Greek word · G4598
σητόβρωτος
sētobrōtos
moth-eaten
Moth-eaten. From sēs ('moth', specifically the clothes moth whose larvae eat wool) and brōtos ('eaten', from bibrōskō, 'to eat').
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
Moth-eaten. From sēs ('moth', specifically the clothes moth whose larvae eat wool) and brōtos ('eaten', from bibrōskō, 'to eat').
- Against the English
All the major versions give 'moth-eaten' or 'moths have eaten', which is accurate. BSB and NIV make 'moths' the subject of an active verb. This is vivid, but it drops the Greek's focus on the garments' resulting state ('have become moth-eaten').
- Used elsewhere in the period
Job 13:28 LXX: man wastes away 'like a moth-eaten garment' (hōsper himation sētobrōton), the closest verbal parallel. Moth as a picture of slow destruction: Isa 50:9; 51:8; Ps 39:11 (38:12 LXX); Hos 5:12; Sir 42:13. The Letter of Jeremiah (Baruch 6:12 or 6:11, depending on the numbering) mocks idols that cannot protect themselves from rust and moth. Jesus pairs moth with corrosion in Matt 6:19–20.
Where it appears
James · 1
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James 5:2 σητόβρωτα moth-eaten
Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
Here: A compound word: 'moth' (sēs) plus 'eaten' (brōtos). It pictures clothes left so long unused in storage that larvae have chewed them through. It occurs only here in the New Testament and echoes Job 13:28 in the Greek Old Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.