Decay
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In the New Testament passages that use this Greek noun, the focus is the decay associated with death and burial. The word has a wider lexical range, but Acts repeatedly uses it while explaining that Jesus was raised and did not see decay.
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Full entry for διαφθορά (G1312) · Open the biblical lexicon
In the New Testament passages that use this Greek noun, the focus is the decay associated with death and burial. The word has a wider lexical range, but Acts repeatedly uses it while explaining that Jesus was raised and did not see decay.
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include decay (6).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 2:27. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (6).
In the New Testament passages that use this Greek noun, the focus is the decay associated with death and burial. The word has a wider lexical range, but Acts repeatedly uses it while explaining that Jesus was raised and did not see decay. Peter quotes Psalm 16 in Acts 2:27 and then states in verse 31 that David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ. The argument concerns what happened to Jesus' body, not a claim that ordinary bodily decay proves moral corruption.
Acts 13 returns to the same scriptural witness. David served God's purpose in his generation, died, was buried and saw decay; the One God raised did not. This contrast honors David's service while distinguishing Jesus' resurrection. The passage then announces forgiveness through Jesus. Keep the noun within that proclamation. It does not promise that believers will avoid death or that the condition of a person's remains measures their faithfulness.
All six direct New Testament usages occur in the resurrection preaching of Acts, where Psalm 16 is interpreted concerning Christ and David's burial is distinguished from Jesus' deliverance from decay.
Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
Peter quotes the promise that God's Holy One will not see decay. The speech goes on to identify its fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus rather than leaving the promise as a detached statement about every person's body.
Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.
Peter explicitly says David foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, whose body did not see decay. The following verse identifies Jesus as the One God raised and invokes the witnesses to that act.
In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
God's raising of Jesus is described as never seeing decay and is connected with the sure blessings promised to David. The emphasis is the enduring character of this resurrection within the proclaimed fulfillment.
So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’
The speech again quotes the promise that the Holy One will not see decay. The next two verses explain the distinction between David's death and the One God raised.
For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.
David is said to have served God's purpose in his generation before dying, being buried and seeing decay. The positive description of his service prevents decay here from becoming a charge of moral failure.
But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
The One whom God raised did not see decay, in deliberate contrast with David's burial. The proclamation then turns to forgiveness and justification through Jesus, keeping the bodily claim within the gospel announced.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Corruption denoting total ruin or decay, especially physical decomposition of the body in death.
Corruption denoting total ruin or decay, especially physical decomposition of the body in death.
(διαφθείρω), [in LXX chiefly for שָׁחַת, and cogn. forms ;]
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
destruction, decay, corruption
Read versedestruction, decay, corruption
Read versedestruction, decay, corruption
Read versedestruction, decay, corruption
Read versedestruction, decay, corruption
Read versedestruction, decay, corruption
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
διαφθορά is built from this root:
Acts 13:36-37 carefully names both continuity and difference. David served God's purpose in his own generation, yet he died and his body saw decay. Jesus, whom God raised, did not see decay. The text does not have to dishonor David in order to announce the greater claim about Jesus. The contrast is about death and resurrection, not an accusation that a decomposing body reveals a corrupt character.
Peter's earlier speech makes the scriptural connection explicit: David spoke prophetically about the resurrection of the Christ. A teacher therefore has a stated apostolic interpretation to follow, rather than needing to build an argument from the noun's possible meanings alone. Acts 13 goes on to proclaim forgiveness through Jesus. Keep that invitation connected to the risen One, and avoid turning the physical details of ordinary burial into a spiritual test for those who mourn.
Acts.13.37
Corruption can describe moral failure in some English settings, but that association must not override the burial and resurrection setting here. The six direct usages concern physical decay. A dictionary's wider range cannot be imported wholesale into each occurrence.
Acts 2 and 13 explicitly quote Psalm 16:10 and explain its reference to Christ's resurrection. The connection is part of the speeches themselves. David's death remains acknowledged, and his service remains honored, while the promise is proclaimed as fulfilled in Jesus. This argument should be taught through the passages rather than through a detached definition of decay.