Original Word: ἄφθαρτος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: aphthartos
Pronunciation: af-thar-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (af'-thar-tos)
Definition: Incorruptible, imperishable, immortal
Meaning: indestructible, imperishable, incorruptible; hence: immortal.

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek prefix "a-" meaning "not" and "phthartos," meaning "corruptible" or "perishable."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "aphthartos," the concept of incorruptibility can be related to terms like "עַד" (ad, Strong's H5703) meaning "eternal" or "forever," and "חָי" (chai, Strong's H2416) meaning "living" or "alive," which are used to describe God's eternal nature.

Usage: The term "aphthartos" is used in the New Testament to describe that which is not subject to decay or corruption. It often refers to the divine nature, eternal life, or the resurrection body that believers will receive. The word emphasizes the enduring and unchanging nature of God's promises and the eternal state of believers.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of immortality was often associated with the gods and the afterlife. The use of "aphthartos" in the New Testament reflects a distinctively Christian understanding of immortality, not as an inherent human trait but as a gift from God through Jesus Christ. This incorruptibility is contrasted with the transient and perishable nature of the material world.

STRONGS NT 862: ἄφθαρτος

ἄφθαρτος, ἄφθαρτον (φθείρω), uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable: of things, 1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Peter 1:4, 23; 1 Peter 3:4; (ἄφθαρτος κήρυγμα τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας, Mark 16 WH in (rejected) 'Shorter Conclusion'). immortal: of the risen dead, 1 Corinthians 15:52; of God, Romans 1:23; 1 Timothy 1:17. (Wis. 12:1 Wis. 18:4. (Aristotle), Plutarch, Lucian, others. (Cf. Trench, § lxviii.).)

STRONGS NT 862b: ἀφθορίαἀφθορία, ἀφθοριας, ἡ (ἄφθορος uncorrupted, from φθείρω), uncorruptness: Titus 2:7 L T Tr WH; see ἀδιαφθορία.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

incorruptible, immortal.

From a (as a negative particle) and a derivative of phtheiro; undecaying (in essence or continuance) -- not (in-, un-)corruptible, immortal.

see GREEK a

see GREEK phtheiro

Forms and Transliterations

αφθαρτοι άφθαρτοι ἄφθαρτοι αφθαρτον άφθαρτον ἄφθαρτον αφθαρτου αφθάρτου ἀφθάρτου αφθαρτω αφθάρτω ἀφθάρτῳ άφθορα aphtharto aphthartō aphthartoi aphthártoi aphthártōi áphthartoi aphtharton áphtharton aphthartou aphthártou

Links

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