WG: Defile (NT Defilement Vocabulary)¶
Overview¶
The NT uses several distinct Greek words for "defilement," each carrying different nuances: ritual profanation, moral contamination, physical soiling, corruption/destruction, and staining. Together they cover the full spectrum of what makes a person or thing unfit for God's purposes.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3392 | μιαίνω | miaino | verb | 4 | Sully/taint — Levitical contamination verb (LXX primary for H2930 tame) | G3392-miaino.md |
| G2840 | κοινόω | koinoo | verb | 12 | Make common/profane — ceremonial category violation (clean vs. common) | G2840-koinoo.md |
| G3435 | μολύνω | molyno | verb | 3 | Soil/stain — figurative soiling of garments or conscience | G3435-molyno.md |
| G3436 | μολυσμός | molysmos | noun | 1 | Filthiness/defilement — the stain-substance resulting from molyno; dual-domain (flesh and spirit) in 2 Cor 7:1 | G3436-molysmos.md |
| G3393 | μίασμα | miasma | noun | 1 | Foulness — the pollution substance (cognate of miaino) | G3393-miasma.md |
| G3394 | μιασμός | miasmos | noun | 1 | Contamination — the defiling act (cognate of miaino) | TODO(need G3394 study) |
| G283 | ἀμίαντος | amiantos | adj | 4 | Undefiled — negation of miaino; what has NOT been contaminated | TODO(need G283 study) |
| G4695 | σπιλόω | spiloo | verb | 2 | Spot/stain — visible blemish imagery | TODO(need G4695 study) |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots¶
- miaino family: μιαίνω (G3392, verb), μίασμα (G3393, noun — result), μιασμός (G3394, noun — act), ἀμίαντος (G283, adj — negated)
- molyno family: μολύνω (G3435, verb), μολυσμός (G3436, noun — stain/filthiness)
- koinoo and spiloo are from unrelated roots
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
No pairwise co-occurrences exist among these words — they operate in separate NT contexts. This is itself significant: the NT authors differentiated carefully among defilement types rather than stacking synonyms.
LXX Overlaps¶
| Greek Words | Shared Hebrew Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| miaino (G3392) + akathartos (G169) | Both translate H2930 tame | miaino = verb (86x); akathartos = adjective (53x); complementary roles in LXX |
| koinoo (G2840) | No significant LXX Hebrew source | Primarily a NT-era development; Mark 7/Matt 15 redefine "common" vs "unclean" |
| molyno (G3435) | Translates H1351 gaal (pollute/defile) in LXX | Focus on visible contamination/soiling |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Ritual contamination: miaino (μιαίνω) — the Levitical defilement verb; renders unfit for sacred participation
- Category violation: koinoo (κοινόω) — makes sacred things common/profane; the clean/unclean food debate word (Matt 15, Mark 7, Acts 10)
- Moral soiling: molyno (μολύνω) — stains the conscience or garments; figurative dirt (Rev 3:4, 14:4)
- Defilement-substance: molysmos (μολυσμός) — the filthiness/stain itself; noun form of molyno; uniquely qualifies both flesh and spirit (2 Cor 7:1)
- Visible blemish: spiloo (σπιλόω) — spots or stains that are externally visible (Jas 3:6, Jude 1:23)
- Uncontaminated state: amiantos (ἀμίαντος) — the positive ideal: undefiled priesthood (Heb 7:26), marriage (Heb 13:4), inheritance (1 Pet 1:4), religion (Jas 1:27)
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Concepts Appear¶
- Jude 1:8, 23 — miaino (v.8 "defile the flesh") and spiloo (v.23 "hating even the garment spotted by the flesh") appear in the same epistle, distinguishing deep contamination from surface staining
- Titus 1:15 — miaino paired with katharos (G2513, "pure") — the defile/pure antonym pair; conceptually linked to koinoo's clean/common framework but using the Levitical verb instead
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lexicon, --lookup) Last updated: 2026-05-07