WG: Unclean / Defile / Purify¶
Overview¶
The unclean/defile concept in the NT involves a cluster of words spanning the impurity pole (akathartos, akatharsia, koinos, koinoō, bdelygma) and the purity pole (katharos, katharizō). These words map the full semantic field from defilement through purification, with roots in the Levitical purity system (H2931 tame' / H2891 taher) that the LXX translates using this group.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G169 | ἀκάθαρτος | akathartos | adj | 29v | The impure state (unclean spirit, unclean thing) | G169 |
| G167 | ἀκαθαρσία | akatharsia | noun | 10v | The quality of impurity (uncleanness as moral condition) | G167 |
| G2839 | κοινός | koinos | adj | 10v | Profane, common — what lacks sanctity | G2839 |
| G2840 | κοινόω | koinoō | verb | 12v | To make common/profane — the act of defiling | G2840 |
| G946 | βδέλυγμα | bdelygma | noun | 6v | The detestable object — abomination | G946 |
| G2513 | καθαρός | katharos | adj | 24v | The clean/pure state — positive counterpart | G2513 |
| G2511 | καθαρίζω | katharizō | verb | 29v | To cleanse/purify — reversal of defilement | G2511 |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots¶
- akathartos (G169) and akatharsia (G167) — both alpha-privative from katharos root
- katharos (G2513) and katharizō (G2511) — adjective and verb from same root (clean / to cleanse)
- koinos (G2839) and koinoō (G2840) — adjective and denominative verb (common / to make common)
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| akathartos G169 | koinos G2839 | 3 | "common or unclean" — Peter's vision (Acts 10:14, 10:28, 11:8) |
| koinoō G2840 | katharizō G2511 | 2 | "What God hath cleansed, call not common" (Acts 10:15, 11:9) |
| koinoō G2840 | bdelygma G946 | 1 | "any thing that defileth... or abomination" (Rev 21:27) |
| katharos G2513 | katharizō G2511 | 1 | "cleanse first... that the outside may be clean also" (Mat 23:26) |
Notably, akathartos and katharos/katharizō never directly co-occur in the same verse — the impure and pure poles are kept in separate contexts. The bridge pair is koinos + akathartos (the hendiadys in Acts 10–11) and koinoō + katharizō (the divine reversal "what God hath cleansed").
LXX Bridges (Hebrew sources shared by multiple members)¶
| Hebrew Source | Members Bridged | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| H2931 טָמֵא tame' (adj, "unclean") | G169 (69×), G2513 (13×), G167 (8×) | The core Levitical adjective; maps to both the impurity word and its antonym in negated contexts |
| H2930 טָמֵא tame' (verb, "be unclean") | G169 (53×), G167 (10×), G946 (9×) | Verbal form; bridges defilement to abomination |
| H3526 כָּבַס kabas ("wash") | G169 (21×), G2513 (10×), G2511 (7×) | Washing garments — the purification-from-uncleanness process |
| H2891 טָהֵר taher ("be clean") | G2511 (61×), G2513 (23×) | The Hebrew purity verb — exclusively bridges to the clean pole |
| H2889 טָהוֹר tahor ("clean") | G2513 (65×), G2511 (9×) | The Hebrew purity adjective — the exact counterpart of tame' |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Impure state (demonic/ritual): akathartos (G169) — unclean spirits, unclean animals, unclean persons
- Impure quality (moral): akatharsia (G167) — uncleanness as vice-list item (Gal 5:19, Eph 5:3)
- Profane state (common): koinos (G2839) — what is not holy; less severe than akathartos
- Act of defiling: koinoō (G2840) — to render profane or unclean (Mark 7:15, Acts 21:28)
- Detestable object: bdelygma (G946) — the abomination that produces defilement
- Pure state: katharos (G2513) — clean, pure — the goal of purification
- Act of purifying: katharizō (G2511) — to cleanse — the reversal of defilement
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Acts 10:14–15 — akathartos + koinos (Peter refuses unclean food) → koinoō + katharizō (God reverses: "what God hath cleansed, call not common")
- Acts 10:28 — akathartos + koinos (applied to persons, not just food: "not call any man common or unclean")
- Rev 21:27 — koinoō + bdelygma ("nothing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination" excluded from New Jerusalem)
- Mat 23:25–26 — katharizō + katharos (Jesus' woe: "cleanse first that which is within... that the outside may be clean also")
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, louw_nida.db, co-occurrence data Last updated: 2026-04-25