Lexical Summary borboros: Mire, Mud, Filth Original Word: βόρβορος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance mire, mudOf uncertain derivation; mud -- mire. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain origin Definition mud, filth NASB Translation mire (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1004: βόρβοροςβόρβορος, βορβόρου, ὁ, dung, mire: 2 Peter 2:22. (the Sept.; Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Plato, and following; ἐν βορβόρῳ κυλίεσθαι, of the vicious, Epictetus diss. 4, 11, 29.) Topical Lexicon Entry: Strong’s Greek 1004 – βόρβοροςScriptural usage The word appears once in the Greek New Testament—2 Peter 2:22—where Peter cites two vivid proverbs to describe false teachers who abandon the way of righteousness: “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud” (2 Peter 2:22). The image of an animal instinctively plunging back into filth serves as a closing illustration of the entire chapter’s warning: those who profess faith yet persist in corruption reveal their unchanged nature. Old Testament echoes and broader biblical imagery Although βόρβορος itself is not used in the Hebrew text, the concept of mire or sludge threads through Scripture: These passages establish mire as a metaphor for moral defilement, danger, and bondage—all of which frame Peter’s allusion. Cultural setting In both Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds, swine epitomised uncleanness (Leviticus 11:7; Tacitus, Histories 5.4). A sow freshly scrubbed yet instinctively rolling in mire illustrated the futility of mere external cleansing; inward nature governs behaviour. Peter’s readers, scattered in Asia Minor, would immediately grasp the shock value of such imagery and its implications for professing believers flirting with falsehood. Theological significance 1. Nature versus nurture. Peter’s proverb underscores that regeneration is not cosmetic but transformational. Without the new birth (John 3:3), the heart remains unchanged, and reversion to sin is inevitable. Pastoral and ministry application • Discernment. Leaders are called to identify teachings that entice believers back toward moral mire (Acts 20:28-31). Historical resonance in Christian teaching Church Fathers such as Clement of Alexandria and Augustine referenced 2 Peter 2:22 when confronting nominal believers and the laxity of certain clergy. Throughout revivals and reformations, preachers have appealed to the proverb to warn against outward religiosity devoid of inward change. Literary impact The proverb’s stark realism has permeated Christian hymnody and prose. John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” portrays characters who, having glimpsed the Celestial City, nonetheless retreat to the Slough of Despond—imagery indebted to the biblical concept of mire. Conclusion βόρβορος anchors a single but potent scriptural picture: the disgusting mire to which an unregenerate heart inevitably gravitates. Peter wields the term to call believers to authentic transformation and steadfastness, reminding the church in every age that the gospel cleanses completely and equips saints to walk in newness of life, far from the mud of their former ways. Forms and Transliterations βόρβορος βορβορου βορβόρου βορβόρω borborou borbórouLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |