H0444 H0444
be corrupt, become tainted (moral and spiritual deterioration)
A verb appearing only in Niphal (passive/reflexive), describing moral corruption or becoming tainted. The root suggests turning sour or spoiled, like milk gone bad—a vivid metaphor for ethical decay. The Psalms use it in parallel with other terms for perversion and wickedness, emphasizing universal human corruption. Job applies it to an individual who drinks iniquity like water. The cognate Arabic root conveys confusion and disorder, capturing the chaos that corruption introduces into moral life.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Psalms 14:3 and 53:3 declare in identical language that 'they have all become corrupt'—a sweeping indictment of humanity's moral state. Job 15:16 intensifies the image: 'how much more abominable and corrupt is man, who drinks injustice like water!' The verbal form emphasizes the process of becoming corrupt, not a static state. The multilingual evidence (Spanish 'se corrompieron,' French 'être corrompu') captures this sense of deterioration, a moral souring that affects the whole person. 3×
AR["فَسَدُوا", "وَ-فَاسِدٌ"]·ben["এবং-দুর্নীতিগ্রস্ত", "তারা-কলুষিত-হয়েছে", "নোংরা-হয়েছে"]·DE["[ונאלח]", "sie-haben-become-corrupt"]·EN["and-corrupt", "they-have-become-corrupt"]·FR["et-ונאלח", "être-corrompu"]·heb["ו-נאלח", "נאלחו"]·HI["और-भ्रष्ट", "दूषित-हो-गए-हैं", "वे-सड़-गए-हैं"]·ID["dan-busuk", "menjadi-busuk"]·IT["e-e-corrupt", "sono-corrotti"]·jav["dados-boten-piguna", "ing-para-putra", "lan-busuk"]·KO["그리고-부패한", "더러워졌도다", "부패하게-되었도다"]·PT["e-corrompido", "se-corromperam", "tornaram-se-corruptos"]·RU["и-испорченный", "осквернились", "развратились"]·ES["se-corrompieron", "y-corrompido"]·SW["na-aliyeharibika", "wameharibika", "wamekuwa-wabaya"]·TR["bozuldular", "ve-bozuk"]·urd["اور-بگڑا-ہوا", "بِگڑ-گَئے", "وہ-گندے-ہو-گئے-ہیں"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אָלַח] vb. only Niph. be corrupt morally; tainted (Che ψ 14:3) (cf. Arabic أَلَخَ viii. be confused (of a thing), of milk, turn sour) Pf. 3 pl. נֶאֱלָ֑חוּ ψ 14:3; 53:4; Pt. נֶאֱלָח a corrupt man Jb 15:16.