Greek word · G5349

φθαρτός

phthartos

perishable

Phthartos means "able to decay, perishable, mortal." It comes from phtheirō, "to destroy, ruin, rot." Aphthartos is its opposite: "not subject to decay, imperishable, immortal." Greek thought, and Hellenistic Jewish thought too, often used the pair to contrast the mortal world with the divine.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

φθαρτός, -ή, -όν (φθείρω)

[in LXX: Leviticus 22:25 (מִשְׁחָת), Isaiah 54:17 A א3, Wisdom of Solomon 9:15 14:8, 2Ma.7:16 * ;]

perishable, corruptible: ἄνθρωπος, Romans 1:23 (opposite to ἄφθαρτος θεός); στέφανος, 1 Corinthians 9:25 (opposite to αρτος); σπσρά, 1 Peter 1:23 (opposite to ἄφθ.); neut., τὸ φ. τοῦτο, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54; pl., 1 Peter 1:18.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Peter 1:23

Range of meaning: Phthartos means "able to decay, perishable, mortal." It comes from phtheirō, "to destroy, ruin, rot." Aphthartos is its opposite: "not subject to decay, imperishable, immortal." Greek thought, and Hellenistic Jewish thought too, often used the pair to contrast the mortal world with the divine.
Against the English: BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB have "perishable / imperishable." KJV and WEB have "corruptible / incorruptible." In 1611, "corruptible" meant liable to rot or decay. Today it suggests something open to bribery or moral rot.
How it drifted: The English word "corrupt" has shifted toward moral and political meanings (corrupt officials, a corrupting influence). Its physical sense of rotting has faded, so KJV readers can hear a moral contrast that Peter did not draw.
Used elsewhere in the period: Wisdom of Solomon 9:15: "a perishable (phtharton) body weighs down the soul." Wisdom 12:1: "your imperishable (aphtharton) spirit is in all things." Paul uses the pair for a perishable versus imperishable wreath (1 Cor 9:25) and for the resurrection body (1 Cor 15:53). Romans 1:23 contrasts "the imperishable God" with images of "perishable man."

From the study of 1 Corinthians 15:53

Range of meaning: Phthartos: perishable, subject to decay. Used of food, crowns or wreaths (1 Cor 9:25), seed (1 Pet 1:23), silver and gold (1 Pet 1:18), and humanity as opposed to God (Rom 1:23). Thnētos: mortal, liable to death. It was the standard Greek term for humans as opposed to the immortal gods.
Against the English: KJV has 'this corruptible… this mortal'. BSB and NIV have 'the perishable… the mortal' and drop 'this'. ESV adds the word 'body', which makes the reference to the body explicit but supplies a word Paul does not use here.
How it drifted: 'Corruptible' (KJV) has drifted toward a moral sense ('easily bribed'). 'Mortal' has not drifted.
Used elsewhere in the period: Wisdom 9:15: 'a perishable (phtharton) body weighs down the soul'. This is a Hellenistic Jewish view of the body as a burden, and Paul's chapter answers it differently. Rom 8:11: God 'will give life to your mortal bodies'. 2 Cor 4:11: 'the life of Jesus manifested in our mortal flesh'.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 15:54

Range of meaning: φθαρτός: able to decay, perishable, transient, used of food, crowns, seed, bodies, human beings in contrast to God (Rom 1:23). ἀφθαρσία: imperishability, freedom from decay. In Jewish-Greek writing it is the incorruptible life of God and of the righteous in the age to come.
Against the English: KJV "corruptible / incorruption" was accurate in 1611, when "corrupt" commonly meant "rot". Modern readers hear moral corruption (bribery, depravity). BSB/WEB/ESV/NIV "perishable / imperishable" restore the physical sense.
How it drifted: In English, "corruption" narrowed over the centuries from physical decay to mainly moral or institutional wrongdoing. The KJV wording now suggests sinfulness to many readers, which Paul's word does not say here.
Used elsewhere in the period: Wisdom of Solomon 2:23: "God created humanity for incorruption (ἀφθαρσία) and made it an image of his own eternity." Wisdom 6:19 has "incorruption brings one near to God." 4 Maccabees 17:12 speaks of victory "in incorruption, in long-lasting life." Paul sets φθορά against ἀφθαρσία in 1 Cor 15:42, 50.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

Romans 1:23 φθαρτοῦ of mortal

and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Here: 'Mortal, decaying.' This is about being perishable, not about moral corruption. It is the exact opposite of the word used for God earlier in the verse.

1 Corinthians · 3

1 Corinthians 9:25 φθαρτὸν a perishable

Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.

Here: "Perishable," able to rot or wither. The Isthmian victor's wreath was made of plant material, and in Paul's day it was probably dried celery or pine, so it was literally dead greenery. The word is about physical decay, not moral corruption.
1 Corinthians 15:53 φθαρτὸν perishable

For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

Here: Describes what is liable to rot, wear out and break down. This is physical decay, not moral corruption. It means the present body as a thing that wastes away and ends in the grave.
1 Corinthians 15:54 φθαρτὸν perishable

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Here: The present body as something that rots and wears out. The word is about physical decay, not moral corruption.

1 Peter · 2

1 Peter 1:18 φθαρτοῖς, by perishable things —

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,

Here: 'With perishable things': the means or price of a ransom. It puts silver and gold, the very picture of lasting value, in the category of things that decay and pass away.
1 Peter 1:23 φθαρτῆς perishable

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Here: Seed that can rot and die. It stands for ordinary human descent, which ends in death like the grass of verse 24. It is not about moral corruption.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.