verb
ftheramō
Strong’sG5351
I corrupt, spoil, destroy
stem fther-9 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books9 forms occur
What it means
What the word means, in the words of the lexicons out of copyright — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones, wherever each has an entry for it.
φθείρω
[in LXX chiefly for שׁחת hi., pi., also for חבל, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5351 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidfthi'-ro
properly, to shrivel or wither, i.e. to spoil (by any process) or (generally) to ruin (especially figuratively, by moral influences, to deprave)
Fromprobably strengthened from φθίω (to pine or waste);
King Jamescorrupt (self), defile, destroy.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Aeolic dialect φθέρρω Hdn.Gr. 2.303, +others; Refs 4th c.AD+ φθήρω Refs 4th c.BC+imperfect φθείρεσκε Refs 5th c.BC+: future φθερῶ Refs 5th c.BC+; Ionic dialect φθερέω (δια-) Refs 5th c.BC+; Epic dialect φθέρσω (δια-) Refs 8th c.BC+: aorist 1 ἔφθειρα Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἔφθαρκα Refs 5th c.BC+ participle ἐφθορκώς Refs 4th c.BC+ —middle, future φθεροῦμαι (in passive sense) Refs 5th c.BC+; Ionic dialect φθερέομαι (δια-) Refs 5th c.BC+; later φθαροῦμαι Refs 2nd c.AD+:— passive, future φθᾰρήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+, Doric dialect -ησοῦμαιRefs 5th c.BC+aorist ἐφθάρην [ᾰ] Refs 5th c.BC+; poetry 3rd.pers. plural ἔφθαρεν Refs 5th c.BC+: also participle κατα-φθερείς Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἔφθαρμαι Refs 5th c.BC+, 3rd.pers. plural ἐφθάραται Refs 5th c.BC+; infinitive ἐφθάρθαι Refs 4th c.BC+, Aeolic dialect ἔφθορθαι Refs: pluperfect 3rd.pers. plural ἐφθάρατο Refs 5th c.BC+ is much more frequently than the simple Verb:—destroy things, μῆλα κακοὶ φθείρουσι νομῆες Refs 8th c.BC+; φ. τῶν Συρίων τοὺς κλήρους waste them, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰς ναῦς see reading in Refs 5th c.BC+ (also absolutely, miscarry, Refs; τὸν κοινὸν οἶκον Mitteis Refs 2nd c.BC+: —passive, to be destroyed, Refs 5th c.BC+pass away, cease to be, Refs 4th c.BC+; of animals, perish, Refs 2nd c.AD+
2 of persons, μαψαῦραι... ναύτας φ. destroy them, Refs 8th c.BC+ (but perhaps only active of significationRefs 4th c.BC+:—passive, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἔφθαρμαι I am undone! Refs 4th c.BC+
3 corrupt, bribe, τινα Refs 1st c.BC+; lure, entice, trap, κημοῖσι πλεκτοῖς πορφύρας φθείρει γένος Refs 5th c.BC+entices to its ruin, entraps, Refs; pervert, φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρήσθ᾽ ὁμιλίαι κακαί Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, see below Refs
3.b seduce a woman, ὑπὸ τῆς θυγατρὸς ἀδικούμενον καὶ Διονυσίου τοῦ φθείραντος αὐτὴν κιναίδου Refs 3rd c.BC+:—passive, Refs 5th c.BC+ (but not Attic dialect accusative to Refs 2nd c.AD+
4 ruin, spoil, ποσὶν φθείροντα πλοῦτον ἀργυρωνήτους θ᾽ ὑφάς, of one who treads on rich carpets, Refs 4th c.BC+; βαφὰς φθείρουσα τοῦ ποικίλματος, of blood, Refs; of a poison, ὧνπερ ἂν θίγῃ, φθείρει τὰ πάντα Refs 5th c.BC+; δούλην (wet-nurse) μὴ φθείρουσαν τὸ γάλα Refs 1st c.BC+
5 τὰ μιγνύμενα τῶν χρωμάτων οἱ βαφεῖς φθείρεσθαι καὶ φθοράν τὴν μῖξιν ὀνομάζουσιν Refs 1st c.AD+
II passive (compare above 1.1, 2),
II.1 φθείρεσθε (as a curse) may you perish! ruin take you! Refs 8th c.BC+; φθείρου as an imprecation, go to the devil! be off! Refs 5th c.BC+ off from her! unhand her, let her go, Refs 5th c.BC+ if thou dost not depart... Refs
II.1.b with a preposition, φθείρεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πλουσίους, of hangers-on and flatterers, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.2 in Medicine texts, ἡ κοιλίη φθαρήσεται will be deranged, disordered, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 to be morally corrupted, ἐφθάρη ἡ γῆ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ LXX+3rd c.BC+; but ἐν Σικυωνίαι ἐφθαρμένους is falsa lectio for{ἐν Σικυῶνι διεφθ}. (conjecture Sintenis) in Refs 1st c.AD+
II.4 of seafarers, wander, drift Refs 5th c.BC+; ναυτίλους ἐφθαρμένους sailors driven out of their course, Refs; of shipwrecked persons, νεῶν (ἐκ νεῶν Elmsl.) φθαρέντες Refs 4th c.BC+; also of travellers or wanderers by land, οὐχ ἕνα νομίζων φθείρεται πόλεως νόμον (variant{τόπον}) Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδὲν δεῖ φθείρεσθαι περιόντα (={περιιόντα}) τὴν ἀρχὴν ἅπασαν Refs 1st c.AD+; μὴ περιΐδῃς ἀγαθοὺς γείτονας εἰς στενὸν τοῦ καιροῦ φθειρομένουςRefs 2nd c.AD+; φθαρῆναι εἰς βάρβαρα ἔθνη (ἐν βαρβάροις ἔθνεσι or ἔθεσι codices) Refs 3rd c.BC+; φθαρέντων ἐς ἀλλήλους falling foul of one another, Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.5 of women, χέρσους φθαρῆναι pine away in barrenness, Refs 5th c.BC+ (unless wander, compare above Refsksárati 'flow', later 'wane, perish', Avest. γζ?~Xαρ- and ζ?~Xγαρ- 'flow'.)
