seed
kokkos denotes a grain used in Scripture for sowing, growth, and comparisons of very small faith.
The attested uses primarily name a grain in scenes of sowing, planting, falling into the earth, and subsequent growth or fruitfulness. Two verses use a mustard grain as the comparison point for faith, while retaining the same concrete image.
Senses in use
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A grain in sowing and growth scenes · dominant
In 1 Corinthians 15:37, the accusative singular occurs in the clause about what is sown rather than the body that will be. In John 12:24, the nominative singular is the grain of wheat that falls into the earth, dies, and bears much fruit; Luke 13:19, Mark 4:31, and Matthew 13:31 place the dative singular in mustard-grain comparisons involving sowing and growth.
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A mustard grain as a faith comparison · common
In Luke 17:6 and Matthew 17:20, the accusative singular occurs in clauses comparing faith to a mustard grain. The APB renders each comparison with faith “like a mustard seed,” followed by speech directed to a tree or mountain.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “seed” in the mustard comparisons and in the sowing statement, while John 12:24 renders the clause “grain of wheat.” These renderings show the verse-level presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.