Word Studies¶
Question¶
What are the civil/judicial laws in the Pentateuch and how do they relate to the moral and ceremonial categories?
Hebrew Legal Terminology¶
H4941 -- mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט)¶
Transliteration: mishpat | Pronunciation: mish-pawt | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 448
Definition: From H8199 (shaphat); properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style.
KJV Translations: - "judgment" (296x, 66.1%) -- dominant meaning - "manner" (38x, 8.5%) -- customary practice - "right" (18x, 4.0%) -- legal entitlement - "cause" (12x, 2.7%) -- legal case - "ordinance" (11x, 2.5%) -- prescribed regulation - "lawful" (7x) -- what is legally proper - Also: sentence, custom, due, fashion, form, order, worthy, wrong, discretion, determination
Key Civil Law Usages: - EXO 21:1 "the judgments [mishpatim]" -- introduces the entire civil/judicial code - EXO 21:31 "according to this judgment [mishpat]" - DEU 4:1 "statutes and judgments [mishpatim]" - DEU 4:13-14 -- distinguished from "his covenant, the ten commandments" - DEU 16:18 "judge the people with just judgment [mishpat]" - DEU 17:8 "a matter too hard for thee in judgment [mishpat]" - DEU 25:1 "come unto judgment [mishpat], that the judges may judge them" - NUM 27:11 "a statute of judgment [mishpat]" - NUM 35:24 "according to these judgments [mishpatim]" - NUM 35:29 "a statute of judgment [mishpat]" - LEV 19:15 "no unrighteousness in judgment [mishpat]" - LEV 19:35 "no unrighteousness in judgment [mishpat], in meteyard, in weight, or in measure" - 2CH 19:6 "ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment [mishpat]"
Significance: This is the core term for the civil/judicial laws being investigated. It specifically denotes case law -- judicial decisions, verdicts, legal rights. The plural mishpatim in Exodus 21:1 is the title-term for the entire body of civil legislation. The word encompasses both the legal norm and the judicial process. Its semantic range (judgment, manner, right, cause, ordinance) reveals the multi-dimensional nature of civil law: it prescribes conduct, establishes rights, defines procedures, and pronounces penalties.
H2706 -- choq (חֹק)¶
Transliteration: choq | Pronunciation: khoke | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 134
Definition: From H2710 (chaqaq); an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage). Translated as: appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree, due, law, measure, necessary, ordinance, portion, set time, statute, task.
KJV Translations: - "statute(s)" (73x, 54.5%) -- dominant meaning - "decree" (9x, 6.7%) - "ordinance(s)" (8x, 6.0%) - "law" (4x, 3.0%) - Also: due, portion, custom, appointed, bound, measure
Key Civil Law Usages: - DEU 4:1 "statutes [chuqqim] and judgments [mishpatim]" -- paired with mishpat - DEU 4:5, 8 -- statutes and judgments described together - DEU 4:14 -- "statutes and judgments" taught by Moses - DEU 5:31 -- "commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments" - LEV 25:18 -- "do my statutes [chuqqot] and keep my judgments [mishpatim]" - 2CH 19:10 -- "between law and commandment, statutes and judgments"
Significance: Choq denotes enacted statutes/decrees -- regulations prescribed by authority. It is consistently paired with but distinguished from mishpat. Where mishpat is case law (judicial decisions applied to specific situations), choq is enacted law (regulations decreed by authority). The pairing "statutes and judgments" (chuqqim u-mishpatim) in Deuteronomy 4:1, 5, 8, 14 suggests the Bible recognizes a functional distinction between enacted statutes and case-law judgments, even though both are part of "the law."
H2708 -- chuqqah (חֻקָּה)¶
Transliteration: chuqqah | Pronunciation: khook-kaw | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 116
Definition: Feminine form of H2706 (choq), meaning substantially the same: appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.