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| ftheratōφθείρει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | destroys | 1× |
| ftheralōφθείρουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | corrupts | 1× |
| ftherolōφθείρονται | happening now · theypresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural | destroyed | 1× |
| ftherateἔφθειρεν | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | corrupted | 1× |
| ftheratiφθερεῖ | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | destroy | 1× |
| ftheriliφθαρήσονται | will happen · theyfuture passive indicative 3rd person plural | destroyed | 1× |
| ftheranaἐφθείραμεν | happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural | corrupted | 1× |
| ftheriteiaφθαρῇ | happened · he/she/itaorist passive subjunctive 3rd person singular | led astray | 1× |
| ftherorōntonφθειρόμενον | happening now · objectpresent middle or passive participle accusative singular masculine | corrupted | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 7 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftheramō | ftherame | ftherami | ftherama | ftheramē | ftheramelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherasō | ftherase | ftherasi | ftherasa | ftherasē | ftheraselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheratō1×φθείρει | ftherate1×ἔφθειρεν | ftherati1×φθερεῖ | ftherata | ftheratē | ftheratelē |
| we 1st person plural | ftheranō | ftherane | ftherani | ftherana1×ἐφθείραμεν | ftheranē | ftheranelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheravō | ftherave | ftheravi | ftherava | ftheravē | ftheravelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheralō1×φθείρουσιν | ftherale | ftherali | ftherala | ftheralē | ftheralelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftheromō | ftherome | ftheromē | ftheromelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherosō | ftherose | ftherosē | ftheroselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftherotō | ftherote | ftherotē | ftherotelē |
| we 1st person plural | ftheronō | ftherone | ftheronē | ftheronelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherovō | ftherove | ftherovē | ftherovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ftherolō1×φθείρονται | ftherole | ftherolē | ftherolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftherimi | ftherima |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherisi | ftherisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheriti | ftherita |
| we 1st person plural | ftherini | ftherina |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherivi | ftheriva |
| they 3rd person plural | ftherili1×φθαρήσονται | ftherila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftherameiō | ftherameia | ftherameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ftheraseiō | ftheraseia | ftheraseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftherateiō | ftherateia | ftherateiē |
| we 1st person plural | ftheraneiō | ftheraneia | ftheraneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheraveiō | ftheraveia | ftheraveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheraleiō | ftheraleia | ftheraleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftheromeiō | ftheromeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ftheroseiō | ftheroseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheroteiō | ftheroteiē |
| we 1st person plural | ftheroneiō | ftheroneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheroveiō | ftheroveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheroleiō | ftheroleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftherimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | ftheriseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheriteia1×φθαρῇ |
| we 1st person plural | ftherineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheriveia |
| they 3rd person plural | ftherileia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ftherasōr | ftherasar | ftherasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheratōr | ftheratar | ftheratēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheravōr | ftheravar | ftheravēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheralōr | ftheralar | ftheralēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ftherosōr | ftherosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftherotōr | ftherotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherovōr | ftherovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ftherolōr | ftherolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ftherisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheritar |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherivar |
| they 3rd person plural | ftherilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftheramoiō | ftheramoia |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherasoiō | ftherasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheratoiō | ftheratoia |
| we 1st person plural | ftheranoiō | ftheranoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftheravoiō | ftheravoia |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheraloiō | ftheraloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftheromoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftherotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | ftheronoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheroloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ftherimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | ftherisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ftheritoia |
| we 1st person plural | ftherinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ftherivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | ftheriloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ftherarō | ftherari | ftherara | ftherarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ftherorō | ftherorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | ftheriri | ftherira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ftherarōntos | ftherarintos | ftherarantos | ftherarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ftherorōntos1× | ftherorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | ftheririntos | ftherirantos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
fther is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
9 occurrences, every one of them listed
ftheratō“destroys”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Corinthians 3:17ei tinos ton naon tou theou ftheratō, ftherati houton tos theos; tos gar …If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him …
ftheralō“corrupts”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 15:33mē planovōr; ftheralō ētheim chrēsteim homiliais kakosais.Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
ftherolō“destroyed”happening now · theypresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural1×
Jude 1:10… teim alogeim zōeim epistolō, en houtei ftherolō.… like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
ftherate“corrupted”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Revelation 19:2… krinata tan pornan tan megan hotinas ftherate tan gēan en ta porneia autau, …… has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He …
ftherati“destroy”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Corinthians 3:17… tinos ton naon tou theou ftheratō, ftherati houton tos theos; tos gar naos …… anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy …
ftherili“destroyed”will happen · theyfuture passive indicative 3rd person plural1×
2 Peter 2:12… blasfēmarōntois, en ta fthora autoiu kai ftherili,… such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
ftherana“corrupted”happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural1×
2 Corinthians 7:2Chōravar nin; oudenon adikana, oudenon ftherana, oudenon pleonektana.… have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no …
ftheriteia“led astray”happened · he/she/itaorist passive subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
2 Corinthians 11:3… exapatata Hevan en ta panourgia autou, ftheriteia teim noēmeim vu apo tau haplotau …… serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion …
ftherorōnton“corrupted”happening now · objectpresent middle or passive participle accusative singular masculine1×
Ephesians 4:22… proteran anastrofan ton palaion anthrōpon ton ftherorōnton kata tain epithumiain tau apatau,… your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;