169. akathartos
Lexical Summary
akathartos: Unclean, impure

Original Word: ἀκάθαρτος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: akathartos
Pronunciation: ah-KAH-thar-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-ath'-ar-tos)
KJV: foul, unclean
NASB: unclean, impure person, unclean things
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of G2508 (καθαίρω - prunes) meaning "cleansed"]

1. impure
2. (ceremonially, morally) lewd
3. (specially) demonic

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
foul, unclean.

From a (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of kathairo (meaning cleansed); impure (ceremonially, morally (lewd) or specially, (demonic)) -- foul, unclean.

see GREEK a

see GREEK kathairo

HELPS Word-studies

169 akáthartos (an adjective, derived from 1 /A "not" and 2513 /katharós, "clean, purged") – properly, not pure (because mixed), i.e. adulterated with "a wrong mix" and hence "unclean" (because tainted by sin).

[The antonym, 2508 /kathaírō ("clean"), means "free from wrong mixture" (unadulterated, unmixed).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and kathairó
Definition
unclean, impure
NASB Translation
impure person (1), unclean (29), unclean things (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 169: ἀκάθαρτος

ἀκάθαρτος, (καθαίρω) (from Sophocles down), in the Sept. equivalent to טָמֶא, not cleansed, unclean;

a. in a ceremonial sense, that which must be abstained from according to the levitical law, lest impurity be contracted: Acts 10:14; Acts 11:8 (of food); Acts 10:28; 1 Corinthians 7:14 (of men); 2 Corinthians 6:17 (from Isaiah 52:11, of things pertaining to idolatry); Revelation 18:2 (of birds),

b. in a moral sense, unclean in thought and life (frequent in Plato): Ephesians 5:5; τά ἀκάθαρτα τῆς πορνείας, Revelation 17:4 (according to the true reading); πνεύματα, demons, bad angels (in twenty-three passages of the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation): Matthew 10:1; Matthew 12:43; Mark 1:23, 26; Mark 3:11, etc.; Luke 4:33, 36; Luke 6:18, etc.; Acts 5:16; Acts 8:7; Revelation 16:13; Revelation 18:2 (πνεύματα πονηρά in Matthew 12:45; Luke 7:21; Luke 8:2; Luke 11:26; Acts 19:12f, 15f).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope

ἀκάθαρτος denotes that which is defiled, polluted, or ritually unacceptable. In the New Testament it embraces three primary spheres: (1) demonic powers (“unclean spirits”), (2) ceremonially prohibited objects or persons (especially food and Gentiles in Jewish thought), and (3) moral impurity in heart and conduct. Although arising from Israel’s ceremonial code, the term becomes a theological marker that contrasts the holiness of God with the corruption of sin and the bondage of Satan.

Old Covenant Background

Under the Mosaic Law, ritual uncleanness rendered a person or object unfit for worship (Leviticus 11–15). These regulations instilled a consciousness of divine purity and the need for cleansing. When the Septuagint translated טָמֵא (tame) with ἀκάθαρτος, it prepared Greek-speaking Jews to associate uncleanness with both outward and inward defilement. The New Testament writers inherit this backdrop but point to its fulfillment in Christ, who alone cleanses perfectly (Hebrews 9:13-14).

Unclean Spirits and the Authority of Jesus

The majority of occurrences (Mark 1:23, 26-27; 3:11, 30; 5:2, 8, 13; 7:25; 9:25; Luke 4:33, 36; 6:18; 8:29; 9:42; 11:24; Acts 5:16; 8:7) describe demonic entities. The phrase “unclean spirit” underscores both their ethical vileness and their opposition to the Holy Spirit. Christ’s superiority is immediate and public:

• “For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!’” (Mark 5:8).
• “All those with unclean spirits were healed” (Luke 6:18).

Every encounter displays the same pattern: manifestation, command, expulsion, and the astonishment of the crowd. The term therefore magnifies Jesus’ messianic authority to reverse the curse and inaugurate the kingdom of God. His apostles receive the same delegated power (Matthew 10:1; Mark 6:7), signaling the Church’s ongoing mandate to confront demonic oppression (Acts 5:16; 8:7).

