βόρβορος (borboros)
borboros
mire
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun borboros refers to thick mud, mire, or filth. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in 2 Peter 2:22, where it describes a state of defilement. The word carries a visceral sense of dirtiness that goes beyond simple physical grime, evoking the sticky, clinging nature of wet earth or waste.
Its usage highlights a spiritual regression. Peter employs this vivid imagery to illustrate how someone who has escaped the corruption of the world can become entangled in it again. The text suggests that returning to such filth is worse than never having known purity at all, emphasizing the gravity of abandoning a cleansed state for one of moral decay.
The term’s rarity underscores its impact. By choosing this specific word for mud or dung, the author creates a stark contrast between spiritual cleanliness and the heavy, suffocating nature of sin. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the condition of those who reject truth after having accepted it, leaving them mired in their own former ways.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word borboros paints a picture of thick, clinging mud or filth. In 2 Peter 2:22, it describes a state of deep defilement that goes beyond simple dirtiness. It evokes the heavy, suffocating nature of sin that pulls us back into old patterns.
This imagery reminds us of the danger of returning to former ways after knowing purity. Peter uses this vivid metaphor to warn against spiritual regression. It is a stark contrast between the cleanliness we find in Christ and the mire of moral decay.
May this word encourage you to hold fast to your faith. Let it inspire gratitude for the cleansing grace that frees us from such bondage, keeping our hearts fixed on the truth that sets us free.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in [the] mire.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- βορβόρου.¶1×
Key Verses
-
II Peter 2:22
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”
This verse uses borboros to illustrate the grave danger of returning to sin after knowing Christ, comparing it to a sow wallowing in filth.