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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1"/><title>Strong's Greek: 4550. σαπρός (sapros) -- Rotten, corrupt, bad, worthless</title></title><link rel="canonical" href="http://biblehub.com/greek/4550.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/strongsnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/interlinear/vmenus/matthew/9-36.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmstrongs/greek/4550.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/strongs.htm">Strong's</a> > <a href="/englishmans_greek.htm">Greek</a> > 4550</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../greek/4549.htm" title="4549">◄</a> 4550. sapros <a href="../greek/4551.htm" title="4551">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Strong's Lexicon</div><div align="left"><span class="toptitle2">sapros: Rotten, corrupt, bad, worthless</span></div><p><span class="tophdg">Original Word: </span><span class="greek">σαπρός</span><br><span class="tophdg">Part of Speech: </span>Adjective<br><span class="tophdg">Transliteration: </span>sapros<br><span class="tophdg">Pronunciation: </span>sah-PROS<br><span class="tophdg">Phonetic Spelling: </span>(sap-ros')<br><span class="tophdg">Definition: </span>Rotten, corrupt, bad, worthless<br><span class="tophdg">Meaning: </span>rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved.<p><span class="tophdg">Word Origin: </span>Derived from the Greek verb σήπω (sēpō), meaning "to rot" or "to decay."<p><span class="tophdg">Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: </span>While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "sapros," the concept of corruption or decay can be found in words like רָקָב (raqab), meaning "rot" or "decay," and שָׁחַת (shachat), meaning "to destroy" or "to corrupt."<p><span class="tophdg">Usage: </span>The Greek adjective "sapros" is used in the New Testament to describe something that is decayed, rotten, or corrupt. It often refers to physical objects like trees or fruit that are spoiled and unfit for use. Metaphorically, it is used to describe moral corruption or worthless speech and actions that are not beneficial or edifying.<p><span class="tophdg">Cultural and Historical Background: </span>In the ancient Mediterranean world, agriculture was a central part of daily life, and the imagery of good and bad fruit was a powerful metaphor. A tree producing "sapros" fruit would be seen as diseased or unproductive, symbolizing moral and spiritual decay. This imagery would resonate with an audience familiar with the importance of healthy crops for survival and prosperity.<div class="vheading2">HELPS Word-studies</div><p class="discovery"><b>4550</b> <i>saprós</i> – properly, <i>rotten</i> (putrid), over-ripe; (figuratively) <i>over-done</i> (ripened); hence, <i>corrupt</i>. "<a href="/greek/4550.htm">4550</a> (<i>saprós</i>) is (akin to <i>sēpō</i>, 'to rot'), primarily, of vegetable and animal substances, expresses what is of <i>poor quality</i>, <i>unfit</i> for use, <i>putrid</i>" (Vine, Unger, White, <i>NT</i>, 49); <i>sapros</i> – "of poor or bad quality" (<i>L & N</i>, 1, 65.28).</p><iframe width="100%" height="85" scrolling=no src="/discovery.htm" frameborder=0 cellpadding=0></iframe><div class="vheading2">NAS Exhaustive Concordance</div><span class="hdg">Word Origin</span><br>from <a href="/greek/4595.htm">sépó</a><br><span class="hdg">Definition</span><br>rotten, worthless<br><span class="hdg">NASB Translation</span><br>bad (7), unwholesome (1).<p><div align="center"><span class="smalltext"><iframe width="100%" height="85" scrolling=no src="/nasec.htm" frameborder=0 cellpadding=0></iframe></span></div><div class="vheading2">Thayer's Greek Lexicon</div><span class="maintitle">STRONGS NT 4550: σαπρός</span><br><br><span class="arttitle"><span class="grktitle">σαπρός</span></span>, <span class="greek2">σαπρά</span>, <span class="greek2">σαπρόν</span> (<span class="greek2">σήπω</span>, 2 aorist passive <span class="greek2">σαπῆναι</span>); <p><span class="textheading">1.</span> <span class="accented">rotten, putrid</span> ((<span class="abbreviation">Hipponax</span>), <span class="abbreviation">Hippcr.</span>, <span class="abbreviation">Aristophanes</span>, others). <p><span class="textheading">2.</span> <span class="accented">corrupted by age and no lounger fit for use, worn out</span> (<span class="abbreviation">Aristophanes</span>, Dio Chr., others); hence, in general, <span class="accented">of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless</span> (<span class="abbreviation">A. V.