Putrefaction refers to the process of decay or rotting in a body or other organic matter. In the context of the Bible, putrefaction is often used metaphorically to describe spiritual decay, moral corruption, or the consequences of sin. The imagery of putrefaction serves as a powerful reminder of the destructive nature of sin and the need for spiritual renewal and redemption.

Biblical References and Symbolism

1. Moral and Spiritual Decay: The Bible frequently uses the imagery of decay and corruption to illustrate the effects of sin on individuals and societies. In Isaiah 1:6, the prophet describes the sinful state of Israel: "From the sole of the foot to the head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores, neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil." This vivid depiction of physical decay symbolizes the nation's spiritual and moral corruption.

2. Consequences of Sin: The process of putrefaction is a natural consequence of death, and in a spiritual sense, it represents the inevitable outcome of sin. Romans 6:23 states, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Here, death and decay are contrasted with the life and renewal offered through Christ.

3. Purity and Holiness: The laws given to the Israelites in the Old Testament often included regulations concerning cleanliness and the handling of dead bodies, which were considered unclean due to their association with decay. In Numbers 19:11, it is written, "Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days." These laws underscored the importance of purity and the separation from anything that symbolized death and corruption.

4. Resurrection and Renewal: The New Testament offers hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which conquers death and decay. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul writes, "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." This passage highlights the transformation from a state of decay to one of eternal life and glory.

5. Moral Instruction: The imagery of putrefaction serves as a moral warning to believers. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul exhorts Christians to "put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." The call to abandon the old, decaying self and embrace a new life in Christ is central to Christian teaching.

Theological Implications

The concept of putrefaction in the Bible underscores the seriousness of sin and its consequences. It serves as a stark reminder of the need for repentance and the transformative power of God's grace. Through Christ, believers are offered a path from death to life, from corruption to incorruption, and from decay to renewal. The imagery of putrefaction thus becomes a powerful tool for illustrating the contrast between a life of sin and a life redeemed by faith.1. (n.) The act or the process of putrefying; the offensive decay of albuminous or other matter.

2. (n.) The condition of being putrefied; also, that which putrefied.

4716. maq -- decay, rottenness
... 4715, 4716. maq. 4717 . decay, rottenness. Transliteration: maq Phonetic
Spelling: (mak) Short Definition: putrefaction. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/4716.htm - 6k

Whether Christ's Body was Reduced to Dust in the Tomb?
... But directly after death our bodies begin to dissolve into dust, and are disposed
towards putrefaction, because when the natural heat departs, there supervenes ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether christs body was reduced.htm

The Crucifixion.
... Sabbath. The Romans left the bodies of criminals hanging upon the cross until
beasts and birds of prey, or putrefaction, removed them. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxiii the crucifixion 4.htm

Whether Original Sin is in all Men Equally
... For example, fever which results from putrefaction of the bile may be due to a greater
or lesser putrefaction, or to one which is more or less removed from a ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article four whether original sin.htm

Whether the Completion of the Divine Works Ought to be Ascribed to ...
... of many individual beings, and even of certain new species that are frequently
appearing, especially in the case of animals generated from putrefaction. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the completion of the.htm

Salted with Fire
... which brings together 'salting' and 'fire,' to refer, not to salt as a means of
communicating savour to food, but as a means of preserving from putrefaction. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/salted with fire.htm

Whether There Can be any Suitable Cause for the Sacraments of the ...
... For just as leprosy occurs in men through a corrupt humor causing putrefaction and
corruption in the flesh; so, too, through some corruption and excess of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there can be any 2.htm

On the Glory of Martyrdom.
... glory there is in expiating any kind of defilement of life, and the foulness of
a polluted body, and the contagions gathered from the long putrefaction of vices ...
/.../on the glory of martyrdom.htm

Talmage -- a Bloody Monster
... Could the muster-roll of this great army be called, and could they come up from
the dead, what eye could endure the reeking, festering putrefaction? ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/talmage a bloody monster.htm

Security of Christians.
... truth"a beggar so despised of the rich glutton that he was not suffered to come
within his gate; a beggar full of sores and noisome putrefaction"yet behold ...
/.../bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xvi security of christians.htm

His Own Funeral Sermon
... perfumed the precious body would not have sufficed to keep back corruption; they
would have helped conceal the unpleasant odour which putrefaction brings, but ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/his own funeral sermon.htm

Putrefaction (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) The condition of being putrefied; also, that which putrefied.
Multi-Version Concordance Putrefaction (1 Occurrence). Isaiah ...
/p/putrefaction.htm - 7k

Corruption (37 Occurrences)
... corrupting or making putrid, or state of being corrupt or putrid; decomposition
or disorganization, in the process of putrefaction; putrefaction; deterioration ...
/c/corruption.htm - 21k

Leaven (24 Occurrences)
... be seen with thee leavened mass [seor] in all thy borders." The chemical definition
of ferment or yeast is "a substance in a state of putrefaction, the atoms ...
/l/leaven.htm - 21k

Taint (1 Occurrence)
... 9. (vi) To be affected with incipient putrefaction; as, meat soon taints
in warm weather. 10. (n.) Tincture; hue; color; tinge. 11. ...
/t/taint.htm - 7k

Rot (15 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of
separating the fiber; to ret. 5. (n.) Process of rotting; decay; putrefaction. ...
/r/rot.htm - 13k

Embalm (4 Occurrences)
... from decay by means of balm or other aromatic oils, or spices; to fill or impregnate
(a dead body), with aromatics and drugs that it may resist putrefaction. ...
/e/embalm.htm - 8k

Decay (18 Occurrences)
... DECAY. de-ka': Although this word is still in good use in both its literal sense,
of the putrefaction of either animal or vegetable matter, and its derived sense ...
/d/decay.htm - 13k

Disposition (3 Occurrences)
... state resulting from natural constitution; nature; quality; as, a disposition in
plants to grow in a direction upward; a disposition in bodies to putrefaction. ...
/d/disposition.htm - 8k

Putrefy (1 Occurrence)

/p/putrefy.htm - 7k

Pu'ti-el (1 Occurrence)
Pu'ti-el. Putiel, Pu'ti-el. Putrefaction . Multi-Version Concordance
Pu'ti-el (1 Occurrence). ... (See RSV). Putiel, Pu'ti-el. Putrefaction . Reference
/p/pu'ti-el.htm - 6k

Putrefaction: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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