Lexical Summary akathartos: Unclean, impure Original Word: ἀκάθαρτος 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 Originfrom 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: ἀκάθαρτοςἀκάθαρτος, (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 Scopeἀκάθαρτος 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). 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 akathártouLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 10:1 Adj-GNPGRK: 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 Mark 1:23 Adj-DNS Mark 1:26 Adj-NNS Mark 1:27 Adj-DNP Mark 3:11 Adj-NNP Mark 3:30 Adj-ANS Mark 5:2 Adj-DNS Mark 5:8 Adj-NNS Mark 5:13 Adj-NNP Mark 6:7 Adj-GNP Mark 7:25 Adj-ANS Mark 9:25 Adj-DNS Luke 4:33 Adj-GNS Luke 4:36 Adj-DNP Luke 6:18 Adj-GNP Luke 8:29 Adj-DNS Luke 9:42 Adj-DNS Luke 11:24 Adj-NNS Acts 5:16 Adj-GNP Acts 8:7 Adj-ANP Acts 10:14 Adj-ANS Acts 10:28 Adj-AMS Acts 11:8 Adj-ANS 1 Corinthians 7:14 Adj-NNP Strong's Greek 169 |
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