Defilements Part 1

Defilements are what we are to escape from and what so easily entangle us. We shall consider what these defilements are and in order to do that we shall look at each word in the Hebrew and the Greek that is translated as defilement.

Hebrew:

H 2490. חָלַל châlal, khaw-lal’; a prim. root [comp. H 2470]; prop. to bore, i.e. (by impl.) to wound, to dissolve; fig. to profane (a person, place or thing)

H 1602. גָּעַל gâ˓al, gaw-al’; a prim. root; to detest; by impl. to reject:— abhor, fail, lothe, vilely cast away.

H 2491. חָלָל châlâl, khaw-lawl’; from H 2490; pierced (espec. to death); fig. polluted:— kill, profane


H 1351. גָּאַל gaal (146a); a prim. root; to defile

H 2610. חָנֵף chânêph, khaw-nafe’; a prim. root; to soil, espec. in a mor. sense:— corrupt, defile, × greatly, pollute, profane.

H 2930. טָמֵא ṭâmê˒, taw-may’; a prim. root; to be foul, espec. in a cerem. or mor. sense (contaminated):— defile (self)

H 2931. טָמֵא ṭâmê˒, taw-may’; from H 2930; foul in a relig. sense:— defiled

Greek:

G 3393. μίασμα miasma; from G 3392; a stain, defilement

G 3435. μολύνω molunō; to stain, defile:

G 2840. κοινόω koinoō; from 2839; to make common:

G 2839. κοινός koinos; from G 4862; common


G 3436. μολυσμός molusmos; from G 3435; defilement

G 3392. μιαίνω miainō; to stain, defile

In the Old Testament the word defilement dealt with many aspects of life, encompassing defilements of the land, of the nation, of the person, family or sexual in nature. In the New Testament it dealt with aspects of the personal, inter-personal or religious.
Defilement is progressive. By this I mean that it starts with the defilement of a person then moves on to the family, next to the nation and finally to the land itself. It is like filling several containers that are connected by pipes only on each container the pipe to the next is somewhat higher than on the last.
Defilements also come in two spectrums; that of unbelievers and that of believers. Under the principle of judgment beginning at the house of the lord unbelievers have a longer leash, so to speak. There are many verses in the Old Testament that cover all aspects of defilements but Isaiah 59:1-8 takes us from personal to national, defilement of the land shall be covered separately.