Ritual Uncleanness and the Gospel to the Gentiles

Acts 10–11 records Peter’s vision of the sheet laden with “all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12). Three times the voice commands, “Kill and eat,” and Peter protests, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (Acts 10:14). The heavenly response—“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15)—abolishes the food laws and, more significantly, removes the partition that labeled Gentiles as ἀκάθαρτοι. Peter later confesses, “God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean” (Acts 10:28). The gospel, therefore, extends the promise of cleansing to all nations, fulfilling Isaiah 52:11 and anticipating Paul’s exhortation: “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Moral and Ethical Impurity

Beyond demonic and ceremonial categories, ἀκάθαρτος marks the defilement of sin itself. Paul warns that “no immoral, impure, or greedy person—that is, an idolater—has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5). In 1 Corinthians 7:14 the term contrasts the sanctifying influence of a believing spouse with the former state of the unbelieving partner and children. The ethical dimension reaches its climax in Revelation, where Babylon is “a haunt of every unclean spirit...and every unclean and detestable beast” (Revelation 18:2). Here uncleanness symbolizes idolatry, sexual immorality, and commercial greed—an entire anti-kingdom culture ripe for judgment.

Prophetic and Eschatological Uses

Revelation employs ἀκάθαρτος to portray satanic deception and end-time rebellion. Three “unclean spirits like frogs” proceed from the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet to gather kings for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-14). The scarlet woman is “holding a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality” (Revelation 17:4). Thus uncleanness frames the cosmic conflict: the Lamb and His cleansed followers versus a polluted world system destined for destruction.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Deliverance Ministry: Jesus’ consistent victory over unclean spirits grounds the Church’s confidence in spiritual warfare. Believers confront darkness not in their own strength but under the authority of the risen Christ.

2. Holiness of Life: The removal of ritual barriers does not relax God’s moral standards. “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1) remains a standing call.

3. Gospel Inclusion: The abolishment of distinctions between clean and unclean people requires the Church to welcome every ethnicity while maintaining doctrinal purity. Hospitality and evangelism flow from God’s declaration, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”

4. Eschatological Vigilance: Recognizing the prophetic imagery of uncleanness cautions believers against alliance with worldly systems characterized by idolatry, sexual immorality, and economic oppression.

Summary

ἀκάθαρτος illuminates the New Testament message that God, in Christ, confronts and cleanses every form of defilement—demonic, ceremonial, and moral. The term unites the Bible’s themes of holiness, redemption, and mission: Jesus expels unclean spirits, declares formerly unclean foods and peoples clean, and calls His followers to live undefiled lives while heralding the gospel to all nations. The ultimate victory belongs to “the One who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (cf. Revelation 1:5), ensuring that nothing unclean will ever enter the heavenly city (Revelation 21:27).

Forms and Transliterations
ακαθαρτα ακάθαρτά ἀκάθαρτα ἀκάθαρτά ακάθαρτοι ακαθαρτοις ακαθάρτοις ἀκαθάρτοις ακαθαρτον ακάθαρτον ακάθαρτόν ἀκάθαρτον ακαθαρτος ακάθαρτος ακάθαρτός ἀκάθαρτος ακαθαρτου ακαθάρτου ἀκαθάρτου ακαθαρτω ακαθάρτω ἀκαθάρτῳ ακαθαρτων ακαθάρτων ἀκαθάρτων akatharta akátharta akáthartá akatharto akathartō akathártoi akathártōi akathartois akathártois akatharton akathartōn akathárton akathártōn akátharton akathartos akáthartos akathartou akathártou
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 10:1 Adj-GNP
GRK: ἐξουσίαν πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν
NAS: them authority over unclean spirits,
KJV: power [against] unclean spirits,
INT: authority over spirits unclean so as to cast out

Matthew 12:43 Adj-NNS
GRK: δὲ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα ἐξέλθῃ
NAS: Now when the unclean spirit goes
KJV: When the unclean spirit is gone
INT: moreover the unclean spirit is gone out

Mark 1:23 Adj-DNS
GRK: ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἀνέκραξεν
NAS: in their synagogue with an unclean spirit;
KJV: a man with an unclean spirit; and
INT: with spirit unclean and he cried out

Mark 1:26 Adj-NNS
GRK: πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ φωνῆσαν
NAS: Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit
KJV: And when the unclean spirit had torn
INT: spirit unclean and having cried

Mark 1:27 Adj-DNP
GRK: πνεύμασι τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις ἐπιτάσσει καὶ
NAS: even the unclean spirits,
KJV: he even the unclean spirits,
INT: spirits unclean he commands and

Mark 3:11 Adj-NNP
GRK: πνεύματα τὰ ἀκάθαρτα ὅταν αὐτὸν
NAS: Whenever the unclean spirits saw
KJV: And unclean spirits, when
INT: spirits unclean when him

