G2908 κρεῖσσον (kreîsson)

ἀγαθός, -7, -όν, (akin to ἄγαμαι to wonder at, think highly of, ἀγαστός admirable, as explained by Plato, Crat. p. 412 ο. [al. al.; ef. Donaldson, New Crat. § 8287), in general denotes “ perfectus, . . . qui habet in se ac facit omnia quae habere et facere debet pro notione nominis, oflicio ac lege” (Irmisch ad Hdian. 1, 4, p. 134), excelling in any respect, distinguished, good. It can be predicated of persons, things, conditions, qualities and affections of the soul, deeds, times and seasons. To this general signif. can be traced back all those senses which the word gathers fr. the connection in which it stands; 1. of a good constitution or nature: γῆ, Lk. viii. 8; δένδρον, Mt. vii. 18, in sense equiv. to ‘fertile soil,’ ‘a fruitful tree,’ (Xen. oec. 16, 7 γῆ ἀγαθή, . . . γῆ κακή, an. 2, 4, 22 χώρας πολλῆς kK. ἀγαθῆς οὔσης). In Lk. viii. 15 ἀγαθὴ καρδία corresponds to the fig. expression “good ground”, and denotes a soul inclined to goodness, and accordingly eager to learn saving truth and ready to bear the fruits (καρποὺς ἀγαθούς, Jas. iii. 17) of a Christian life. 2. useful, salutary: δόσις ἀγαθή (joined to δώρημα τέλειον) a gift which is truly a gift, salutary, Jas. i. 17; δόματα ἀγαθά, Mt. vii. 115 ἐντολὴ ay. a commandment profitable to those who keep it, Ro. vii. 12, ace. to a Grk. scholium equiv. to εἰς τὸ συμφέρον εἰσηγουμένη, hence the question in vs. 13: τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ γέγονε θάνατος; ay. μερίς the ‘good part,’ which insures salvation to him who chooses it, Lk. x. 425 ἔργον ay. (differently in Ro. ii. 7, ete.) the saving work of God, i. e. substantially, the Christian life, due to divine efficiency, Phil. i. 6 [ef. the Comm. ad loc.]; εἰς ἀγαθόν for good, to advantage, Ro. viii. 28 (Sir. vii. 13; πάντα τοῖς εὐσεβέσι εἰς ἀγαθά, ... τοῖς duapτωλοῖς εἰς κακά, Sir. XXXix. 27; τὸ κακὸν . «. « γίγνεται εἰς ἀγαθόν, Theognis 162); good for, suited to something : πρὸς οἰκοδομήν, Eph. iv. 29 [ef. W. 363 (340)] (Xen. mem.4,6,10). 3. of the feeling awakened by what is good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy: ἡμέραι ay. 1 Pet. iii. 10 (Ps. xxxiii. (xxxiv.) 13; Sir. xiv. 14; 1 Mace. x. 55); ἐλπίς, 2 Th. ii. 16 (μακαρία ἐλπίς, ΤΙΣ. ii. 13) ; συνείδησις, a peaceful conscience, i. q. consciousness of rectitude, Acts xxiii. 1; 1 Tim. i. 5,19; 1 Pet. iii. 15; reconciled to God, vs. 21. 4. excellent, distinguished : so τὶ ἀγαθόν, Jn. i. 46 (47). 5. upright, honorable : Mt. xii. 34; xix.16; Lk. vi. 45; Acts xi. 24; 1 Pet. iii. 11, etc.; πονηροὶ x. ἀγαθοί, Mt. ν. 45; xxii. 10; dyad. καὶ δίκαιος, Lk. xxiii. 50; καρδία ἀγαθὴ x. καλή, Lk. viii. 15 (see καλός, b.); fulfilling the duty or service demanded, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ x. moré, Mt. xxv. 21, 23; upright, free from guile, particularly from a desire to corrupt the people, Jn. vii. 12; pre-eminently of God, as consummately and essentially good, Mt. xix. 17 (Mk. x. 18; Lk. xviii. 19) ; dy. θησαυρός in Mt. xii. 35; Lk. vi. 45 denotes the soul considered as the repository of pure thoughts which are brought forth in speech; πίστις dy. the fidelity due from a servant to his master, Tit. ii. 10 (WH mrg. om.]; on dyad. ἔργον, ay. ἔργα, see ἔργον. In a narrower sense, benevolent, kind, generous: Mt. xx. 15; 1 Pet. ii. 18; μνεία, 1 Th. iii. 6 (cf. 2 Mace. vii. 20) ; beneficent (Xen. Cyr. 3, 3, 4; 210, Jer. xxxiii. 11; Ps. xxxiv. 9; Cic. nat. deor. 2, 25, 64 “optimus i. e. beneficentissimus”), Ro. v. 7, where the meaning is, Hardly for an innocent man does one encounter death; for if he even dares hazard his life for another, he does so for a benefactor (one from whom he has received favors); cf. W. 117 (111); [Gifford in the Speaker’s Com. p. 123]. The neuter used substantively denotes 1. a good thing, convenience, advantage, and in partic. a. in the plur., external goods, riches: Lk. i. 53; xii. 18 sq. (Sir. xiv. 4; Sap. vii. 11); τὰ ἀγαθά σου comforts and delights which thy wealth procured for thee in abundance, Lk. xvi. 25 (opp. to κακά, as in Sir. xi. 14); outward and inward good things, Gal. vi. 6, cf. Wieseler ad loc. b. the benefits of the Messianic kingdom: Ro. x. 15; τὰ μέλλοντα dy. Heb. ix. 11; x. 1. 2. what is upright, honorable, and acceptable to God: Ro. xii. 25 ἐργάζεσθαι τὸ dy. Ro. ii. 10; Eph. iv. 28; πράσσειν, Ro. ix. 11; [2 Co. v.10]; διώκειν, 1 Th. v. 15; μιμεῖσθαι, 3 In. 11; κολλᾶσθαι τῷ ay. Ro. xii. 9; τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, Mt. xix. 17 G L T Tr WH, where the word expresses the general idea of right. Spec., what is salutary, suited to the course of human affairs: in the phrase διάκονος εἰς τὸ dy. Ro. xiii, 4; of rendering service, Gal. vi. 10; Ro. xii. 21; τὸ dy. cov the favor thou conferrest, Philem. 14. [“ It is to be regarded as a peculiarity in the usage of the Sept. that 210 good is predominantly [1] rendered by καλός. ... The translator of Gen. uses ἀγαθός only in the neut., good, goods, and this has been to a degree the model for the other translators. ... In the Greek Ὁ. T., where οἱ δίκαιοι is the technical designation of the pious, of ἀγαθοί or 6 ἀγαθός does not occur in so general a sense. The ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός is peculiar only to the Prov. (xiii. 22, 24; xv. 3); cf. besides the solitary instance in 1 Kings ii.32. Thus even in the usage of the O. T. we are reminded of Christ’s words, Mk. x. 18, ovtels ἀγαθὺς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός. In the O. T. the term ‘righteous’ makes reference rather to a covenant and to one’s relation to a positive standard ; ἀγαθός would express the absolute idea of moral goodness” (Zezschwitz, Profangraec. u. bibl. Sprachgeist, Leipz. 1859, p. 60). Cf. Tittm. p. 19. On the comparison of ἀγαθός see B. 27 (24).] :

