G3392 — μιαίνω (miaínō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3392
Original: μιαίνω
Transliteration: miaínō
Pronunciation: me-ah'-ee-no
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Perhaps a primary verb
Occurrences: 4 unique verses (5 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: John 18:28 — "they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Perhaps a primary verb; to sully or taint, i.e. contaminate (ceremonially or morally).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 88.034: Impurity (within Domain 88 — Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior)
Domain 53.004: Defile, Unclean, Common (within Domain 53 — Religious Activities)
Other words in 88.034: ἀκαθαρσία (G167), μίασμα (G3393), μιασμός (G3394), ῥυπαίνω (G4510a), ῥυπαρία (G4507), ῥυπαρός (G4508)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
they should be defiled	1	20%
that are defiled	1	20%
is defiled	1	20%
defile	1	20%
be defiled	1	20%

Every KJV rendering uses "defile/defiled" — no semantic variation in English translation.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Titus	1	2.2
Hebrews	1	0.3
John	1	0.1
Jude	1	—

Spread across 4 books with no concentration. Entirely absent from the Synoptic Gospels, Paul's major epistles, and Revelation. Two of the four occurrences are in the "general epistles" (Hebrews, Jude).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Ceremonial / Ritual Defilement¶

John 18:28 — "they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled (μιανθῶσιν, aor pass subj); but that they might eat the passover" The Jewish leaders avoid entering the Gentile praetorium to preserve Passover purity. Ironic: they guard ceremonial cleanness while condemning the innocent.

2. Moral / Conscience Defilement¶

Titus 1:15 — "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled (μεμιαμμένοις, perf pass ptcp) and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled (μεμίανται, perf pass ind)" Both the state ("them that are defiled") and the ongoing result ("mind and conscience is defiled") use the perfect tense — a settled condition, not a momentary act.

3. Corporate / Community Defilement¶

Hebrews 12:15 — "lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled (μιανθῶσιν, aor pass subj)" One person's apostasy contaminates the whole community. The same form (μιανθῶσιν) as John 18:28, but the defilement is communal and moral rather than ritual.

4. Physical / Fleshly Defilement¶

Jude 1:8 — "Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile (μιαίνουσιν, pres act ind) the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities" The only active-voice occurrence in the NT. These false teachers actively pollute their own bodies — paired with rejection of authority and blasphemy.

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Tense-Voice-Mood	Occurrence
μιανθῶσιν	Aorist Passive Subjunctive 3P	John 18:28, Heb 12:15
μεμιαμμένοις	Perfect Passive Participle DPM	Titus 1:15
μεμίανται	Perfect Passive Indicative 3S	Titus 1:15
μιαίνουσιν	Present Active Indicative 3P	Jude 1:8

4 of 5 tokens are passive — defilement is typically something suffered or received, not actively done. Only Jude's false teachers are the active agents of their own defilement.

Common Collocations¶

With only 4 verses, no statistically significant collocations emerge. Noteworthy co-occurring words by context:

Word	Strong's	Verse	Pattern
πάσχα (pascha)	G3957	John 18:28	Passover purity concern
καθαρός (katharos)	G2513	Titus 1:15	Pure/defiled contrast
ἄπιστος (apistos)	G571	Titus 1:15	Unbelief linked to defilement
νοῦς (nous)	G3563	Titus 1:15	Mind as site of defilement
πικρία (root of bitterness)	—	Heb 12:15	Bitterness as defiling agent
σάρξ (sarx)	G4561	Jude 1:8	Flesh as object of defilement
κυριότης (kyriotes)	G2963	Jude 1:8	Authority rejection + defilement

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3393 μίασμα (miasma) — noun: (moral) foulness, pollution (2 Pet 2:20; 1v NT)
G3394 μιασμός (miasmos) — noun: (moral) contamination, the act of defiling (2 Pet 2:10; 1v NT)
G283 ἀμίαντος (amiantos) — adjective: undefiled, unsoiled (alpha-privative of miaino; Heb 7:26, 13:4; Jas 1:27; 1 Pet 1:4; 4v NT)

Synonyms¶

G3435 μολύνω (molyno) — to stain or soil; overlaps with miaínō in moral contamination language, especially in figurative purity contexts.
G1608 ἐκπορνεύω (ekporneuō) — to give oneself over to fornication; surfaced by search_relationships.py as a neighboring defilement term within impurity contexts.

Antonyms¶

G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizō) — to cleanse or purify; the clearest verbal opposite to miaínō in purity language.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
κοινόω (koinoo)	G2840	"defile" (6x)	Makes common/profane — ceremonial category violation (clean/unclean foods, Gentile contact); dominant in Synoptic Gospels (Matt 15, Mark 7)
μολύνω (molyno)	G3435	"defile" (2x)	To soil/stain — figurative soiling of garments/conscience (Rev 3:4, 14:4; 1 Cor 8:7)
φθείρω (phtheiro)	G5351	"defile" (1x)	To corrupt/destroy — internal decay or ruin (1 Cor 3:17 temple); broader than pollution
σπιλόω (spiloo)	G4695	"defile" (1x)	To stain/spot — visible blemish imagery (Jas 3:6 tongue; Jude 1:23 garment)

Distinguishing miaino: Carries the strongest OT ritual-impurity resonance via LXX usage (86x for H2930 tame). Where koinoo focuses on the profane/common distinction and molyno on visible soiling, miaino evokes the Levitical purity system — contamination that spreads by contact and renders one unfit for the holy.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 88.034 — Impurity)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G167	ἀκαθαρσία	10	uncleanness	Abstract noun — the state of impurity, especially sexual/moral (Rom 1:24, Gal 5:19)
G3393	μίασμα	1	pollutions	Cognate noun — the result/substance of defilement
G3394	μιασμός	1	uncleanness	Cognate noun — the act/process of defiling
G4507	ῥυπαρία	1	filthiness	Physical filth metaphor (Jas 1:21)
G4508	ῥυπαρός	1	vile	Soiled/filthy clothing (Jas 2:2)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
088	Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior	`search_relationships.py` groups miaínō with moral-impurity vocabulary, matching Titus 1:15 and Jude 1:8.
053	Religious Activities	The tool also places miaínō in the ritual-cleanness field, matching John 18:28 and its LXX background in Levitical impurity language.

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Co-occurrence	PMI Score	Notes
טָמֵא (tame)	H2930	86x	31.76	Primary — miaino is the dominant LXX translation of tame (verb: "to be/make unclean"); more frequent than akathartos (53x) for this Hebrew word
צָרַעַת (tsaraath)	H6883	9x	13.70	Leprosy — miaino used for the contaminating effect of skin disease
גִּלּוּל (gillul)	H1544	10x	13.56	Idols — defilement through idol worship
טֻמְאָה (tumah)	H2932	7x	11.81	Religious impurity (noun cognate of tame)
שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts)	H8251	6x	11.11	Abomination/detestable thing — cultic defilement

The LXX data reveals miaino as deeply rooted in the Levitical purity system. It is the primary Greek verb the LXX translators chose for H2930 tame — ahead of akathartos (53x), which is an adjective rather than a verb. This means the NT authors had a word loaded with Levitical connotation available, and each used it deliberately.