Defiled (3392) (miaino cf miasmos = the state of being tainted, polluted, corrupted, defiled or stained by) means literally to dye with another color. Figuratively miaino describes a mind and conscience that is morally contaminated, corrupted, tainted, tinged and polluted. In a ceremonial or cultic sense it means to defile or make unclean or to be unacceptable.
Jude uses miaino in a physical and a moral sense of the one's flesh defiled by licentiousness and so to corrupt morally.
TDNT has this note on miaino writing that it is...
a. Neutrally this word means “to paint in color.” b. Censoriously it means “to stain,” first literally, then in a cultic sense, i.e., with guilt or demonic processes. Washings are designed to remove such stains. In the OT defilement is with alien cults, dead bodies, etc., and unclean persons can stain others or holy objects. The LXX uses miaino for “to declare unclean.” Since the NT no longer thinks in cultic terms, the word is very rare....Miasmos. This is “defilement” as an action or state, first cultic, then moral. The one NT use is in 2Peter 2:10, in which it is licentious passion that defiles. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans)
BDAG notes that miaino in secular Greek is used with a...
primary sense ‘to stain’ (as of dye [Il. 4, 141]) (which ) prepares the way for the transferred sense of causing defilement through socially or cultically unacceptable behavior. It is well to keep in mind in connection with the use of this term and cognates that in the Greco-Roman world harmonious relations with the transcendent realm were understood to be dependent on careful observance of certain moral and ritual proprieties. Individuals were subordinate to interests of the community and violations of standard moral and ceremonial expectations could jeopardize the delicate balance between an entire populace and its deities. In our literature only in transferred sense
The perfect tense pictures an abiding condition or lasting state -- their consciences became defiled at a point in time in the past and are still in that condition. And because of this moral pollution of their "mind and conscience", everything they see, say and do is potentially tainted.
NIDNTT notes that in Classic Greek...
The basic meaning of miaino is to colour something by painting or staining it. In this sense the word is morally and aesthetically neutral. But from Homer on it is also used metaphorically for causing oneself or other people or places to be “stained”, i.e. unclean, with defilement that needs deliberate ritual cleansing. And in a broader moral sense miaino is used for profaning religion and justice (Aeschylus), sullying one’s father’s fame (Euripides), and polluting one’s soul (Plato). miasma, meaning the defilement resulting, and miasmos, meaning the defiled state, have a corresponding range of physical, cultic and moral meaning, while amiantos signifies freedom from defilement in both the moral and the religious sense.
In the LXX, miaino frequently renders forms of tame', “defile”, especially in ritual contexts in Lev., Num. and Ezek. In Lev. 13:3 the meaning of miaino is declarative, “to pronounce unclean.” Since the OT does not contrast ritual and moral defilement, as modern scholarship tends to do, but rather assimilates the two, seeing both as contraventions of God’s revealed will, it is no surprise to find miaino used also of the defilement which moral and spiritual transgressions cause (e.g. Isa. 47:6; Ezek. 14:11; Hos. 6:11(10)). Disregard for God’s law in general and sexual license in particular are highlighted as sources of defilement in this latter group of passages. In the canonical LXX miasma occurs three times, in the apocryphal books miasma is found four times, miasmos twice, and amiantos five times; and each word denotes defilement in both its ritual and its moral aspects, just as miaino does.
Here are the five uses of miaino in the NT...
John 18:28 They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
Hebrews 12:15 (note) See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; (Comment: How does bitterness defile? A bitter attitude has an impact on our relationship with other persons polluting not only their lives but also our own.)
Jude 1:8 Yet in the same manner these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
Miaino is much more common in the Septuagint (LXX) where it is found about 23.10" class="scriptRef">103 times (Gen 34:5, 13" class="scriptRef">13" class="scriptRef">13, 27" class="scriptRef">27; 9.4" class="scriptRef">49:4; 20" class="scriptRef">20.25" class="scriptRef">Ex 20:25; Lev 5:3; 18.11" class="scriptRef">11" class="scriptRef">11" class="scriptRef">11.24" class="scriptRef">11:24, 43-Lev.11.47" class="scriptRef">43f; 13:3, 8" class="scriptRef">8, 11, 59" class="scriptRef">14f, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30" class="scriptRef">30" class="scriptRef">30, 44, 59; 15.31-Lev.15.33" class="scriptRef">15:31f; 18:24f, 27f, 30; 20:3; 21:1, 3f, 11; 22:5, 8; Num 5:3, 13f, 19f, 27ff; 6:7, 9, 12; 19:13, 20; 35:34; Deut 21:23; 24:4; 2 Ki 23:8, 10, 13, 16; 2 Chr 29:19; 36:14; Job 31:11; Ps 79:1; 106:39; Isa 43:28; 47:6; Jer 2:7, 23, 33; 3:1f; 7:30; Ezek 4:14; 5:11; 7:22, 24; 9:7; 14:11; 18:6, 11, 15; 20:7, 18, 26, 30f, 43; 22:3f, 11; 23:7, 13, 17, 30, 38; 24:13; 36:17; 37:23; 44:25; Dan 7:26; 11:31f; Hos 5:3; 6:10; 9:4; Hag 2:13f).
