Lexical Summary akathartés: Unclean person Original Word: ἀκαθαρτής Strong's Exhaustive Concordance filthiness. From akathartos; impurity (the state), morally -- filthiness. see GREEK akathartos HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 168 akathártēs – properly, uncleanness due to being unpurged (unpurified); filthiness. See 169 (akathartos). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originvariant reading for akathartos, q.v. Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 168: ἀκαθάρτηςἀκαθάρτης, (ητος, ἡ, impurity: Revelation 17:4, — not found elsewhere, and the true reading here is τά ἀκάθαρτα τῆς. Topical Lexicon Scope and Meaning of ἀκαθαρτής ἀκαθαρτής, though unattested in the New Testament text, belongs to the family of Greek terms that express the state of being unclean—whether ceremonially, morally, or spiritually. The cognate adjective ἀκάθαρτος is frequently used to describe “unclean spirits” (Matthew 10:1) or the defilement that disqualifies one for worship (Acts 10:14). The noun ἀκαθαρτής would therefore denote the quality or condition of uncleanness itself, standing in contrast to καθαρότης (“purity”) and expressing a state incompatible with the holiness of God. Old Testament Foundations of Uncleanness Leviticus 11–15 forms the canonical bedrock for the biblical doctrine of impurity. Animals, bodily discharges, leprosy, and contact with the dead rendered a person “unclean.” The purpose was pedagogical: by drawing a sharp line between clean and unclean, the Law continually reminded Israel of God’s absolute holiness. “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44) follows directly on dietary regulations, illustrating that ceremonial impurity pointed to the need for moral purity. Second Temple and Intertestamental Understanding By the time of the Second Temple, purity regulations were deeply woven into Jewish life. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Qumran community elevated ceremonial strictness to a badge of covenant faithfulness. Ritual baths (mikvaʾot) proliferated in Judea, preparing the cultural setting in which John’s baptism of repentance could call for a cleansing that symbolized moral transformation rather than mere ritual compliance. New Testament Developments Though ἀκαθαρτής itself is absent from the New Testament corpus, its conceptual field saturates the text: • Ceremonial categories are relativized by Jesus. “Nothing outside a man that enters him can defile him... What comes out of a man—that is what defiles him” (Mark 7:15–20). Pauline Theology of Impurity and Sanctification Paul takes the language of purity and applies it to the believer’s entire existence: • Ethical uncleanness: “God has not called us to impurity but to holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). For Paul, what the Law hinted at through ritual, the Spirit accomplishes through regeneration and sanctification, leading to the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) that crowds out every form of ἀκαθαρσία (impurity). Christ’s Fulfillment and Redefinition of Purity In His healing ministry, Jesus repeatedly touches the “unclean” (Mark 1:41; Luke 8:43-48) without becoming defiled, demonstrating that purity flows from Him outward. His atoning death removes the underlying guilt that ceremonial washings could only symbolize (Hebrews 9:13-14). As a result, believers “have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). The Church’s Call to Holiness Post-Pentecost, purity becomes a communal ethic. Church discipline addresses moral uncleanness (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Worship requires “lifting up holy hands without anger or dissension” (1 Timothy 2:8). Widows, elders, and deacons are evaluated in terms of moral blamelessness (1 Timothy 3). The goal is a congregation “without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Eschatological Purity Revelation culminates with a city that excludes everything impure. “Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie” (Revelation 21:27). The cosmic victory of the Lamb ensures the final eradication of every vestige of ἀκαθαρτής from the created order. Pastoral Implications and Ministry Application 1. Proclamation: Preach the gravity of impurity and the sufficiency of Christ’s cleansing. Doctrinal Correlations • Hamartiology: Impurity illustrates the pervasive effect of sin. The absence of ἀκαθαρτής from the New Testament text serves as a reminder that language may shift, but the call to holiness remains constant. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture presents purity as both gift and mandate, grounded in the character of God and fulfilled in the redemptive work of His Son. Forms and Transliterations ακάθαρταLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance αἰῶσιν — 1 Occ.αἰώνια — 1 Occ. αἰωνίαν — 2 Occ. αἰωνίων — 2 Occ. αἰωνίοις — 1 Occ. αἰώνιον — 45 Occ. αἰώνιός — 4 Occ. αἰωνίου — 15 Occ. αἰωνίους — 1 Occ. ἀκαθαρσίᾳ — 5 Occ. ἀκαθαρσίας — 3 Occ. ἀκάθαρτα — 6 Occ. ἀκαθάρτῳ — 5 Occ. ἀκαθάρτων — 4 Occ. ἀκαθάρτοις — 2 Occ. ἀκάθαρτον — 9 Occ. ἀκάθαρτος — 1 Occ. ἀκαθάρτου — 5 Occ. ἠκαιρεῖσθε — 1 Occ. ἀκαίρως — 1 Occ. |
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