◄ 4027. perikatharma ►
Strong's Lexicon perikatharma: Filth, refuse, scum Original Word: περικάθαρμα Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: perikatharma Pronunciation: pe-ree-KA-thar-ma Phonetic Spelling: (per-ee-kath'-ar-mah) Definition: refuse, offscouring, filth. Meaning: The term "περικάθαρμα" refers to something that is considered refuse or offscouring, often used metaphorically to describe something or someone regarded as worthless or despicable. Word Origin: Derived from the Greek words "περί" (peri, meaning "around" or "about") and "κάθαρμα" (katharma, meaning "cleansing" or "purging"). Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "περικάθαρμα" in the Old Testament. However, concepts of impurity and cleansing can be found in Hebrew terms such as טָמֵא (tame, Strong's H2930, meaning "unclean") and טָהֵר (taher, Strong's H2891, meaning "to be clean" or "to cleanse"). These terms relate to the broader biblical themes of purity, cleansing, and the removal of defilement. Usage: The word is used in the New Testament to describe the apostles' status in the eyes of the world, highlighting their humility and the contempt they faced. It appears in 1 Corinthians 4:13. Context: • The term "περικάθαρμα" is found in 1 Corinthians 4:13, where the Apostle Paul uses it to describe the apostles' condition as the "offscouring of the world." In this context, Paul is emphasizing the lowly and despised position that the apostles held in society, despite their significant spiritual authority and mission. The use of "περικάθαρμα" underscores the theme of humility and the paradox of strength in weakness that is prevalent throughout Paul's writings. • In the Greco-Roman world, "περικάθαρμα" was a term associated with the ritual cleansing or purging of impurities, often involving the removal of refuse or waste. By employing this term, Paul draws a vivid picture of the apostles' perceived worthlessness in the eyes of the world, yet simultaneously highlights their role in God's redemptive plan. • The metaphor of being the "offscouring" serves to remind believers of the cost of discipleship and the potential for suffering and rejection in the pursuit of the Gospel. It also reflects the broader biblical theme of God choosing the weak and despised things of the world to shame the strong and wise (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). HELPS Word-studies 4027 perikátharma – properly, off-scouring (refuse); "left-overs," rejected after a thorough cleansing; (figuratively) an outcast, viewed as scummy residue (used only in 1 Cor 4:13). 4027 /perikátharma ("rubbish") describes someone as "the filth of the world, representing 'the most abject and despicable men' (Grimm-Thayer) – the scum or rubbish of humanity" (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 237). [4027 (perikátharma) literally refers to the rubbish left-over after "cleansing all around." The Greeks used 4027 (perikátharma) "of criminals kept at the public expense, to be thrown into the sea, or otherwise killed, at the outbreak of a pestilence, etc. It is used in 1 Cor 4:13 much in this sense" (ibid).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin from a comp. of peri and kathairó Definition that which is cleaned off, refuse NASB Translation scum (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4027: περικάθαρμα περικάθαρμα, περικαθαρματος, τό (περικαθαίρω, to cleanse on all sides (περί, III. 1)), off-scouring, refuse: plural, τά περικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου (A. V., the filth of the world), metaphorically, the most abject and despicable men, 1 Corinthians 4:13. (Epictetus diss. 3, 22, 78;purgamenta urbis, Curt. 8, 5, 8; 10, 2, 7; (see Wetstein on 1 Corinthians, the passage cited); the Sept. once for כֹּפֶר, the price of expiation or redemption, Proverbs 21:18, because the Greeks used to apply the term καθαρματα to victims sacrificed to make expiation for the people, and even to criminals who were maintained at the public expense, that on the outbreak of a pestilence or other calamity they might be offered as sacrifices to make expiation for the state.) STRONGS NT 4027a: περικαθίζω περικαθίζω: 1 aorist participle περικαθισας; 1. in classical Greek transitive, to bid or make to sit around, to invest, besiege, a city, a fortress. 2. intransitive, to sit around, be seated around ; so in Luke 22:55 Lachmann text Strong's Exhaustive Concordance filth. From a compound of peri and kathairo; something cleaned off all around, i.e. Refuse (figuratively) -- filth. see GREEK peri see GREEK kathairo Forms and Transliterations περιεκάθηντο περιεκάθητο περιεκάθισαν περιεκάθισε περιεκάθισεν περικάθαρμα περικαθαρματα περικαθάρματα περικαθιείς περικάθισαν περικαθίσης perikatharmata perikathármata Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts Englishman's Concordance 1 Corinthians 4:13 N-NNP GRK: παρακαλοῦμεν ὡς περικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου NAS: we have become as the scum of the world, KJV: as the filth of the world, INT: we entreat as [the] refuse of the world Strong's Greek 4027 1 Occurrence περικαθάρματα — 1 Occ.