KJV Translations: - "statute(s)" (68x, 58.6%) -- dominant meaning - "ordinance(s)" (17x, 14.7%) - Also: custom, manner, rites
Key Usages: - GEN 26:5 -- "my charge, my commandments, my statutes [chuqqotay], and my laws [torotay]" - LEV 18:3-5 -- "the statutes [chuqqot] of the land" (pagan customs) vs. "my statutes [chuqqotay] and my judgments [mishpatay]" - LEV 19:37, 20:22 -- "all my statutes [chuqqotay] and all my judgments [mishpatay]" - NUM 27:11, 35:29 -- "a statute of judgment" (choqqat mishpat)
Significance: The feminine form of choq, used interchangeably with it in many contexts. The phrase choqqat mishpat ("statute of judgment") in Numbers 27:11 and 35:29 shows the two terms can be combined -- a prescribed rule (choqqah) that pertains to judicial decisions (mishpat). The Gen 26:5 usage places chuqqah alongside mitsvah and towrah, showing multiple legal terms existed even before Sinai.
H8199 -- shaphat (שָׁפַט)¶
Transliteration: shaphat | Pronunciation: shaw-fat | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 220
Definition: A primitive root; to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by extension, to govern; passively, to litigate.
KJV Translations: - "judge(s/d)" (119x, 54.1%) -- dominant meaning - "plead" (11x, 5.0%) - Also: avenge, condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), reason, rule
Key Civil Law Usages: - EXO 18:13, 16, 22, 26 -- Moses and the judges "judge" (shaphat) the people - DEU 1:16 -- "judge [shaphat] righteously" - DEU 16:18 -- "they shall judge [shaphat] the people with just judgment [mishpat]" - DEU 25:1 -- "the judges may judge [shaphat] them" - LEV 19:15 -- "in righteousness shalt thou judge [shaphat] thy neighbour"
Significance: The verbal root of mishpat (H4941). The semantic range of shaphat -- judge, govern, vindicate, punish, litigate -- reveals the integrated nature of the judicial function in Israel. The judge (shopheth) was not merely an adjudicator but also a governor and vindicator. This is the term used for the Judges of Israel (Judges 2:16-19), showing the civil/judicial function was a form of governance.
H4687 -- mitsvah (מִצְוָה)¶
Transliteration: mitsvah | Pronunciation: mits-vaw | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 190
Definition: From tsavah (to command); a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law).
KJV Translations: - "commandment(s)" (175x, 92.1%) -- overwhelmingly dominant - "precept(s)" (4x) - Also: law, ordinance
Key Usages: - DEU 4:2 "the commandments [mitsvot] of the LORD your God" - DEU 5:31 "the commandments [mitsvot], and the statutes [chuqqim], and the judgments [mishpatim]" - DEU 17:20 "that he turn not aside from the commandment [mitsvah]" - GEN 26:5 "my commandments [mitsvotay], my statutes [chuqqotay], and my laws [torotay]"
Significance: Mitsvah denotes a direct command from God. In Deuteronomy 5:31, Moses lists three categories: "commandments [mitsvot], statutes [chuqqim], and judgments [mishpatim]." This three-term formula suggests the Bible itself recognizes functional distinctions within the law -- even if it does not use the labels "moral," "ceremonial," and "civil."
H6064 -- anash (עָנַשׁ)¶
Transliteration: anash | Pronunciation: aw-nash | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 11
Definition: A primitive root; properly, to urge; by implication, to inflict a penalty, specifically, to fine.
KJV Translations: amerce, condemn, punish, surely (11 unique translations across 11 uses)
Key Civil Law Usages: - EXO 21:22 -- "he shall be surely punished [anash]" (fine imposed by judges for injuring pregnant woman) - DEU 22:19 -- "they shall amerce [anash] him in an hundred shekels of silver" (fine for false accusation)
Significance: This is specifically a financial penalty term -- fining or amercing. It appears in the two clearest civil penalty passages: Exodus 21:22 (judges determine the fine for injury to a pregnant woman) and Deuteronomy 22:19 (100 shekels for false accusation against a wife). The rarity of the term (only 11 occurrences) makes each usage diagnostic.