Below are a few representative uses in the Septuagint (LXX). Note that in the LXX, miaino frequently renders forms of the Hebrew verb tame' [Strong's 02930] which means to defile, especially in ritual contexts in the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Ezekiel. Miaino is also used of the defilement which moral and spiritual transgressions cause (e.g. Isa. 47:6; Ezek. 14:11; Hos. 6:10 - see below). Israel's blatant disregard for God’s law in general and unfaithfulness to Jehovah as manifest by sexual license in particular are highlighted as sources of defilement in these OT passages.
Genesis 34:5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in.
Genesis 49:4 (Jacob on his death bed speaks of Reuben as) "Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it-- he went up to my couch.
Leviticus 11:24 'By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,
Leviticus 11:44 'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.
2 Chronicles 36:14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) the house of the LORD which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
Psalm 106:39 Thus they became unclean (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) in their practices, And played the harlot in their deeds.
Isaiah 47:6 "I was angry with My people, I profaned (Hebrew = chalai [Strong's 02490] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) My heritage, And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
Ezekiel 14:11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,"' declares the Lord God."
Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's harlotry is there, Israel has defiled (Hebrew = tame' [Strong's 02930] = to become unclean; Lxx = miaino) itself.
Unbelieving (571) (apistos from a = without + pistos = believing, faithful) in the active sense as used in this context refers to one who disbelieves the gospel of Christ, another way of saying he or she is an unbeliever or an infidel. They are faithless.
Nothing (3762) (oudeis from ou = absolute negation + dé = but + heis = one) means literally "but absolutely not one".
BUT BOTH THEIR MIND AND CONSCIENCE ARE DEFILED: alla memiantai (3SRPI) auton kai o nous kai e suneidesis: (1Co 8:7; Heb 9:14; 10:22)
for his dirty mind and rebellious heart color all he sees and hears. (TLB)
Indeed, their minds and their consciences are corrupted (GWT)
In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted (NIV)
Their very minds and consciences are corrupted (NRSV)
The thinking of those people has become evil and their knowledge of what is right has been ruined (ICB)
their very minds and consciences are diseased (Phillips)
both their minds and their consciences are tainted (NAB)
the corruption is both in their minds and in their consciences (NJB)
but on the contrary their very minds and consciences are polluted (WNT)
Mind and conscience are defiled - The world likes to make jokes that are filled with innuendos. There are all kinds of jokes where the plays on words are meant to put filthy pictures in your minds. But if a person is “pure” (literally, “cleansed”), then there are a lot of those kinds of jokes that are going to go right over their head because they’re not looking for the impure things. For a person who is “defiled” (literally, “stained”), just about everything in life can be turned into something filthy and dirty. When a person has exposed their mind to pornography, it begins to color how they look at everything in life. Everything becomes “impure”. There is no longer any way of looking at a person of the opposite sex without putting something perverse into the picture. When Jesus comes into your life, He gives you a new start, a new beginning. He is able to wash your mind and give you a chance to start looking at life in a pure, clean way.
Mind (3563) (nous) is the God given faculty of perceiving and understanding and is the channel through which truth reaches the heart. Paul says that believers "have the mind of Christ." (1Cor 2:16) Although present-day believers are typically not concerned with Jewish ritual observances, the principle is still applicable. We should be more concerned about renewing our mind and focusing it on Jesus than observing a list of rules that have no biblical support.
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Greek Word Studies ( - )
Read freely Greek Word Studies from the Austin Precept text commentary of the Bible in text and pdf format. Precept Austin is an online free dynamic bible commentary similar to wikipedia with updated content and many links to excellent biblical resources around the world. You can browse the entire collection of Commentaries by Verse on the Precept Austin website.We have been "bought with a price" to be "ambassadors for Christ" and our "salvation is nearer to us than when we believed" so let us "cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" "so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." (1Cor 6:20, 2Cor 5:20, Ro 13:11, 2Cor 7:1, 1Jn 2:28)