</span> <span class="accented">corrupt</span>) (<span class="greek2">πᾶν</span>, <span class="greek2">ὁ</span> <span class="greek2">μή</span> <span class="greek2">τήν</span> <span class="greek2">ἰδίαν</span> <span class="greek2">χρείαν</span> <span class="greek2">πληροι</span>, <span class="greek2">σαπρόν</span> <span class="greek2">λέγομεν</span>, <span class="abbreviation">Chrysostom</span> hom. 4 on 1 Timothy): <span class="greek2">δένδρον</span>, <span class="greek2">καρπός</span>, opposed to <span class="greek2">καλός</span>, <a href="/interlinear/matthew/7-17.htm">Matthew 7:17</a>; <a href="/interlinear/matthew/12-33.htm">Matthew 12:33</a>; <a href="/interlinear/luke/6-43.htm">Luke 6:43</a>; fishes, <a href="/interlinear/matthew/13-48.htm">Matthew 13:48</a> (here <span class="abbreviation">A. V.</span> <span class="accented">bad</span>); tropically, <span class="greek2">λόγος</span>, <a href="/interlinear/ephesians/4-29.htm">Ephesians 4:29</a> (cf. Harless at the passage); <span class="greek2">δόγμα</span>, <span class="abbreviation">Epictetus</span> 3, 22, 61. Cf. <span class="abbreviation">Lob. ad Phryn.</span>, p. 377f.<FOOTNOTE:1> <br><br><iframe width="100%" height="85" scrolling=no src="/bsoft.htm" frameborder=0 cellpadding=0></iframe><div class="vheading2">Strong's Exhaustive Concordance</div>bad, corrupt. <p>From <a href="/greek/4595.htm">sepo</a>; rotten, i.e. Worthless (literally or morally) -- bad, corrupt. Compare <a href="/greek/4190.htm">poneros</a>. <p>see GREEK <a href="/greek/4595.htm">sepo</a> <p>see GREEK <a href="/greek/4190.htm">poneros</a> <div class="vheading2">Forms and Transliterations</div>σαπρα σαπρά σαπρὰ σαπρον σαπρόν σαπρὸν σαπρος σαπρός σαπρὸς sapra saprà sapron saprón sapròn sapros sapròs<div class="vheading2">Links</div><a href="/interlinear/matthew/1-1.htm">Interlinear Greek</a> • <a href="/interlinear/genesis/1-1.htm">Interlinear Hebrew</a> • <a href="/strongs.htm">Strong's Numbers</a> • <a href="/englishmans_greek.htm">Englishman's Greek Concordance</a> • <a href="/englishmans_hebrew.htm">Englishman's Hebrew Concordance</a> • <a href="/texts/matthew/1-1.htm">Parallel Texts</a></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><div class="vheading">Englishman's Concordance</div><b><a href="/text/matthew/7-17.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Matthew 7:17</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular">Adj-NNS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/7.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">τὸ δὲ <b>σαπρὸν</b> δένδρον καρποὺς</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/matthew/7.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> good fruit, <span class="itali">but the bad</span> tree bears<br><a href="/kjvs/matthew/7.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> but <span class="itali">a corrupt</span> tree<br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/7-17.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> and <span class="itali">[the] bad</span> tree fruits<p><b><a href="/text/matthew/7-18.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Matthew 7:18</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular">Adj-NNS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/7.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">οὐδὲ δένδρον <b>σαπρὸν</b> καρποὺς καλοὺς</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/matthew/7.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> fruit, nor <span class="itali">can a bad</span> tree produce<br><a href="/kjvs/matthew/7.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> neither <span class="itali">[can] a corrupt</span> tree<br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/7-18.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> nor a tree <span class="itali">bad</span> fruits good<p><b><a href="/text/matthew/12-33.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Matthew 12:33</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular">Adj-ANS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/12.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">τὸ δένδρον <b>σαπρὸν</b> καὶ τὸν</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/matthew/12.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> make the tree <span class="itali">bad</span> and its fruit bad;<br><a href="/kjvs/matthew/12.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> make the tree <span class="itali">corrupt,</span> and his<br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/12-33.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> the tree <span class="itali">bad</span> and the<p><b><a href="/text/matthew/12-33.