Understanding βόρβορος (borboros) Strong’s G1004: The Filthy Mire that Illustrates Spiritual Degradation and Warns Against Return to Sin

Pronunciation Guide: BOR-bo-ros (βόρ-βο-ρος)

Basic Definition

Strong’s G1004: βόρβορος (borboros) refers to filth, mire, or mud—specifically a deep, foul-smelling slime composed of dirt and waste matter. In its only biblical appearance, it serves as a powerful metaphor for moral and spiritual degradation. The term evokes imagery of something repulsive that soils anything that comes into contact with it, emphasizing the defiling nature of returning to sinful patterns after experiencing cleansing.

Etymology and Morphology

• Part of Speech: Masculine noun
• Origin: Ancient Greek with possible onomatopoeic qualities, mimicking the sound of walking through thick mud
• Primary Usage: Metaphorical in proverbial expressions and moral teachings
• Literature Type: Appears in wisdom literature and ethical exhortations

βόρβορος Morphology:

• βόρβορος (nominative singular) – filth, mire
• βορβόρου (genitive singular) – of filth/mire
• βορβόρῳ (dative singular) – in/with/by filth/mire
• βόρβορον (accusative singular) – filth/mire (direct object)

Origin & History

The term βόρβορος has a rich history in ancient Greek literature predating its New Testament usage. In classical Greek writings, it appears in the works of Plato, who used it in “Phaedo” to describe the afterlife state of the impure soul, condemned to wallow in mire (βορβόρῳ) in Hades. Aristophanes employed the term in his comedies to depict particularly dirty or morally questionable situations.

In the Hellenistic period, the Septuagint translators did not use βόρβορος in their translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, despite several opportunities where mud or mire appears in the original text (such as Psalm 40:2, which uses other Greek terms instead). This makes its appearance in 2 Peter particularly striking, as it draws on Greco-Roman imagery rather than traditional Hebrew metaphors. The early Church Fathers, particularly Clement of Alexandria in his “Stromata,” expanded on the term’s usage to describe moral impurity and the condition of the soul entangled in material pleasures.

Expanded Definitions & Translation Options

• A thick, filthy mud or slime, often with waste matter or excrement mixed in
• A morally defiling substance symbolizing degradation and corruption
• A repulsive environment associated with unclean animals (particularly pigs)
• A metaphor for the entrapment of sin and moral pollution

βόρβορος Translation Options:

• Mire – Emphasizes the sticky, entrapping nature of the substance, highlighting how sin holds one captive
• Filth – Focuses on the impurity aspect, stressing the morally corrupting nature
• Mud – A more neutral translation that requires contextual qualification to capture the repulsive connotations
• Sewer/cesspool – Captures the waste element and deeply unclean associations, though slightly interpretive
• Slime – Emphasizes the repulsive texture and difficulty of cleansing once contaminated

Biblical Usage

The term βόρβορος appears only once in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:22, where it forms part of a proverbial saying about animals returning to their natural but unclean habits: “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire [βόρβορον].” This appears alongside another proverb about a dog returning to its vomit (adapted from Proverbs 26:11). Both proverbs serve as vivid illustrations of false teachers who, after initially accepting the way of righteousness, return to their former corrupt lifestyles.

While βόρβορος does not appear in the Septuagint, conceptually similar imagery occurs in several passages:

• “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay.” Psalm 40:2
• “I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold.” Psalm 69:2
• “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Proverbs 26:11

Cultural Insights

In the ancient world, pigs were considered unclean animals by Jewish standards (Leviticus 11:7), making the image of a pig wallowing in filthy mire doubly potent for Peter’s Jewish-Christian audience. The proverbial expression would have resonated across cultural boundaries, as pig-keeping was common in the Greco-Roman world, where the animals’ fondness for wallowing in mud and waste was well-known. This behavior was not merely a matter of animal preference but served a practical purpose—pigs lack sweat glands and use mud-wallowing to cool themselves and protect their skin from parasites and sunburn.

The pairing of this image with the dog returning to vomit creates a powerful rhetorical one-two punch, as both animals were considered ritually unclean in Jewish culture. By employing these vivid, visceral metaphors, Peter draws on cross-cultural disgust reactions to emphasize the repulsiveness of apostasy. For his audience living in a world without modern sewage systems, where exposure to animal waste and mud was a daily reality, the imagery would have been even more immediately powerful than it is for modern readers.

