Lexical Summary rhupoó: To defile, to make filthy Original Word: ῥυπόω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance pollute, defileFrom rhupos; to soil, i.e. (intransitively) to become dirty (morally) -- be filthy. see GREEK rhupos HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 4510 rhypóō – to become dirty, spiritually filthy. See 4509 (rhypos). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originvariant reading for rhupainó, q.v. Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4510: ῤυπόωῤυπόω, ῤύπῳ; 1 aorist imperative 3 person singular ῤυπωσάτω; 1. to make filthy, defile, soil: Homer, Odyssey 6, 59. 2. intransitive for ῤυπάω, to be filthy: morally, Revelation 22:11 Rec. Topical Lexicon Core IdeaStrong’s Greek 4510 depicts the state or act of moral and spiritual filthiness—an inner pollution that stands in stark contrast to the purity God requires. Its solitary New Testament appearance (Revelation 22:11) imbues the term with an eschatological weight: when final judgment arrives, a person’s chosen moral condition will be irrevocably fixed. Singular Occurrence and Immediate Context Revelation 22:11: “Let the evildoer continue to do evil, and the filthy continue to be filthy; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” Placed just before the promise of Christ’s imminent return (Revelation 22:12–13), the word sharpens the contrast between two unalterable destinies. The angel’s declaration is not a divine endorsement of sin but a sober warning that persistent refusal to repent will culminate in permanent separation from God (Revelation 22:14–15). Old Testament Background 1. Ritual uncleanness—Leviticus 13–15 and Numbers 19—illustrates how impurity barred access to corporate worship. Filthiness versus Holiness • Filthiness embodies willful rebellion (Proverbs 30:12). Revelation 22:11 therefore intensifies the familiar biblical dichotomy: uncleanness excludes (Ephesians 5:5), while holiness inherits (Hebrews 12:14). Pastoral and Ministerial Applications 1. Call to Repentance: The verse presses evangelistic urgency; while forgiveness is available now (1 John 1:9), a time is coming when moral trajectories become unchangeable. Witness of Early Christianity Clement of Rome called the church to “cast away every wicked and filthy desire” (First Epistle, 30). Irenaeus, contrasting darkness and light, viewed persistent impurity as self-imposed exile from God’s kingdom (Against Heresies, 4.39.4). Such writings echo the finality of Revelation 22:11 and reinforce the necessity of present obedience. Eschatological Implications • Fixed Character: At Christ’s return, moral character crystallizes; there is no post-mortem purification. Practical Counsel for Believers 1. Receive Christ’s cleansing: “To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood” (Revelation 1:5). Summary Strong’s Greek 4510 captures the grim reality of entrenched moral impurity and the irreversible consequences awaiting those who cling to it. Its lone biblical appearance, strategically situated at the close of Scripture, serves as a solemn invitation: abandon filthiness today and pursue the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Forms and Transliterations ρυπανθητω ῥυπανθήτω ρυπαρευθήτω ρυπαρός rhypantheto rhypanthētō rhypanthḗto rhypanthḗtō rupantheto rupanthētōLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Revelation 22:11 V-AMP-3SGRK: ὁ ῥυπαρὸς ῥυπανθήτω ἔτι καὶ KJV: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy INT: he that is filthy let him be filthy still and |
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