Lexical Summary mómos: Blemish, fault, blame Original Word: μῶμος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance blemish. Perhaps from memphomai; a flaw or blot, i.e. (figuratively) disgraceful person -- blemish. see GREEK memphomai HELPS Word-studies 3470 mṓmos – literally, a blemish (spot, blot); (figuratively) what spoils a reputation, causing undue blame (disgrace, censure). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition blame, disgrace, blemish NASB Translation blemishes (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3470: μῶμοςμῶμος, μωμου, ὁ (perhaps akin to μύω, Curtius, § 478; cf. Vanicek, p. 732), blemish, blot, disgrace; 1. censure. 2. insult: of men who are a disgrace to a society, 2 Peter 2:13 (A. V. blemishes). (From Homer down; the Sept. for מוּם, of bodily defects and blemishes, Leviticus 21:16ff; Deuteronomy 15:21; Song of Solomon 4:7; Daniel 1:4; of a mental defect, fault, Sir. 20:24(23).) Derived from a root descriptive of a stain, blot, or moral flaw, μῶμοι (Strong’s 3470) evokes the picture of something marred, disfigured, or disqualified. In Scripture such language moves easily from the physical realm (an animal with a defect) to the ethical realm (a person whose conduct corrupts fellowship). New Testament Usage: 2 Peter 2:13 Peter, warning of false teachers who infiltrate Christian assemblies, calls them “blots and blemishes” (μῶμοι καὶ σπίλοι). “They consider it pleasure to carouse in broad daylight… they are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you” (2 Peter 2:13). The apostle’s imagery is painfully concrete: these individuals sit at the love-feast table yet by their presence contaminate what should be a picture of untainted fellowship in Christ. Their blemished character stands in stark contrast to the purity that Christ seeks for His church. Old Testament Background The Septuagint regularly uses cognate terms for the physical “blemish” that disqualifies a sacrificial animal (for example, Leviticus 1:3; Leviticus 22:19-21). Under the Mosaic covenant, anything offered to the Lord had to be free from defect, prefiguring the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:14). Thus “blemish” became a symbol of anything rendering worship unacceptable. Theological Significance 1. Holiness of the Church: Christ aims to “present her to Himself as a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). μῶμοι is part of the language set that underscores God’s demand for moral integrity among His people. Historical and Pastoral Implications Early Christian writers echoed Peter’s concern, stressing the danger of hidden immorality within congregations. The Didache exhorts believers to test itinerant teachers, ensuring they are not self-serving “spots” on the fellowship meal. Church discipline developed partly to remove such blemishes, reflecting Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 that “a little leaven leavens the whole batch.” Ministry Application • Discernment: Leaders must guard the flock against those whose lifestyles contradict sound doctrine, for moral stain can spread quickly. Related Greek Terms for Comparison • 4696 σπίλος – spot, stain (closely paired with μῶμοι in 2 Peter 2:13). Summary Strong’s 3470 portrays what mars, corrupts, or disqualifies. In one vivid occurrence Peter brands false teachers as μῶμοι, living contradictions to the spotless Lamb. Scripture’s consistent witness urges every believer and congregation to pursue the blamelessness for which Christ shed His blood and to guard against anything that would stain the testimony of the gospel. |
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