κρείττων kreittōn 19x

can also be spelled κρείσσων, better, more useful or profitable, more conducive to good, 1 Cor. 7:8, 38; superior, more excellent, of a higher nature, more valuable, Heb. 1:4; 6:9; 7:7, 19, 22

κρείσσων

(Epic and old Att.) and κρείττων (later Att.), prop. comparat. of κρατύς, strong, but in sense often (as in cl., v. LS, s.v.) as comparat. of ἀγαθός, [in LXX chiefly for טוֹב;]

better; as to advantage or usefulness: I Co 11:17, He 11:40 12:24; πολλῷ μᾶλλον κ., Phl 1:23; κρεῖσσον ποιεῖν, I Co 7:38; ἐστιν, seq. inf., I Co 7:9, II Pe 2:21;

as to excellence: He 1:4 6:9 7:7, 19, 22 8:6 9:23 10:34 11:16, 35; κ. ἐστι, seq. inf., I Pe 3:17.†

ἀγαθός. The comparative βελτίων (in the LXX about 20 times for the commoner κρείσσων) occurs in the fragmentary P Petr III. 42 H (8) 15 (middle of iii/B.c.) (= Witkowski Epp.*, p. 16). In a votive inscription discovered at Cos (Paton and Hicks, 92), Nero is described as ἀγαθὸς θεός (cf. Deissmann ZAZ, p. 349). For ἀγαθὸς δαίμων, see 57 in the same collection (=C/G 2510)—Tiyxq ᾿Αγαθᾷ καὶ ᾿Αγαθῷ Δαίμονι καὶ τῶ(ι) δάμω(ι), etc., etc. Une other phrase is worth quoting: P Oxy II. 29814 (i/A.p.) ἐὰν ἐπ᾽ ἀγαθῷ mapayévy, ‘if you arrive happily,” 7. III. 531° (ii/A.D.) ἕως ἐπ’ ἀγαθῷ πρὸς σὲ παραγένομαι, BGU III. 83519:: (beginning of 111Α.}.) εἰς τὴν ἐπ᾽ [ἀ]γαθοῖς γεναμένης κατασποράν, P Flor I. 2110 (a.p. 239) α΄. The neuter pl., as in Lk 1219, may be illustrated by P Ryl I. 2818? (iv/a.p.) ποὺς δεξιὸς ἐὰν ἅλληται, δεσπότης ἔσται πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κτημάτων, ‘if the right foot quiver, the man will be master of many blessings and possessions” (Ed.). Part I.

κρείσσων (kreissōn) — greater. κρείσσων, ον, genitive ονος, as always in Epic dialect and old Attic dialect; later Attic dialect κρείττων; Ionic dialect κρέσσων [Refs 5th c.BC+] κάρρων (which see); Cretan dialect κάρτων [Refs] — _comparative_ of κρατύς (see. κράτιστος), stronger, mightier, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; especially in battle, [Refs 6th c.BC+]: hence, having the upper hand, superior, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: as Law-term, of witnesses, [Refs] [prev. cited]

2. frequently as comparative of ἀγαθός, better, κρέσσονες one's betters, especially in point of rank, [Refs 5th c.BC+], of the greater gods, as opposed to to Oceanus, [Refs 4th c.BC+] (anapaest meter); οἱ κ. the Higher Powers, [Refs 5th c.BC+] the Almighty, Providence, [Refs 4th c.AD+] one's advantages, [Refs 5th c.BC+].

3. with infinitive, οὔ τις ἐμεῖο κρείσσων.. δόμεναι no one has a better right to.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κρεῖσσόν ἐστι with infinitive, 'tis better to.., [Refs 5th c.BC+] with participle, κ. γὰρ ἦσθα μηκέτ᾽ ὢν ἢ ζῶν τυφλός thou wert better not alive, than living blind, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. with genitive or ἤ, too great for, surpassing, beyond, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of evil deeds, κρείσσον᾽ ἀγχόνης too bad for hanging, [Refs 5th c.BC+] too bad to look on, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; λέγετι σιγῆς κρεῖσσον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. ἢ λόγοισιν (i.e. εἰπεῖν) [Refs]; πρᾶγμα ἐλπίδος κ. γεγενημένον worse than one expected, [Refs 6th c.BC+].

III. having control over, master of, especially of desires and passions, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; γαστρὸς καὶ κερδέων [Refs] over themselves, [Refs 5th c.BC+] superior to the influence of money, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; also, putting oneself above, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κρείσσους ὄντες.. τῷ λογισμῷ ἐς τὸ ἀνέλπιστον τοῦ βεβαίου having reasoned themselves into an absolute belief of the hopelessness of certainty, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

IV. better, more excellent, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; ὁ κρείττων λόγος (opposed to ὁ ἥσσων) [Refs 5th c.BC+] in a higher sense, opposed to κατὰ τὸ χεῖρον, [Refs 5th c.AD+]

V. adverb [Refs 5th c.BC+] probably took ει from ὀλείζων.)