φθαρ-τός G5349
Perishable, corruptible; subject to decay and destruction, describing the transient nature of earthly, material things.
Derived from phtheiro ('to destroy, corrupt'), this adjective marks something as subject to decay and dissolution. Paul contrasts phthartos sharply with the imperishable (aphthartos) in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, where mortal bodies must 'put on' incorruption. In Romans 1:23 it exposes the absurdity of exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images of perishable creatures. The multilingual evidence is strikingly uniform—Spanish corruptible, French perissable, German vergaenglich—all converging on a single sense of transience set against divine permanence.
Senses
1. perishable, corruptible — Describes something liable to corruption, decay, or destruction—the inherent fragility and transience of material, earthly existence. In 1 Peter 1:18, believers are reminded they were ransomed not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ. The cross-linguistic evidence (Spanish corruptible, German vergaenglich, French perissable) uniformly confirms this single, sharply-drawn sense opposed to the imperishable divine realm. 6×
AR["الفانِيَةِ", "بِفانٍ", "فاسِدَ", "فاسِدُ", "فانٍ"]·ben["ক্ষয়শীল", "ক্ষয়শীল-দ্বারা", "নশ্বর"]·DE["vergaenglich"]·EN["a-perishable", "of-corruptible", "perishable", "with-perishable-things"]·FR["périssable"]·heb["בִּנִפְסָדוֹת", "כָּלֶה", "נִפְסָד", "נִשְׁחָת"]·HI["नाशवान", "नाशवान-चीज़ों-से"]·ID["dapat-binasa", "dengan-hal-fana", "fana", "yang-dapat-binasa", "yang-fana"]·IT["corruttibile", "phthartois", "phthartēs"]·jav["-rusak", "ingkang-rusak", "kang-rusak,", "kang-rusak--", "risak"]·KO["썩어질", "썩어질-것들로", "썩을", "썩을-것이", "썬는"]·PT["com-coisas-corruptíveis-", "corruptível", "corruptível,", "de-corruptível"]·RU["тленного", "тленного,", "тленное", "тленному", "тленный", "тленным--"]·ES["con-cosas-corruptibles", "corruptible", "de-corruptible"]·SW["inayoharibika", "kwa-vitu-vinavyoharibika", "taji-inayoharibika", "unaoharibika"]·TR["o-", "çürüyebilir", "çürüyen", "çürüyenlerle", "çürüyücü"]·urd["فانی", "فانی--", "فانی،"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
φθαρ-τός, ή, όν, destructible, perishable, opposed to ἀΐδιος, Refs 4th c.BC+; gloss on{θνητός}, Refs 3rd c.BC+