H817 -- asham (אָשָׁם)¶
Transliteration: asham | Pronunciation: aw-shawm | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 47
Definition: From asham (to be guilty); guilt; by implication, a fault; also a sin-offering (trespass offering).
KJV Translations: - "trespass offering" (33x, 70.2%) -- dominant meaning - "trespass" (5x, 10.6%) - "sin" (3x, 6.4%) - Also: guiltiness, offering for sin
Key Civil Law Usages: - LEV 6:5 -- "in the day of his trespass offering [asham]" -- civil restitution (principal + 20%) combined with trespass offering - LEV 19:21 -- "a ram for a trespass offering [asham]" - NUM 5:7-8 -- "recompense his trespass [asham]" -- civil restitution alongside ritual
Significance: Asham occupies the intersection between civil penalty and ceremonial offering. In Leviticus 6:1-7, a civil wrong (lying, stealing, deceiving) requires BOTH civil restitution (restore principal + 20% to the victim) AND a ceremonial offering (ram to the priest). This overlap is critical evidence: the Bible does not always maintain a clean separation between civil and ceremonial -- some offenses require BOTH a civil remedy and a religious rite. This complicates the threefold division.
Greek Legal Terminology (NT)¶
G1378 -- dogma (δόγμα)¶
Transliteration: dogma | Pronunciation: dog-mah | Part of Speech: neuter noun | Occurrences: 5
Definition: From dokeo (to think); a law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical). Translated as: decree, ordinance.
KJV Translations: - "decree(s)" (3x, 60%) - "ordinances" (2x, 40%)
All 5 Uses: - LUK 2:1 -- "a decree [dogma] from Caesar Augustus" (civil decree) - ACT 16:4 -- "the decrees [dogmata] for to keep" (ecclesiastical decrees) - ACT 17:7 -- "contrary to the decrees [dogmata] of Caesar" (civil decrees) - EPH 2:15 -- "the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances [dogmasin]" (abolished) - COL 2:14 -- "the handwriting of ordinances [dogmasin]" (nailed to cross)
Significance: Critical term from law-04. The cessation passages (Eph 2:15, Col 2:14) use dogma for what was abolished at the cross -- "ordinances" that were "against us" and "contrary to us." Law-04 established that this vocabulary is NEVER applied to the Decalogue. The definition itself says "a law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical)" -- the lexicon acknowledges dogma can refer to civil, ceremonial, or ecclesiastical decrees. For law-05: if dogma encompasses civil as well as ceremonial ordinances, then the cessation of "ordinances" (dogmata) in Col 2:14 and Eph 2:15 could include civil provisions alongside ceremonial ones.
G1345 -- dikaioma (δικαίωμα)¶
Transliteration: dikaioma | Pronunciation: dik-ah-yo-mah | Part of Speech: neuter noun | Occurrences: 10
Definition: From dikaioo (to justify); an equitable deed; by implication, a statute or decision.
KJV Translations: - "ordinances" (3x, 30%) - "righteousness" (3x, 30%) - "judgment" (1x, 10%) - "justification" (1x, 10%) - Also: judgments
Key Usages: - ROM 8:4 -- "the righteousness [dikaioma] of the law might be fulfilled in us" - HEB 9:1 -- "ordinances [dikaiomata] of divine service" - HEB 9:10 -- "carnal ordinances [dikaiomata], imposed until the time of reformation" - ROM 1:32 -- "the judgment [dikaioma] of God" (verdict/statute) - REV 15:4 -- "thy judgments [dikaiomata] are made manifest"
Significance: Dikaioma bridges the gap between "righteous requirement" (moral) and "ordinance" (regulatory). In Romans 8:4, "the righteousness of the law" is fulfilled by those who walk in the Spirit -- this is the moral principle enduring. In Hebrews 9:1, 10, the same word describes ceremonial "ordinances of divine service" that were "carnal ordinances, imposed until the time of reformation." The dual usage shows the same Greek word can denote both enduring moral requirements and temporary ceremonial regulations, depending on context.
