The term "rotten" in the Bible is often used metaphorically to describe moral decay, corruption, or the consequences of sin. It conveys a sense of something that has lost its integrity, value, or usefulness, often due to neglect or inherent corruption. The imagery of rottenness is employed in various contexts throughout Scripture to illustrate the spiritual and moral state of individuals or societies that have turned away from God's righteous standards.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, the concept of rottenness is frequently associated with the consequences of sin and disobedience. Proverbs 12:4 states, "A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones." Here, the term "decay" is synonymous with rottenness, illustrating the destructive impact of shame and dishonor within a family.

Isaiah 5:24 uses the imagery of rottenness to describe the judgment upon those who reject God's law: "Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the stubble, and as dry grass sinks in the flames, so their roots will decay, and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." The decay of roots signifies the complete destruction and futility that result from turning away from divine instruction.

New Testament Insights

While the New Testament does not frequently use the term "rotten," the concept is present in discussions of moral and spiritual corruption. In Matthew 7:17-18 , Jesus uses the metaphor of trees and fruit to teach about the nature of true discipleship: "Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." The "bad fruit" can be understood as rotten, symbolizing the corrupt outcomes of a life not rooted in Christ.

Ephesians 4:29 advises believers, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen." The term "unwholesome" can be interpreted as rotten, emphasizing the importance of pure and edifying speech as opposed to corrupt and harmful words.

Theological Implications

The imagery of rottenness in the Bible serves as a powerful reminder of the destructive nature of sin and the importance of maintaining spiritual integrity. It underscores the need for believers to remain rooted in Christ and His teachings to produce good fruit and avoid the decay that comes from moral and spiritual compromise. The Bible consistently calls for a life of holiness, urging individuals to reject the corrupting influences of the world and to pursue righteousness through faith and obedience to God's Word.1. (a.) Having rotted; putrid; decayed; as, a rotten apple; rotten meat.

2. (a.) Offensive to the smell; fetid; disgusting.

3. (a.) Not firm or trusty; unsound; defective; treacherous; unsafe; as, a rotten plank, bone, stone.

4550. sapros -- rotten, worthless
... rotten, worthless. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: sapros Phonetic Spelling:
(sap-ros') Short Definition: rotten, useless, corrupt Definition: rotten ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4550.htm - 7k

172. akakos -- guileless
... hurt). [It is ultimately the negated form of 2556 ("a rotten disposition,
bent on inflicting ").]. Word Origin from alpha (as a neg. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/172.htm - 7k

7539. riqqabon -- rottenness, decay
... 7538, 7539. riqqabon. 7540 . rottenness, decay. Transliteration: riqqabon Phonetic
Spelling: (rik-kaw-bone') Short Definition: rotten. ... rotten. ...
/hebrew/7539.htm - 6k

4418. malach -- a rag
... Word Origin from malach Definition a rag NASB Word Usage rags (2). rotten rag. From
malach in its original sense; a rag or old garment -- rotten rag. ...
/hebrew/4418.htm - 6k

5685. abash -- to shrivel
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to shrivel NASB Word Usage shrivel (1). be rotten.
A primitive root; to dry up -- be rotten. 5684, 5685. abash. 5686 . ...
/hebrew/5685.htm - 5k

7538. raqab -- rottenness, decay
... Word Origin from raqeb Definition rottenness, decay NASB Word Usage decay
(1), rotten thing (1), rottenness (3). rottenness thing. ...
/hebrew/7538.htm - 6k

The Gentleman with Rotten Eggs
... a New Church; Comments on Rousseau; Geology; Swedenborg, and Riding Horseback; Gwennap
and 20,000 People; Death of Whitefield The Gentleman with Rotten Eggs. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/the gentleman with rotten eggs.htm

The Kingdom of God and Your Part in It
... Those of you who know life even an inch below the surface, know that even in this
Christian country, in our great cities, the world is rotten. ...
/.../stones rolled away and other addresses to young men/vi the kingdom of god.htm

A Life for a Life
... But that is not all. The world is not only sunken; the world is rotten. Those ...
Salt is that which keeps things from becoming rotten. You ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/a life for a life/a life for a life.htm

A Book for Boys and Girls Or, Temporal Things Spritualized.
... kite. 2. But chicks from rotten eggs do not proceed, Nor is a hypocrite
a saint indeed. The rotten egg, though underneath the hen ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a book for boys and.htm

As the vine is Supported by the Elm, So is the Rich Man Helped by ...
... vine be trained upon the elm, it cannot bear much fruit when extended at length
upon the ground; [251] and the fruit which it does bear is rotten, because the ...
/.../pastor/the pastor books first second third/similitude second as the vine.htm

Practical Observations.
... 5. When the Interpreter had done, he takes them out into his garden again, and led
them to a tree whose inside was all rotten and gone; and yet it grew and had ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/practical observations 15.htm

The Way to Learn from Jesus
... teacher. "No good tree bears rotten fruit; neither does a rotten tree
bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the way to learn from.htm

Epistle Xliii. To Leander Bishop of Hispalis (Seville) .
... For, indeed, I am in this place tossed by such billows of this world that I am in
no wise able to steer into port the old and rotten ship of which, in the ...
/.../the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle xliii to leander bishop.htm

The Form of Sound Words
... If it does not do this, it is nothing but a rotten doctrine of pride; it may dazzle
us with the brilliant malaria rising from its marshes, but it never can ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the form of sound words.htm

False Profession.
... The Interpreter takes them out into his garden, and had them to a tree whose
inside was all rotten and gone, and yet it grew and had leaves. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xx false profession.htm

Rotten (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Having rotted; putrid; decayed; as, a rotten apple;
rotten meat. ... Multi-Version Concordance Rotten (9 Occurrences). ...
/r/rotten.htm - 9k

Rottenness (9 Occurrences)
... In Jeremiah 38:11, 12 the King James Version has "old rotten rags" for melach,
"rag" (the Revised Version (British and American) "wornout garments," a ...
/r/rottenness.htm - 10k

Brings (155 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Luke 6:43 For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit;
nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. (WEB). ...
/b/brings.htm - 33k

Bears (62 Occurrences)
... (WEB DBY). Luke 6:43 For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor
again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. (See RSV NIV). ...
/b/bears.htm - 24k

Clouts (2 Occurrences)
... 38:11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under
the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let ...
/c/clouts.htm - 7k

Fruit (318 Occurrences)
... NIV). Luke 6:43 For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit;
nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. (WEB ...
/f/fruit.htm - 40k

Bear (425 Occurrences)
... Luke 6:43 For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again
a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. (See RSV NIV). ...
/b/bear.htm - 44k

Bring (1372 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Luke 6:43 For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again
a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. (Root in WEB KJV ASV WBS). ...
/b/bring.htm - 40k

Naughty (3 Occurrences)
... Naughty figs. (Jeremiah 24:2). "The bad figs may have been such either from having
decayed, and thus been reduced to a rotten condition, or as being the fruit ...
/n/naughty.htm - 9k

Garners (2 Occurrences)
... Joel 1:17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the
barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. (KJV JPS ASV). ...
/g/garners.htm - 7k

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Rotten: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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