καταλαλιά (G2636) — slander, evil speaking, defamation¶
Part of the 1 Peter 2:1 Vice List study
Contents¶
- Overview
- Etymology and Semantic Range
- OT / LXX Background
- NT Distribution
- Theological Note
- NT Occurrences
Overview¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Strong's | G2636 |
| Greek | καταλαλιά |
| Transliteration | katalalia |
| Gloss | slander, evil speaking, defamation |
| 1 Pet 2:1 KJV | "evil speakings" |
| NT occurrences | 2 (2 books) |
| LXX occurrences (canonical) | 0 |
Etymology and Semantic Range¶
From κατά (against, down) + λαλέω (to speak). Literally "speaking against" someone. The compound structure — πρεπόν prefix with directional force — distinguishes this from mere loose talk: καταλαλιά is directed, targeted speech aimed at harming another's reputation or standing.
NT hapax in the noun form: the only two occurrences are 2 Cor 12:20 (where Paul fears finding "strifes, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings (καταλαλιαί), whisperings…" at Corinth) and here. The related verb καταλαλέω, however, appears 4× in 1 Peter alone: 2:12 ("whereas they speak against (καταλαλοῦσιν) you as evildoers"); 3:16 ×2 ("they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ"). This concentration makes the καταλαλ- word-group a distinctive pastoral concern of the letter.
OT / LXX Background¶
No canonical LXX occurrences; one deuterocanonical occurrence. No single Hebrew equivalent. The OT addresses malicious speech through terms like רָכִיל (H7400, talebearer/slanderer, 6×) and דִּבָּה (H1681, evil report/defamation, 9×). The ninth commandment's prohibition of "false witness" (עֵד שֶׁקֶר, Exo 20:16) covers the legal dimension; the Psalms address the social reality (Ps 15:3, "He that backbiteth not with his tongue").
NT Distribution¶
Theological Note¶
Though the rarest term in the list, καταλαλιά frames the entire letter's concern with the community's witness before outsiders. The irony Peter develops is pointed: the pagans speak against (καταλαλοῦσιν) the believers (2:12; 3:16), yet the believers are commanded to stop doing the same thing to one another (2:1). The community that lays aside καταλαλιά internally becomes the community that can endure καταλαλιά externally. The Ps 34 quotation at 3:10 — "let him refrain his lips from evil, and his tongue from speaking guile (δόλον)" — ties the speech-ethics of 2:1 (δόλος + καταλαλιά) to the letter's broader call to Christlike endurance.
NT Occurrences¶
| Reference | Greek form | KJV text |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Peter 2:1 | καταλαλιάς, | Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, |
| 2 Cor 12:20 | καταλαλιαί, | For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would… |