Greek word · G2887

κόσμιος

kosmios

respectable

The root idea is order (kosmos = order, arrangement, and from there ornament or "the ordered world"). κοσμέω: to arrange, put in order, set in array, and so to adorn or decorate. κόσμιος: well-ordered, orderly, decent, respectable, becoming.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κόσμιος, -ον (in cl. -α, -ον),

(κόσμος), [in LXX: Ecclesiastes 12:9 (תָּקַן)* ;]

orderly, decent, modest: 1 Timothy 2:9 (WH, mg., -ίως, which see) 1 Timothy 3:2.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Timothy 2:9

Range of meaning

The root idea is order (kosmos = order, arrangement, and from there ornament or "the ordered world"). κοσμέω: to arrange, put in order, set in array, and so to adorn or decorate. κόσμιος: well-ordered, orderly, decent, respectable, becoming. Applied to people it means well-behaved, disciplined, the opposite of disorderly or extravagant.

Against the English

KJV "modest apparel," ESV/BSB "respectable apparel," WEB "decent clothing," NASB "proper clothing." In older English "modest" (Latin modestus, from modus, "measure") meant moderate or unpretentious, which fits well. Today "modest" clothing usually means clothing that covers the body. Most English versions also lose the wordplay between kosmios and kosmein.

How it drifted

The word "modest" narrowed in modern usage, especially in religious dress-code language, from "moderate, not showy" to "not sexually revealing."

Used elsewhere in the period

κόσμιος was a standard word of praise in Greek moral writing and honorary inscriptions for orderly, respectable citizens and wives. In 1 Timothy 3:2 it is required of the overseer, a man, so it is not a specifically feminine or sexual word. Plutarch (Advice to Bride and Groom 26) quotes the saying that "adornment (kosmos) is what adorns," and says a wife is adorned not by gold, gems or scarlet but by what gives her dignity, good order and modesty (aidōs).

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 2

  1. 1 Timothy 2:9 κοσμίῳ respectable

    Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

    Here: "Well-ordered, becoming." It shares a root with the verb "adorn" later in the verse, a deliberate play on words: true adornment is orderliness. The same word describes the overseer in 3:2.

  2. 1 Timothy 3:2 κόσμιον, respectable,

    An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

    Here: Well-ordered in behaviour, manner and bearing. A dignified life with nothing chaotic or embarrassing in it. It is the same word used of women's 'respectable' dress in 2:9.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.