1. destroy, corrupt, ruin — The verb diaphtheiro covers the semantic range of destruction, corruption, and decay. While voice and aspect vary, the core meaning remains unified around causing or experiencing ruin. Active uses include: Luke 12:33 (diaphtheirei, present, 'moth destroys' -- Heb mashchit, Spa destruye), Rev 11:18b (diaphtheirontas, present participle, 'those who are destroying the earth' -- Heb hamashchitim, Kor myeolmangsikineun jadeul), and Rev 11:18a (diaphtheirai, aorist infinitive, 'to destroy those who destroy' -- Heb l'hashmid). Passive uses include: Rev 8:9 (diephtharisan, aorist passive, 'were destroyed' -- referring to ships, Heb hushchatu, Kor pagoedeoeottnunira), 2 Cor 4:16 (diaphtheiretai, present middle/passive, 'is decaying' -- the outer person wasting away, Arabic yafna, Heb nishchat, Spa se-corrompe), and 1 Tim 6:5 (diephtharmenon, perfect passive participle, 'of corrupted minds' -- Heb mushchatim, Spa corrompidos). The multilingual glosses converge across all: Arabic tufsidu/tuhlik/yafna/fasid (destroy/ruin/perish/corrupt), German verderben (to destroy/corrupt), French detruire/corrompre (destroy/corrupt), Hebrew forms of sh-ch-t (destroy/corrupt) throughout, Korean heomul/myeolmang/pagoe/sseogin (demolish/destroy/ruin/rotten). The active-passive and destroy-decay-corrupt gradient represent a unified conceptual field rather than distinct senses, as the target languages use cognate forms throughout. 6×
AR["أَن-تُهلِكَ","المُهلِكينَ","تُفْسِدُ","فاسِدي","فَسَدَتْ","يَفنى"]·ben["কলুষিত","ক্ষয়-পেতে,","ধ্বংস-করার","ধ্বংস-হল।","ধ্বংসকারীদের","নষ্ট-করে"]·DE["verderben","διαφθείρει"]·EN["destroying","destroys","is-decaying","of-corrupted","to-destroy","were-destroyed"]·FR["corrompre","détruire"]·heb["הַמַּשְׁחִיתִים","הֻשְׁחֲתוּ","לְ-הַשְׁמִיד","מַשְׁחִית","מֻשְׁחָתִים","נִשְׁחָת"]·HI["क्षय-हो-रहा-है","नष्ट-करता-है","नष्ट-करने-का","नष्ट-करनेवालों","नष्ट-हो-गए।","भरशत"]·ID["dihancurkan.","merusak","rusak","untuk-membinasakan","yang-membinasakan","yang-rusak"]·IT["corrompere","diaphtheirai","diaphtheirei","diaphtheirontas","diephtharmenōn","diephtharēsan"]·jav["dipunrisak","karisak,","ngrisak","tiyang-rusak","tiyang-tiyang-ingkang-ngrisak"]·KO["멸망시키는-자들을","멸망시킬","썼어진","파괴되었느니라","허물어져도","허물지-않는다"]·PT["de-corrompidos","destruindo","foi-destruída","para-destruir","se-corrompa"]·RU["была-погублена.","губящих","испорченных","погубить","портит","разрушается"]·ES["de-corrompidos","destruir","destruye","fue-destruida","que-destruyen","se-corrompe"]·SW["anaharibika,","haharibu","kuwaangamiza","wa-watu-walio-na-akili-zilizoharibika","wanaoiharibu","zikaharibika."]·TR["bozar","bozulmuş","yok-edenleri","yok-edildi","yok-etmek","yıpranıyorsa"]·urd["برباد-کرنے-والوں","برباد-کرنے-کا","برباد-ہوتا-ہے","تباہ-ہوئی","خراب","خراب-کرتا-ہے"]
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
διαφθείρω, future -φθερῶRefs 5th c.BC+, Epic dialect -φθέρσωRefs 8th c.BC+: perfect διέφθαρκα Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, future διαφθᾰρήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+; Ionic dialect διαφθερέομαι Refs 5th c.BC+: 3rd.pers. plural pluperfect διεφθάρατο Refs:—destroy utterly, πόλιν Refs 8th c.BC+; make away with, kill, τινά Refs; destroy, ruin, ἥδ᾽ ἡμέρα φύσει σε καὶ διαφθερεῖ S.[same place]; τὴν τύχην Refs; δ.…