Exploring the Meaning of Kainos in Greek

καινός means “new.” In the passages below it marks what is new in contrast to what is old, whether a material container, a teaching, a covenant, a burial place, or an action done “anew.”

Occurrences

“Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17)

Here “new” qualifies “wine,” and the saying turns on how something new interacts with what is old. The “new wine” is portrayed as unsuitable for “old wine skins,” because the mismatch leads to loss: burst skins, spilled wine, and ruined containers. The alternative pairs “new” with “fresh wine skins,” and the result is preservation. “New” thus frames a practical contrast that produces either damage or keeping.

“He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”” (Matthew 13:52)

“New” appears alongside “old” in the householder’s “treasure.” The disciple-scribe is pictured as someone whose storehouse contains both, and who can “bring out” each as needed. “New” in this image is not isolated; it belongs in a collection where old and new can be presented together from one treasury.

“for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)

In this sentence “new” describes the “covenant,” and it is tied directly to “my blood” being “poured out.” The adjective distinguishes this covenant as new in character and standing, and the verse connects it to a specific effect named in the line itself: it is poured out “for many for the remission of sins.” “New” therefore modifies a solemn, covenantal reality grounded in the action of pouring out.

“But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”” (Matthew 26:29)

Here the word appears adverbially (“anew”) to describe a future drinking of “this fruit of the vine.” The saying sets a boundary (“from now on”) and looks ahead to “that day” in “my Father’s Kingdom,” when the act will be done “anew” in shared company (“with you”). The force of “anew” is temporal and anticipatory: a fresh occurrence of the same action at a later time.

“and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock, and he rolled a great stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” (Matthew 27:60)

“New” modifies “tomb,” a concrete object identified as belonging to the one who provides it (“his own”). The verse adds physical details: it is “cut out in the rock,” sealed with “a great stone” rolled “against the door,” and then the action ends with departure. Calling the tomb “new” sets it apart as unused or distinct in its condition within the burial scene described.

“They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”” (Mark 1:27)

In this reaction scene “new” qualifies “teaching,” and it is spoken as a question: “A new teaching?” The amazement and questioning are fueled by what follows: authority that issues commands to “unclean spirits,” with observable obedience. “New” marks the teaching as something different enough to prompt scrutiny, and the context links its newness to a kind of authoritative power demonstrated in action.

“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.” (Mark 2:21)

Here “new” functions substantivally (“the new”) set against “the old.” The illustration describes a practical problem: attaching what is new to what is old results in tearing—“the new tears away from the old”—and the end state is worse than before (“a worse hole”). “New” thus highlights incompatibility in a joined fabric, where the new piece does not remain integrated with the old garment.

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:22)

As in the earlier wineskin saying, “new” modifies “wine,” and the contrast with “old wineskins” is made explicit. The verse narrates a chain of consequences: the “new wine will burst the skins,” the wine “pours out,” and the skins “will be destroyed.” The closing alternative repeats the proper pairing: “new wine” with “fresh wineskins.” “New” again signals a reality requiring an appropriate container.

“He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:24)

“New” modifies “covenant” in a concise identification tied to “my blood.” The same pouring language appears: it is “poured out for many.” Within this compact statement, “new covenant” is not an abstract label; it is anchored to a concrete act (“poured out”) and a defined scope (“for many”).

“Most certainly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in God’s Kingdom.”” (Mark 14:25)

Again the term appears as “anew,” describing a future drinking in “God’s Kingdom.” The statement contrasts a present cessation (“I will no more drink”) with a future resumption “until that day.” “Anew” emphasizes that the action will happen again under new circumstances, framed by the coming “day” and the Kingdom setting.

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;” (Mark 16:17)

“New” modifies “languages” in a list of accompanying signs. The line is structured with future verbs (“will cast out,” “will speak”), and “new languages” stands as one specific manifestation among others, linked to acting “in my name.” “New” here characterizes the speech as marked by novelty within the sign-list context.

“He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.” (Luke 5:36)

In this parable “new” modifies “garment,” and the contrast with “old garment” is central. The act of taking “a piece from a new garment” and placing it on an old one creates two problems: tearing (“he will tear the new”) and mismatch (“will not match the old”). “New” thus underscores both the value and distinctness of the new garment—damaged by the attempt—and the incongruity that results when new and old are forced into a single patchwork.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, καινός consistently marks what stands on the “new” side of a new/old contrast. Sometimes it is straightforwardly adjectival (“new wine,” “new tomb,” “new teaching,” “new covenant,” “new garment,” “new languages”). In Mark 2:21 and Luke 5:36 it also functions as a noun-like reference (“the new”), where “new” becomes a shorthand for the newer item itself in distinction from “the old.” In Matthew 26:29 and Mark 14:25 it appears in the form “anew,” shifting from describing an object to describing an action performed again in a renewed moment.

The wine-and-cloth images (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:21–22; Luke 5:36) portray “new” as something that cannot simply be appended to what is old without consequence. The language of bursting, spilling, tearing, and mismatch paints “new” as carrying its own requirements: it demands a fitting context (“fresh wine skins”), and it resists being used as a patch on an old framework. In Matthew 13:52, however, “new and old” coexist within one “treasure,” implying not a destructive collision but a wise bringing forth from a well-stocked storehouse.

When the word modifies “covenant” (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24), “new” is joined to the ritual language of “blood” and being “poured out,” with benefits named in Matthew (“for the remission of sins”) and scope emphasized in both (“for many”). The “anew” sayings about the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25) place newness along a timeline: abstaining now, then drinking again “on that day” in the Kingdom. In Mark 1:27 “new teaching” is assessed by its exhibited authority, and in Mark 16:17 “new languages” belongs to a list of signs that “will accompany those who believe,” casting “new” as a descriptor of remarkable, identifiable phenomena.

Imagery

The word’s imagery in these verses moves between ordinary objects and weighty institutions. “New wine,” “fresh wine skins,” and an “old garment” invite tactile pictures of containers, fabric, and loss when mismatched. “New tomb” evokes rock-cut solidity and a sealed doorway. “New covenant” and drinking “anew” locate newness within solemn speech and future expectation, while “new teaching” and “new languages” frame it in the realm of heard words—teaching that astonishes and speech that serves as a sign.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).