Greek word · G4507
ῥυπαρία
ryparia
filth
Dirt, filthiness. Used figuratively for moral uncleanness. In wider Greek it could also mean sordidness, especially stinginess or mean greed (LSJ).
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Dirt, filthiness. Used figuratively for moral uncleanness. In wider Greek it could also mean sordidness, especially stinginess or mean greed (LSJ).
- Against the English
BSB/NIV 'moral filth' makes the metaphor explicit. KJV/WEB 'filthiness' keeps the bodily picture. Neither is wrong, but 'moral filth' can make modern readers think mainly of sexual sin, which the context does not point to.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Found only here in the New Testament. The related words carry the image: rhupos ('filth of the flesh', 1 Pet 3:21) and rhuparos (the poor man's 'dirty clothing' in Jas 2:2; 'let the filthy be filthy still', Rev 22:11). Zech 3:3–4 (Septuagint) describes filthy garments being removed.
Where it appears
James · 1
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James 1:21 ῥυπαρίαν filthiness
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
Here: Physical grime used as a picture of moral defilement, like a soiled garment that has to come off. It appears only here in the New Testament. James uses the related adjective for the 'shabby/dirty clothes' of the poor man in 2:2.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.