### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **maraínō**, represented by `{{G3133}}`, means to extinguish, like a fire, or to pass away. According to its base definition, it is used figuratively and passively to mean "fade away." It is a rare term, appearing only **2 times** within a single verse in the Bible. Its meaning is tied to the concept of withering and transient existence.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole biblical context for `{{G3133}}` is in James, where it is used to describe the fate of the wealthy. The passage draws a parallel between nature and human life, stating that just as the sun withers the grass and its flower falls, "so also shall the rich man **fade away** in his ways" [[James 1:11]]. This usage emphasizes the temporary and fleeting nature of worldly status and possessions when compared to the certainty of life's trials.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words found in the same passage expand on this theme of decay and loss:
* `{{G3583}}` **xēraínō** (to desiccate; by implication, to shrivel, to mature:--dry up, pine away, be ripe, wither (away)). This word describes the physical action that serves as the basis for the metaphor in [[James 1:11]], where the sun "withereth the grass." A similar usage appears in [[1 Peter 1:24]].
* `{{G1601}}` **ekpíptō** (to drop away; specially, be driven out of one's course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient:--be cast, fail, fall (away, off), take none effect). This term is used in tandem with withering, noting that "the flower thereof falleth" [[James 1:11]]. It signifies a loss of position or grace, as seen when the chains "fell off" Peter's hands [[Acts 12:7]].
* `{{G622}}` **apóllymi** (to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively:--destroy, die, lose, mar, perish). This word completes the imagery of decay in [[James 1:11]], stating that the "grace of the fashion of it perisheth." It points to a final destruction or loss, often contrasted with eternal life, as in the promise that believers should not "perish" [[John 3:16]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G3133}}` is concentrated in its single, powerful application.
* **The Transience of Wealth:** The word's primary function is to deliver a warning about the impermanence of material riches. The rich man is not defeated or struck down but simply will "fade away" in the midst of his activities, highlighting the ultimate futility of a life built on wealth [[James 1:11]].
* **Inevitable Natural Decline:** By likening the rich man's end to a flower withering under the sun, `{{G3133}}` frames this decline not as a potential punishment but as a natural and unavoidable outcome. The path of the rich "in his ways" leads organically to this fading [[James 1:11]].
* **Figurative Extinguishment:** The term conveys a slow, passive disappearance rather than a violent end. It is part of a cluster of words in [[James 1:11]] that illustrates a complete process of decay: the grass withers `{{G3583}}`, the flower falls `{{G1601}}`, its beauty perishes `{{G622}}`, and the man himself fades away `{{G3133}}`.
### Summary
In summary, `{{G3133}}` is a focused and potent word. Though used only once, **maraínō** provides a critical theological lesson on the fleeting nature of worldly things. Through the vivid, natural imagery of a flower fading in the sun's heat, it teaches that a life devoted to riches will ultimately pass away, its glory extinguished as part of the natural order of things.
TRV