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Has anyone ever told you: יהוה (Yahweh) God loves you and has a great plan for your life?
Has anyone ever told you: יהוה (Yahweh) God loves you and has a great plan for your life?
Strong’s G4550: An adjective denoting that which is rotten, putrid, or corrupted by age. In New Testament usage, it describes both physical decay and moral corruption, particularly in Jesus’ teachings about fruit-bearing and speech, emphasizing the connection between inner character and outward manifestation.
Σαπρός primarily describes something that has deteriorated beyond usefulness, whether physically rotten or morally corrupt. In the New Testament, Jesus uses this word powerfully in His teachings about good and bad fruit (Matthew 7:17-18) and corrupt speech (Ephesians 4:29). The early church understood this term as more than just physical decay; it represented the spiritual deterioration that occurs when one lives apart from God’s transforming grace. Today, σαπρός reminds us that our words and actions reflect our spiritual condition, challenging believers to examine the “fruit” of their lives.
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Etymology:
Translation Options:
Morphological features as an adjective:
Examples:
BDAG emphasizes both the physical and moral aspects of σαπρός. Thayer’s highlights its use in describing fruit and speech. LSJ traces its development from physical rottenness to moral corruption in classical Greek. Vine’s notes its application to worthless fruit and harmful speech. Strong’s connects it to the process of decay. Moulton and Milligan document its common usage in papyri regarding spoiled goods and moral character.
First appearance:
Matthew 7:17: “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt [σαπρὸν] tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”
Additional References:
Matthew 7:18, Matthew 12:33, Matthew 13:48, Luke 6:43, Ephesians 4:29
Author: Work | Text |
---|---|
Hippocrates: On Ancient Medicine | “The wound became rotten [σαπρός] and required immediate treatment” |
Aristotle: History of Animals | “The fish, having become putrid [σαπρός], was unfit for consumption” |
Plutarch: Moralia | “His character was corrupted [σαπρός], like fruit that had spoiled from within” |
Σαπρός powerfully illustrates the principle that internal corruption manifests in external ways. Jesus used this word to teach that our speech and actions reveal our spiritual condition. The good news is that through Christ’s transformative power, what was once corrupt can be made new. This word reminds us that genuine faith produces good fruit, demonstrating the reality of God’s regenerating work in our lives.
Strong’s G4550: An adjective describing physical and moral corruption, used in New Testament to illustrate the relationship between inner character and outward manifestation. Applied to both literal decay and spiritual deterioration, particularly in contexts of fruit-bearing and speech.
Part of speech: Adjective
Tags: corruption, decay, fruit-bearing, character, speech, moral-corruption, transformation, teaching-of-jesus, spiritual-condition, regeneration
Note: While this entry strives for accuracy, readers engaged in critical research should verify citations and keyword occurrences in their Bible translation of choice. For Biblical citations, the F.O.G Bible project recommends Logos Bible software.
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