The term "fetid" refers to something that has an offensive odor, often associated with decay or corruption. While the specific word "fetid" does not appear in the Bible, the concept of foul odors is present and often symbolizes spiritual decay, moral corruption, or divine judgment.

Biblical Context

In the Bible, unpleasant odors are frequently used metaphorically to describe the spiritual state of individuals or nations. The imagery of foul smells is often linked to sin, idolatry, and the consequences of turning away from God. For instance, in the prophetic literature, the stench of decay is used to illustrate the moral and spiritual corruption of Israel and other nations.

Scriptural References

1. Isaiah 3:24 : "Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty." This verse from Isaiah highlights the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. The transformation from fragrance to stench symbolizes the nation's fall from grace and the resulting divine judgment.

2. Amos 4:10 : "I sent plagues among you like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I made the stench of your camps rise to your nostrils, yet you have not returned to Me," declares the LORD. Here, the stench serves as a reminder of God's past judgments and the people's persistent disobedience.

3. Philippians 3:8 : "More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." While the term "fetid" is not used, the concept of considering worldly gains as "rubbish" or refuse can be associated with the idea of something being spiritually fetid or worthless in comparison to the knowledge of Christ.

Theological Implications

The use of fetid imagery in the Bible underscores the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance. It serves as a vivid reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the spiritual decay that follows. The offensive odor symbolizes the repulsiveness of sin in the sight of a holy God and the need for purification and redemption through Christ.

Moral and Spiritual Lessons

For believers, the concept of fetidness in the Bible calls for self-examination and a commitment to holiness. It encourages Christians to seek the "fragrance of Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15) in their lives, striving to live in a manner that is pleasing to God and avoiding the spiritual decay that comes from sin and disobedience. The imagery serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of God's grace, which can cleanse and renew even the most fetid of spiritual conditions.(a.) Having an offensive smell; stinking.6292. piggul -- foul thing, refuse
... Or piggul {pig-gool'}; from an unused root meaning to stink; properly, fetid, ie
(figuratively) unclean (ceremonially) -- abominable(-tion, thing). ...
/hebrew/6292.htm - 6k

Describes the Hideous Appearance of a Soul in Mortal Sin as ...
... But the soul by sinning withdraws from this stream of life, and growing beside a
black and fetid pool, can produce nothing but disgusting and unwholesome fruit ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter ii describes the hideous.htm

Introduction
... pleasing to imagine. From dusky lane and fetid alley to open, bright Canadian
fields is, in the very thought, refreshing. A child ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/introduction.htm

Analyze with Me, if You are not Overwhelmed with Humiliation...
... Are they indignant that the ideas they attempt to spread, creep, like fetid mists,
along the abysses of society, and excite, instead of enthusiasm, only the ...
/.../lamartine/atheism among the people/xv analyze with me if.htm

On his Father'S Silence, Because of the Plague of Hail.
... him who is of a ready tongue, but unstable and undisciplined in soul, like the tombs
which, fair and beautiful as they are outwardly, are fetid with corpses ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xvi on his fathers.htm

Epiphanius Intervenes
... Surely some old, dead scandal might be raked up against him out of the fetid embers
of bygone calumnies in the vicious purlieus of Antioch where he had lived ...
/.../chapter xliv epiphanius intervenes.htm

Virgins are Called to the Imitation of the Church in the ...
... And this. Slew Christ the King; for many she destroyed,. Nor could they bear the
fetid foam which burst. From out the fountain of her horrid jaws;" [2744]. ...
/.../chapter xii virgins are called to.htm

A Canticle of Mar Jacob the Teacher on Edessa.
... With Thy milk shall I be nourished; with Thy fragrance shall I grow sweet from
the smoke of idols, which with its rank odour did make me fetid. ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/ancient syriac documents a canticle.htm

Flee Away, My Beloved, and be Thou Like to a Roe or to a Young ...
... perfume. Come to those souls who are as mountains of spices, raised above
the fetid vapors corrupted by the wickedness of this world. ...
/.../guyon/song of songs of solomon/14 flee away my beloved.htm

Letter cix. To Riparius.
... You tell me that Vigilantius (whose very name Wakeful is a contradiction: he ought
rather to be described as Sleepy) has again opened his fetid lips and is ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cix to riparius.htm

Then Moses, Exulting in the Safety of his Own People...
... But that which was thus laid up swarmed with worms, while its fetid odor was dreadful,
yet that which was laid up on the sixth day with a view to the Sabbath ...
/.../life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xvi then moses exulting.htm

Fetid (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Having an offensive smell; stinking.
Multi-Version Concordance Fetid (1 Occurrence). Ecclesiastes ...
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Fetter (4 Occurrences)

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Noisome (7 Occurrences)
... noisome effluvia. 2. (a.) Offensive to the smell or other senses; disgusting;
fetid. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NOISOME. noi ...
/n/noisome.htm - 9k

Outweighs (3 Occurrences)
... Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer fetid and putrid;
so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour. (See RSV NIV). ...
/o/outweighs.htm - 7k

Fetcheth (1 Occurrence)

/f/fetcheth.htm - 6k

Rotten (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Having rotted; putrid; decayed; as, a rotten apple;
rotten meat. 2. (a.) Offensive to the smell; fetid; disgusting. ...
/r/rotten.htm - 9k

Fetid: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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