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Matthew 12:33</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular">Adj-AMS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/12.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">καρπὸν αὐτοῦ <b>σαπρόν</b> ἐκ γὰρ</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/matthew/12.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> and its fruit <span class="itali">bad;</span> for the tree<br><a href="/kjvs/matthew/12.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> his fruit <span class="itali">corrupt:</span> for the tree<br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/12-33.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> fruit of it <span class="itali">bad</span> out of indeed<p><b><a href="/text/matthew/13-48.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Matthew 13:48</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural">Adj-ANP</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/13.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">τὰ δὲ <b>σαπρὰ</b> ἔξω ἔβαλον</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/matthew/13.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> [fish] into containers, <span class="itali">but the bad</span> they threw<br><a href="/kjvs/matthew/13.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> but cast <span class="itali">the bad</span> away.<br><a href="/interlinear/matthew/13-48.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> and <span class="itali">[the] bad</span> out they cast<p><b><a href="/text/luke/6-43.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Luke 6:43</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular">Adj-AMS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/luke/6.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">ποιοῦν καρπὸν <b>σαπρόν</b> οὐδὲ πάλιν</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/luke/6.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> tree which produces <span class="itali">bad</span> fruit, nor,<br><a href="/kjvs/luke/6.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> not forth <span class="itali">corrupt</span> fruit; neither<br><a href="/interlinear/luke/6-43.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> producing fruit <span class="itali">bad</span> nor again<p><b><a href="/text/luke/6-43.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Luke 6:43</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular">Adj-NNS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/luke/6.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">πάλιν δένδρον <b>σαπρὸν</b> ποιοῦν καρπὸν</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/luke/6.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> on the other hand, <span class="itali">a bad</span> tree<br><a href="/kjvs/luke/6.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> doth <span class="itali">a corrupt</span> tree<br><a href="/interlinear/luke/6-43.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> again a tree <span class="itali">bad</span> producing fruit<p><b><a href="/text/ephesians/4-29.htm" title="Biblos Lexicon">Ephesians 4:29</a> <a href="/abbrev.htm" title="Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular">Adj-NMS</a></b><br><a href="/interlinear/ephesians/4.htm" title="Greek">GRK:</a> <span class="greek3">πᾶς λόγος <b>σαπρὸς</b> ἐκ τοῦ</span><br><a href="http://biblehub.com/nas/ephesians/4.htm" title="New American Standard Bible">NAS:</a> Let no <span class="itali">unwholesome</span> word proceed<br><a href="/kjvs/ephesians/4.htm" title="King James Bible with Strong's">KJV:</a> Let no <span class="itali">corrupt</span> communication proceed<br><a href="/interlinear/ephesians/4-29.htm" title="Biblos Interlinear Bible">INT:</a> Any word <span class="itali">bad</span> out of the<p><b><a href="/greek/4550.htm">Strong's Greek 4550</a><br><a href="/greek/strongs_4550.htm">8 Occurrences</a></b><br><br><a href="/greek/sapra_4550.htm">σαπρὰ — 1 Occ.</a><br><a href="/greek/sapron_4550.htm">σαπρὸν — 6 Occ.</a><br><a href="/greek/sapros_4550.htm">σαπρὸς — 1 Occ.</a><br><br></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /><br /> </div> <div id="left"><a href="/greek/4549.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="4549"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="4549" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/greek/4551.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="4551"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="4551" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>