G3436 — μολυσμός (molysmos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3436
Original: μολυσμός
Transliteration: molysmos
Pronunciation: mol-oos-mos'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: From G3435 μολύνω (molynō, "to soil, defile") — the -μός suffix forms the action/result noun: "the act or result of soiling"
Occurrences: 1 unique verse (1 token) in NT
First Occurrence: 2 Cor 7:1 — "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit"
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire NT

Lexicon Definition¶

Strong's: From G3435; a stain, i.e. (figuratively) immorality — filthiness.

BLB Outline of Biblical Usage: Referenced in Jer 1; 23:15 (LXX) and 2 Cor 7:1.

The word denotes the stain or contamination itself — not the act of defiling (which is the verb molynō G3435) but the resulting filthiness, the residue of defilement that clings to a person.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 53 — Religious Activities
Subdomain: 53.004 — Defile, Unclean, Common
Other words in subdomain: ἀκάθαρτος (G169), ἀλίσγημα (G234), ἀμίαντος (G283), βδέλυγμα (G946), βεβηλόω (G953), κοινός (G2839), κοινόω (G2840), μιαίνω (G3392), μολύνω (G3435)

Louw-Nida Domain Neighbors (53.004 — Defile, Unclean, Common)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G169	ἀκάθαρτος	26	unclean
G234	ἀλίσγημα	1	pollutions
G283	ἀμίαντος	4	undefiled
G946	βδέλυγμα	6	abomination
G953	βεβηλόω	2	profane
G2839	κοινός	7	common, unholy thing
G2840	κοινόω	10	defile, defileth
G3392	μιαίνω	3	defile, be defiled
G3435	μολύνω	3	defiled

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
filthiness	1	100%

Single occurrence, single translation. No KJV variation.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Corinthians	1	0.39

As a hapax legomenon, distribution analysis is limited. The word appears in Paul's second letter to Corinth, within a purity-exhortation passage (2 Cor 6:14–7:1) that urges separation from defilement.

Grammatical Form in Context¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
2 Cor 7:1	μολυσμοῦ	N-GSM (Genitive Singular Masculine)

The genitive form μολυσμοῦ is governed by ἀπό ("from") — "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness." The genitives σαρκός ("of flesh") and πνεύματος ("of spirit") are appositional or objective genitives qualifying μολυσμοῦ, indicating the two domains in which this filthiness operates.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Dual-Domain Moral Contamination¶

2 Cor 7:1 — "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" — molysmos is the contamination-substance that attaches to both σάρξ (sarx, flesh — the bodily/physical domain) and πνεῦμα (pneuma, spirit — the inner/spiritual domain); the singular noun governs both genitives, treating defilement as a unified phenomenon with dual expression

2. LXX Background: Prophetic Pollution¶

The LXX uses μολυσμός in prophetic contexts of corruption and contamination: - Jer 23:15 (LXX) — moral corruption proceeding from the false prophets of Jerusalem - 1 Esdras 8:80 (LXX) — the pollution of the land by the peoples' practices

This LXX background shows molysmos as prophetic vocabulary for the contamination that comes from associating with pagan practices — the same context as 2 Cor 6:14–7:1.

Common Collocations¶

With only 1 NT verse, collocations represent the immediate syntactic environment of 2 Cor 7:1:

Word	Strong's	Relationship	Typical Pattern
καθαρίζω (katharizō)	G2511	Verb governing object	"let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness" — cleansing removes molysmos
σάρξ (sarx)	G4561	Qualifying genitive	"filthiness of the flesh" — bodily domain of defilement
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	Qualifying genitive	"filthiness... of spirit" — inner domain of defilement
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	Quantifier	"from all filthiness" — comprehensive scope
ἁγιωσύνη (hagiōsynē)	G42	Antithetical pair	"perfecting holiness" — the positive goal contrasted with the negative to remove
ἐπαγγελία (epangelia)	G1860	Motivating basis	"having therefore these promises" — promises as motivation for cleansing

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3435 μολύνω (molynō) — verb: to soil, defile (1 Cor 8:7, Rev 3:4, 14:4); the act of soiling; molysmos is the result/substance that molynō produces. See G3435-molyno.md.

Synonyms¶

G3392 μιαίνω (miaino) — sully, taint, contaminate; the Levitical defilement verb; focuses on ritual contamination rendering unfit for sacred participation
G2840 κοινόω (koinoo) — make common, profane; ceremonial category violation (clean vs. common); the food-laws debate word
G4695 σπιλόω (spiloo) — spot, stain; visible blemish imagery (Jas 3:6, Jude 23)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
αἰσχρότης (aischrotēs)	G151	"filthiness" (Eph 5:4)	aischrotēs = obscenity/shamefulness in speech; molysmos = contamination/staining of person
ἀκαθάρτης (akathartēs)	G168	"filthiness" (Rev 17:4)	akathartēs = state of impurity (abstract); molysmos = the contaminating substance/stain itself
ῥυπαρία (rhyparia)	G4507	"filthiness" (Jas 1:21)	rhyparia = moral dirtiness/turpitude (from physical dirt metaphor); molysmos = defilement-residue from contact with impure things
ἀλίσγημα (alisgema)	G234	"pollutions" (Acts 15:20)	alisgema = ceremonial pollution from idol contact; molysmos = broader figurative staining (flesh and spirit)

All four Greek words translated "filthiness" are NT hapax legomena, indicating the NT authors chose distinct contamination vocabulary for distinct contexts rather than using a general-purpose term.

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

No direct Hebrew source mapping found in the PMI-weighted database. However, the LXX employs μολυσμός to render concepts of prophetic pollution (Jer 23:15), suggesting alignment with the Hebrew defilement vocabulary cluster around H2930 טָמֵא (tame) and H2931 טָמֵא (tame, adj.) in their figurative/moral extensions, and H1351 גָּאַל (ga'al, "pollute, stain") which is the primary Hebrew source for the cognate verb μολύνω.