 3120
4 Occurrences


μαλακὰ — 1 Occ.
μαλακοὶ — 1 Occ.
μαλακοῖς — 2 Occ.

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