κατιόομαι (katioomai)
katioomai
to corrode
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb katioō describes the process of corroding or rusting over. It appears only once in the New Testament, in James 5:3, where it paints a vivid picture of wealth that has turned against its owner. The word conveys more than simple wear; it suggests an active, destructive transformation, as metal slowly eats away at itself through exposure.
Etymologically, it is an intensive form related to words for eating or consuming. This root connection highlights the insidious nature of decay. In James’s warning to the rich, the rusted garments and corroded gold are not just old items; they are witnesses that testify against their owners. The physical corrosion mirrors the spiritual rot of hoarding wealth without sharing it.
Translators typically render this word as "rust" or "corrode." This choice preserves the concrete, sensory reality of the image. It reminds readers that material possessions can become toxic over time, losing their value while gaining a destructive power that condemns the one who held them too tightly.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word katioō paints a stark picture of how hoarded wealth eventually turns against its owner. In James 5:3, gold and silver are described as corroding, with that rust serving as a witness against the one who kept it. This image reminds us that material treasures are not permanent or safe. What we hold tightly can become toxic, losing its value while gaining a destructive power that condemns.
This physical decay mirrors a spiritual reality. When we store up resources without sharing them, we risk allowing greed to eat away at our hearts. The corrosion is not just on the metal; it is on the soul that clings too tightly to earthly security. True peace comes from trusting God’s provision rather than our own stored reserves.
Let this truth encourage you to examine your heart. Are you holding onto things with a clenched fist? Or are you open to sharing, knowing that God values generosity over accumulation? Your treasures in heaven remain untouched by time or decay, offering a security that no rust can touch.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- have corroded1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κατίωται1×
Key Verses
-
James 5:3
Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days.
This verse uniquely uses the word to show how stored wealth becomes a witness against its owner through active corrosion.