G862 — ἄφθαρτος (aphthartos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G862
Original: ἄφθαρτος
Transliteration: aphthartos
Pronunciation: af'-thar-tos
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: Alpha privative (ἀ-) + φθείρω (phtheiro, G5351) — to corrupt, destroy, decay
Occurrences: 7 unique verses (7 tokens) across 4 books
First Occurrence: Rom 1:23 — "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἀ- (alpha privative) and a derivative of φθείρω (G5351); undecaying, imperishable — not subject to corruption, decay, or dissolution.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 23 — Physiological Processes and States
Subdomain: 23.7 — Live, Die
Glosses: imperishable, immortal
Other words in subdomain: ζωή (zoe, G2222), ζάω (zao, G2198), θάνατος (thanatos, G2288), θνητός (thnetos, G2349), ζῳοποιέω (zoopoieo, G2227), ἀθανασία (athanasia, G110)

Domain Neighbors¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G5349	φθαρτός (phthartós)	6	corruptible
G861	ἀφθαρσία (aphtharsía)	8	incorruption, immortality
G110	ἀθανασία (athanasía)	3	immortality
G5351	φθείρω (phtheírō)	8	corrupt, destroy
G5356	φθορά (phthorá)	9	corruption, destroy

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
incorruptible	2	28.6%
an incorruptible	1	14.3%
of incorruptible	1	14.3%
uncorruptible	1	14.3%
immortal	1	14.3%
is not corruptible	1	14.3%

All 7 occurrences carry the same core meaning; variation is purely contextual phrasing. KJV renders the word as "incorruptible" (4x combined), "immortal" (1x), and paraphrastic "not corruptible" (1x).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	3	2.9
1 Timothy	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	2	0.5
Romans	1	0.2

Concentrated in the Pauline and Petrine epistles. Absent from the Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, and Revelation. 1 Peter has the highest density, using the word in three distinct contexts within the first three chapters.

Morphological Forms¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Rom 1:23	ἀφθάρτου	Gen Sg M — modifies θεοῦ (God)
1 Cor 9:25	ἄφθαρτον	Acc Sg M — modifies στέφανον (crown)
1 Cor 15:52	ἄφθαρτοι	Nom Pl M — predicate of "the dead"
1 Tim 1:17	ἀφθάρτῳ	Dat Sg M — modifies βασιλεῖ (King)
1 Pet 1:4	ἄφθαρτον	Acc Sg F — modifies κληρονομίαν (inheritance)
1 Pet 1:23	ἀφθάρτου	Gen Sg F — modifies σπορᾶς (seed)
1 Pet 3:4	ἀφθάρτῳ	Dat Sg N — modifies τὸ κρυπτόν (the hidden [ornament])

The word inflects across all three genders and multiple cases, demonstrating its flexibility as a descriptive adjective applied to diverse subjects.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Nature — God's Essential Incorruptibility¶

Rom 1:23 — "changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man"
1 Tim 1:17 — "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God"

God is aphthartos by nature — immune to decay, change, and dissolution. In Rom 1:23 the word is contrasted directly with phthartós (G5349), marking the Creator-creature distinction. In 1 Tim 1:17 it appears in a doxology alongside "eternal" (aiōn) and "invisible" (aoratos).

2. Eschatological Transformation — The Resurrection Body¶

1 Cor 15:52 — "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"

The resurrected body will be aphthartos — no longer subject to decay. This is the climactic use in Paul's resurrection argument, paired with the verb allassō (to change).

3. Imperishable Reward — The Believer's Crown and Inheritance¶

1 Cor 9:25 — "they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible"
1 Pet 1:4 — "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away"

Athletic crowns decay; the believer's crown does not. Peter clusters aphthartos with amiantos (G283, undefiled) and amarantos (G263, unfading) to describe the heavenly inheritance — a triple negation of earthly impermanence.

4. Imperishable Source — The Living Word as Seed¶

1 Pet 1:23 — "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God"

The seed (spora) of regeneration is aphthartos because its source — the word of God — "liveth and abideth for ever." Contrasted with phthartós seed (human origin).

5. Imperishable Character — The Inner Person¶

1 Pet 3:4 — "the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit"

Applied to moral/spiritual character rather than physical substance. The "not corruptible" ornament of a gentle spirit has lasting value before God, contrasted with outward adornment (braiding, gold, clothing).

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	4x (57%)	"the incorruptible God" / "immortal God" — God as subject of incorruptibility
φθαρτός (phthartós)	G5349	3x (43%)	Direct contrast: "corruptible... incorruptible"
αἰών (aiōn)	G165	2x (29%)	Doxological pairing: "eternal, immortal"
ἀλλάσσω (allassō)	G236	2x (29%)	"changed the glory" / "we shall be changed"
δόξα (doxa)	G1391	2x (29%)	"the glory of the incorruptible God"
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)	G444	2x (29%)	"corruptible man" vs. "incorruptible God" / "hidden man of the heart"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G861 ἀφθαρσία (aphtharsia) — noun: incorruptibility, immortality (8x) — the abstract quality
G5351 φθείρω (phtheiro) — root verb: to corrupt, destroy, decay (8x)
G5349 φθαρτός (phthartós) — adjective: corruptible, perishable (6x) — direct antonym
G5356 φθορά (phthora) — noun: corruption, decay, destruction (9x)

Antonyms¶

G5349 φθαρτός (phthartós) — corruptible, perishable (direct morphological opposite)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀφθαρσία (aphtharsia)	G861	both rendered "immortality"	G862 is adjective (describes quality); G861 is noun (names the state). G861 also rendered "sincerity" in Eph 6:24, Titus 2:7
ἀθανασία (athanasia)	G110	both rendered "immortal/immortality"	G110 = deathlessness (ἀ- + θάνατος); G862 = imperishability (ἀ- + φθείρω). G110 focuses on inability to die; G862 on inability to decay/deteriorate

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping. This word is a Greek formation (alpha-privative compound) without direct Hebrew equivalent. The concept of divine imperishability in the OT is expressed through other vocabulary (e.g., חַי [chay], עוֹלָם [olam]).