ὀφείλω
opheílō · G3784 · Greek · 35 occurrences
Meanings
-
to owe, to be in debt
To be under obligation to make a payment as the result of having previously received something of value
ExamplesMatthew 18:28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’
Matthew 18:30 “But he was unwilling, and went and threw him in prison until he would pay back what was owed.
Matthew 18:34 “And his master, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed him.
-
must, have to, it is necessary
To be necessary or indispensable, with the implication of a contingency
Examples1 Corinthians 5:10 I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world.
1 Corinthians 7:36 But if anyone thinks that he is acting dishonorably toward his virgin, if she is past her youth and it ought to be so, let him do what he wishes, he is not sinning; let them marry.
1 Corinthians 11:7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
-
ought, to be under obligation
To be obligatory in view of some moral or legal requirement
ExamplesMatthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
Matthew 23:18 “And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’
Luke 17:10 “So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
-
to sin against, to offend
To commit a sin against someone and thus to incur moral debt
ExamplesLuke 11:4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation.’”
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
35 occurrences in 16 groups
- ἐγώI, we 6
- Not stated: he, she or it 5
- Not stated (participle) 4
- Not stated: we 3
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (17) 17
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
26 occurrences in 23 groups
- Other words · 23 groups that occur once or twice (27) 27
To or for whomIndirect object
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- ἐγώI, we 1
- κύριοςLord 1
- μηδείςno one 1
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
5 occurrences in 5 groups
- διάthrough+ οὗτοςthis 1
- διάthrough+ χρόνοςtime 1
- διάthrough+ αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 1
- κατάaccording to, against, down+ νόμοςlaw, the Law 1
- ὑπέρfor+ ἀδελφόςbrother 1
With adverbsAdverbs
7 occurrences in 4 groups
- καίand 2
- οὐnot 2
- οὕτωso, thus, in this way 2
- μήnot 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- σύνδουλοςfellow slave 1
What is done to itIt is the object
9 occurrences in 7 groups
- ποιέωto do, to make 2
- ἀποδίδωμιto give back, to pay, to repay 2
- γράφωto write 1
- δύναμαιcan 1
- ἔπωto say 1
- λέγωto say 1
It is given or told toIndirect object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ἀφίημιto leave, to forgive, to let 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- To owe, to be in debt57.219
- This domain covers ὀφείλω naming a literal material debt owed to another, as Paul urges the Corinthians to give aid: “For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.” (Romans 15:27)
- Ought, to be under obligation71.25
- Here ὀφείλω describes a moral obligation of what one should do, as John urges believers to imitate Christ: “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)
- Must, have to, it is necessary71.35
- This domain covers ὀφείλω expressing a compelling necessity, as Jesus washes His disciples' feet: “So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.” (John 13:14)
- To sin against, to offend88.298
- Here ὀφείλω describes a debt understood as moral wrongdoing against another, as Paul appeals to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus: “But if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” (Philemon 1:18)
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon imperfect ὤφειλον; present passive participle ὀφειλόμενος; from Homer down; to owe; a.…
a. properly, to owe money, be in debt for: τίνι τί, Mt 18:28; Lk 16:5; without a dative, Mt 18:28; Lk 7:41; Lk 16:7; Phm 1:18; τό ὀφειλόμενον, that which is due, the debt, Mt 18:30; αὐτῷ (which L Tr WH omit), that due to him, Mt 18:34.
b. metaphorically: τί, passive τήν εὔνοιαν ὀφειλομένην, the good-will due (A. V. (not R. V.) due benevolence), 1 Cor 7:3 Rec.; μηδενί μηδέν ὀφείλετε (here ὀφείλετε, on account of what precedes and what follows, must be taken in its broadest sense, both literal and tropical), εἰ μή τό ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν, owe no one anything except to love one another, because we must never cease loving and the debt of love can never be paid, Rom 13:8. absolutely, to be a debtor, be bound: Mt 23:16, Mt 23:18; followed by an infinitive to be under obligation, bound by duty or necessity, to do something; it behooves one; one ought; used thus of a necessity imposed either by law and duty, or by reason, or by the times, or by the nature of the matter under consideration (according to Westcott (Epistles of John, p. 5), Cremer, others, denoting obligation in its special and personal aspects): Lk 17:10; Jn 13:14; Jn 19:7 (ὀφείλει ἀποθανεῖν, he ought to die); Acts 17:29; Rom 15:1, Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 5:10; (1 Cor 7:36 (A. V. need so requireth)); 1 Cor 9:10; 1 Cor 11:7, 1 Cor 11:10; 2 Cor 12:14; Eph 5:28; 2 Thess 1:3; 2 Thess 2:13; Heb 2:17; Heb 5:3, Heb 5:12; 1 Jn 2:6; 1 Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:11; 3 Jn 1:8; ὤφειλον συνίστασθαι, I ought to have been commended, i. e. I can demand commendation, 2 Cor 12:11.
c. after the Chaldee (see ὀφειλέτης, b., ὀφείλημα, b.), ὀφείλω τίνι, to have wronged one and not yet made amends to him (A. V. indebted), Lk 11:4. (Compare: προσοφείλω.)
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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