Mark 3:30 Adj-ANS
GRK: ἔλεγον Πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον ἔχει
NAS: He has an unclean spirit.
KJV: they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
INT: they said spirit unclean he has

Mark 5:2 Adj-DNS
GRK: ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ
NAS: from the tombs with an unclean spirit
KJV: a man with an unclean spirit,
INT: with a spirit unclean

Mark 5:8 Adj-NNS
GRK: πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον ἐκ τοῦ
NAS: out of the man, you unclean spirit!
KJV: out of the man, [thou] unclean spirit.
INT: spirit unclean out of the

Mark 5:13 Adj-NNP
GRK: πνεύματα τὰ ἀκάθαρτα εἰσῆλθον εἰς
NAS: And coming out, the unclean spirits
KJV: And the unclean spirits
INT: spirits unclean entered into

Mark 6:7 Adj-GNP
GRK: πνευμάτων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων
NAS: them authority over the unclean spirits;
KJV: them power over unclean spirits;
INT: spirits unclean

Mark 7:25 Adj-ANS
GRK: αὐτῆς πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον ἐλθοῦσα προσέπεσεν
NAS: had an unclean spirit
KJV: had an unclean spirit,
INT: of her spirit unclean having come fell

Mark 9:25 Adj-DNS
GRK: πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ λέγων αὐτῷ
NAS: He rebuked the unclean spirit,
KJV: he rebuked the foul spirit,
INT: spirit unclean saying to it

Luke 4:33 Adj-GNS
GRK: πνεῦμα δαιμονίου ἀκαθάρτου καὶ ἀνέκραξεν
NAS: by the spirit of an unclean demon,
KJV: a spirit of an unclean devil,
INT: a spirit of a demon unclean and he cried out

Luke 4:36 Adj-DNP
GRK: ἐπιτάσσει τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασιν καὶ
NAS: He commands the unclean spirits
KJV: he commandeth the unclean spirits,
INT: he commands the unclean spirits and

Luke 6:18 Adj-GNP
GRK: ἀπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων ἐθεραπεύοντο
NAS: who were troubled with unclean spirits
KJV: with unclean spirits:
INT: by spirits unclean were healed

Luke 8:29 Adj-DNS
GRK: πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ
NAS: For He had commanded the unclean spirit
KJV: he had commanded the unclean spirit
INT: spirit unclean to come out from

Luke 9:42 Adj-DNS
GRK: πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἰάσατο
NAS: rebuked the unclean spirit,
KJV: Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and
INT: spirit unclean and healed

Luke 11:24 Adj-NNS
GRK: Ὅταν τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα ἐξέλθῃ
NAS: When the unclean spirit goes
KJV: When the unclean spirit is gone
INT: When the unclean spirit is gone out

Acts 5:16 Adj-GNP
GRK: ὑπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων οἵτινες ἐθεραπεύοντο
NAS: afflicted with unclean spirits,
KJV: with unclean spirits:
INT: by spirits unclean who were healed

Acts 8:7 Adj-ANP
GRK: ἐχόντων πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα βοῶντα φωνῇ
NAS: who had unclean spirits,
KJV: For unclean spirits, crying
INT: had spirits unclean crying voice

Acts 10:14 Adj-ANS
GRK: κοινὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον
NAS: anything unholy and unclean.
KJV: that is common or unclean.
INT: common or unclean

Acts 10:28 Adj-AMS
GRK: κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον λέγειν ἄνθρωπον
NAS: unholy or unclean.
KJV: common or unclean.
INT: common or unclean to call man

Acts 11:8 Adj-ANS
GRK: κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον οὐδέποτε εἰσῆλθεν
NAS: unholy or unclean has ever entered
KJV: common or unclean hath at any time
INT: common or unclean never entered

1 Corinthians 7:14 Adj-NNP
GRK: τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν νῦν
NAS: your children are unclean, but now
KJV: your children unclean; but now
INT: children of you unclean are now

Strong's Greek 169
32 Occurrences


ἀκάθαρτα — 6 Occ.
ἀκαθάρτῳ — 5 Occ.
ἀκαθάρτων — 4 Occ.
ἀκαθάρτοις — 2 Occ.
ἀκάθαρτον — 9 Occ.
ἀκάθαρτος — 1 Occ.
ἀκαθάρτου — 5 Occ.

168
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