Theological Significance

The singular use of βόρβορος in the New Testament carries profound theological weight regarding the nature of sin, salvation, and apostasy. The image communicates that sin is not merely breaking rules but is fundamentally defiling—it corrupts and contaminates the person engaged in it. Like physical filth that clings to whatever touches it, sin’s pollution spreads and becomes increasingly difficult to remove without thorough cleansing.

More significantly, Peter’s use of βόρβορος illustrates the tragic possibility of returning to sin after experiencing spiritual cleansing. This supports the epistle’s warning against false teachers who, having once known “the way of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21), abandon it to return to corruption. The metaphor suggests that such a return is not merely a mistake but a fundamental reversal that reveals one’s true nature—like the pig that, despite being washed clean, still has the innate desire to return to the mire.

This imagery contributes to the New Testament’s broader teaching on perseverance and the genuine nature of conversion. True salvation, as taught throughout Scripture, produces lasting change in desires and behavior. The person who has been genuinely transformed by Yahweh’s grace increasingly loses attraction to sin’s “mire” rather than being continually drawn back to it. This doesn’t imply sinless perfection but suggests a new fundamental orientation away from sin’s dominion.

Personal Application

The vivid imagery of βόρβορος challenges us to examine our relationship with sin. Do we, having been cleansed by the Messiah’s blood, still find ourselves attracted to the “mire” of our old ways? The metaphor invites honest self-reflection about what truly delights us. Just as a pig returns to mud because it finds pleasure there, our recurring sinful patterns often reveal what our hearts genuinely desire.

This doesn’t mean we should despair when we struggle with temptation. Rather, it encourages us to continually renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and develop new spiritual appetites that make sin increasingly unappealing. When we find ourselves drawn to old patterns, we should not simply try harder to resist but ask Yahweh to transform our desires so that what once attracted us now repels us. The goal isn’t just behavioral change but a fundamental transformation of what we find satisfying, so that righteousness becomes more appealing than the temporary pleasures of sin’s “mire.”

Related Words

• πηλός (pelos, pronounced pay-LOS) – Clay or mud, but without the connotation of filth or waste matter. Used when referring to natural earth materials, including what Yeshua used to heal the blind man (John 9:6). Unlike βόρβορος, it can have positive connotations. See G4081
• ῥύπος (rhypos, pronounced RHOO-pos) – Dirt, filth, or moral impurity, particularly as it applies to something that needs cleansing. Found in James 1:21 referring to moral filthiness. Similar to βόρβορος in moral connotations but lacks the specific image of wallowing or entrapment. See G4509
• μολυσμός (molysmos, pronounced mol-oos-MOS) – Defilement or contamination, particularly in ritual or moral contexts. Found in 2 Corinthians 7:1. Shares with βόρβορος the concept of contamination but focuses more on the process of becoming impure rather than the substance causing impurity. See G3436
• ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsia, pronounced ak-ath-ar-SEE-ah) – Uncleanness or impurity, particularly in moral or sexual contexts. Used multiple times by Paul to describe sinful lifestyles. Conceptually related to βόρβορος but broader in application. See G167
• βδέλυγμα (bdelygma, pronounced bdel-OOG-mah) – Something abominable or detestable, causing strong revulsion. Used for idolatrous practices and severe moral offenses. Shares with βόρβορος the element of disgust but refers to objects or practices rather than substances. See G946

Did you Know?

• Did you know that the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus used βόρβορος in a famous saying about pigs preferring mud to clean water? He observed, “Swine wash in mud and barnyard fowls in dust”—making a philosophical point about how different beings find pleasure in different things according to their nature. Peter’s use of this image in his epistle may be drawing on this well-established philosophical tradition to make a spiritual point about human nature.
• Did you know that in ancient Greek mystery religions, particularly those influenced by Orphic traditions, being stuck in βόρβορος was used as an afterlife punishment? Initiates into these mystery cults were promised escape from the “mire” of reincarnation and earthly suffering. Peter’s audience, familiar with these widespread religious ideas, would have understood βόρβορος as carrying connotations not just of physical filth but of spiritual punishment and entrapment.
• Did you know that modern environmental science has a term “borborygmus” derived from the same root as βόρβορος? While today it refers to stomach rumbling sounds, the etymological connection reminds us how ancient Greek onomatopoeic words—those mimicking natural sounds—have influenced scientific terminology. The gurgling, bubbling sound suggested by βόρβορος (the sound of walking through thick mud) lives on in this modern medical term.

Remember This

βόρβορος reminds us that true spiritual transformation doesn’t just clean our record—it changes our appetite, making what once attracted us now repel us as we develop the mind of Messiah.