What does φθορά (phthorá) mean in the Bible?
Φθορά names corruption, decay, perishability, or ruin. Paul's uses span bodily mortality, the destructive harvest of flesh-directed living, and things that perish through use.
Greek · G5356
φθορά
Corruption
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φθορά G5356
Pronunciation phthorá
What does φθορά (phthorá) mean in the Bible?
Φθορά names corruption, decay, perishability, or ruin. Paul's uses span bodily mortality, the destructive harvest of flesh-directed living, and things that perish through use.
Reader summary
Full entry for φθορά (G5356) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5356?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include perishable (2), . . . (1), corruption (1), destroyed (1), destruction (1).
Where does φθορά (phthorá) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Romans 8:21. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Peter (4), 1 Corinthians (2), Colossians (1), Galatians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Φθορά names corruption, decay, perishability, or ruin. Paul's uses span bodily mortality, the destructive harvest of flesh-directed living, and things that perish through use. First Corinthians 15 contrasts the body sown in corruption with the body raised in incorruption, placing the term at the center of resurrection hope. Galatians 6 warns that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, whereas sowing to the Spirit reaps eternal life.
Colossians 2 exposes regulations focused on material things destined to perish with use. The noun therefore can describe physical decay or moral and eschatological ruin, depending on context. It does not teach contempt for the body. Paul's answer to bodily corruption is bodily resurrection, and his warning about moral corruption directs believers toward Spirit-shaped life.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses φθορά for perishability, decay, and ruin. Resurrection overcomes bodily corruption, while Spirit-shaped sowing opposes the destructive harvest of the flesh.
- 1Cor.15.42
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.
The present body is sown perishable and raised imperishable, so resurrection transforms embodied life rather than abandoning it.
- Col.2.22
These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.
Human regulations fixated on consumable things cannot produce spiritual fullness and perish along with the objects they govern.
- Gal.6.8
The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
The harvest image warns that flesh-directed practice has a fitting destructive outcome, while life from the Spirit bears toward eternal life.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It perishable 2× 1 Corinthians 15:42, 1 Corinthians 15:50
. . . 1× 2 Peter 2:12
corruption 1× 2 Peter 1:4
destroyed 1× 2 Peter 2:12
destruction 1× Galatians 6:8
perish 1× Colossians 2:22
to decay 1× Romans 8:21
to depravity 1× 2 Peter 2:19
Show sample aligned rows
Romans 8:21 φθορᾶς to to decay Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 15:42 φθορᾷ to perishable Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 15:50 φθορὰ to perishable Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Galatians 6:8 φθοράν to destruction Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Colossians 2:22 φθορὰν to perish Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 2 Peter 1:4 φθορᾶς to corruption Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 2 Peter 2:12 φθοράν to destroyed Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 2 Peter 2:12 φθορᾷ to . . . Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 2 Peter 2:19 φθορᾶς to to depravity Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Romans 8:21
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 5
Romans 1 1 Corinthians 2 Galatians 1 Colossians 1 2 Peter 4
Source forms
φθορᾶς 3x phthoras Romans 8:21, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 2:19
φθορᾷ 2x phthora 1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Peter 2:12
φθοράν 2x phthoran Galatians 6:8, 2 Peter 2:12
φθορὰ 1x phthora 1 Corinthians 15:50
φθορὰν 1x phthoran Colossians 2:22
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 3x Galatians 6:8, Colossians 2:22, 2 Peter 2:12
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 3x Romans 8:21, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 2:19
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 2x 1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Peter 2:12
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 15:50
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- State whether the passage concerns bodily decay, perishing objects, or moral ruin before joining the uses in theological synthesis.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that φθορά makes the physical body evil; 1 Corinthians 15 promises its resurrection and transformation.
- Do not turn Galatians 6:8 into a mechanical prosperity formula; the contrast concerns flesh, Spirit, ruin, and eternal life.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Decay subject to time and mortality, contrasted with eternal life and incorruptible resurrection existence.
Strong's G5356
Lexical occurrences 9 verses Greek text appearances 9 times Word forms 4 forms 9 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 Source Gloss
corruption
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Decay subject to time and mortality, contrasted with eternal life and incorruptible resurrection existence.
(φθείρω) [in LXX for שַׁחַת, חֶבֶל, etc. ;] destruction, corruption, decay (see Mayor on 2Pe, App.,175 ff.): Rom.8:21, 1Co.15:42, Col.2:22, 2Pe.2:12; opposite to ζωὴ αἰώνιος, Gal.6:8; by meton., of that which is subject to corruption, 1Co.15:50; of moral decay, 2Pe.1:4 2:12 2:19 (cf. Wis.14:12).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Romans 8:21 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
φθορᾶς fqorav
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 1 Corinthians 15:42 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φθορᾷ, fqora
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 1 Corinthians 15:50 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
φθορὰ fqora
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse Galatians 6:8 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
φθοράν· fqoran
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse Colossians 2:22 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
φθορὰν fqoran
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 2 Peter 1:4 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
φθορᾶς. fqorav
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 2 Peter 2:12 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
φθοράν, fqoran
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 2 Peter 2:12 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
φθορᾷ fqora
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verse 2 Peter 2:19 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
φθορᾶς· fqorav
corruption, destruction, decay
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 4 Aligned forms 9 Case pattern Accusative (3) Number pattern Singular (9)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 15:50 1×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Rom 8:21 · 2 Pet 1:4 · 2 Pet 2:19 3×
Dative · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 15:42 · 2 Pet 2:12 2×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Gal 6:8 · Col 2:22 · 2 Pet 2:12 3×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Physical decay of the body contrasted with resurrection incorruptibility
Moral and spiritual decay from which believers escape through divine promises
Moral depravity and destructive lusts characterizing false teachers and apostates
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
φθορά is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Corruption tells the truth about a world and body subject to decay, but Paul never allows decay the final word. First Corinthians 15 places φθορά within the triumph of bodily resurrection: what is sown perishable is raised imperishable through God's power and after the pattern of the risen Christ. Galatians 6 uses harvest language morally, warning that repeated flesh-directed sowing ripens toward ruin while the Spirit leads toward eternal life.
Colossians 2 exposes religious regulations centered on perishing things as unable to produce the fullness already found in Christ. These uses should be distinguished without being disconnected. Sin brings ruin, creation groans under decay, and merely human religion cannot cure either. The gospel promises resurrection and gives the Spirit, so believers can labor faithfully in mortal bodies, resist destructive patterns, and await the day when corruption puts on incorruption.
Anchor passage
1Cor.15.42
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, resurrection from perishability to imperishability
- Galatians 5:13-6:10, flesh, Spirit, sowing, harvest, and persevering good
- Colossians 2:16-23, perishing regulations and fullness in Christ
- Genesis 3:17-24, death and frustrated life after sin
- Psalm 16:9-11, hope that God's Holy One will not see decay
- Romans 8:18-25, creation's bondage to decay and future freedom
Φθορά belongs to the φθείρω word family, which concerns spoiling, decay, corruption, or destruction. The resurrection context emphasizes perishability, Galatians stresses a destructive harvest, and Colossians refers to consumable things perishing through use.
From Old to New Testament
Death and decay enter the human story under sin, while the Psalms and prophets nourish hope beyond the grave. Christ rises without returning to corruption, and those united to Him await imperishable embodied life while walking by the Spirit in the present age.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain