The Greek word hagnos

Found only eight times in the New Testament (2 Cor. 7:11; 11:2; Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 5:22; Tit. 2:5; Jas. 3:17; 1 Pet. 3:2; 1 Jn. 3:3), the Greek adjective hagnos describes “purity” or “holiness.”  In 2 Cor. 11:2 Paul said he wanted to present the Corinthians as a “pure” virgin to Christ.  In some translations such as the ASV and KJV this word is translated “chaste” in places such as 1 Pet. 3:2.  In Jas. 3:17 this word appears before several important qualities:  “peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.”

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