G2920 -- krisis (κρίσις)¶
Transliteration: krisis | Pronunciation: kree-sis | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 48
Definition: Decision (subjectively or objectively, for or against); by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice.
KJV Translations: - "judgment" (28x, 82.4%) -- dominant meaning - "damnation" (2x) - "accusation" (2x) - Also: condemnation
Key Civil Law Usages: - MAT 5:21 -- "shall be in danger of the judgment [krisis]" -- Jesus references the civil judicial process - MAT 5:22 -- "shall be in danger of the judgment [krisis]... the council" -- escalating judicial tiers - MAT 23:23 -- "judgment [krisis], mercy, and faith" -- the weightier matters of the law - JHN 7:24 -- "judge righteous judgment [krisis]" - ACT 8:33 -- "his judgment [krisis] was taken away" (citing Isaiah 53:8)
Significance: The Greek equivalent of H4941 (mishpat). In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus references the judicial system ("the judgment," "the council") -- showing the civil/judicial infrastructure was still operative. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus identifies "judgment [krisis], mercy, and faith" as "the weightier matters of the law" -- judgment (justice) is classified as a weightier, enduring principle rather than a temporary regulation.
Comparative Analysis: The Three-Term Formula¶
The Bible consistently uses three or more terms when listing types of law:
| Passage | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN 26:5 | mishmereth (charge) | mitsvah (commandment) | chuqqah (statute) | towrah (law) |
| DEU 4:1 | chuqqim (statutes) | mishpatim (judgments) | -- | -- |
| DEU 4:13-14 | berit (covenant) = 10 commandments | chuqqim (statutes) | mishpatim (judgments) | -- |
| DEU 5:31 | mitsvot (commandments) | chuqqim (statutes) | mishpatim (judgments) | -- |
| DEU 6:1 | mitsvah (commandment) | chuqqim (statutes) | mishpatim (judgments) | -- |
| 2CH 19:10 | din (law) | mitsvah (commandment) | chuqqim (statutes) | mishpatim (judgments) |
Key Finding: Deuteronomy 4:13-14 is the most explicit distinction. In v.13, "his covenant" = "the ten commandments" written on stone. In v.14, the LORD commanded Moses to teach "statutes and judgments." The ten commandments (mitsvot) are identified as God's covenant; the statutes (chuqqim) and judgments (mishpatim) are a separate category taught through Moses. This is precisely the two-mode distinction established in law-03.
The Threefold Formula (DEU 5:31): "Commandments [mitsvot] + statutes [chuqqim] + judgments [mishpatim]" maps roughly to: direct divine commands + enacted regulations + case law. Whether this maps to moral + ceremonial + civil depends on whether the biblical terminology aligns with those categories -- which is the question law-05 must investigate.
Supplementary Hebrew Legal Terminology¶
H1777 -- din (דִּין)¶
Transliteration: din | Pronunciation: deen | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 27
Definition: A primitive root; to rule; by implication, to judge (as umpire); also to strive (as at law). Translated as: contend, execute (judgment), judge, minister judgment, plead (the cause), at strife, strive.
KJV Translations: - "shall judge" (4x, 14.8%) -- dominant meaning - "judge" (2x, 7.4%) - Also: plead, contend, strive, execute, minister judgment
Key Usages: - GEN 15:14 -- "that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge [din]" (God judging a nation) - GEN 49:16 -- "Dan shall judge [din] his people" (tribal judging) - DEU 32:36 -- "the LORD shall judge [din] his people" - PSA 72:2 -- "He shall judge [din] thy people with righteousness" - PSA 110:6 -- "He shall judge [din] among the heathen" - PRO 31:9 -- "Open thy mouth, judge [din] righteously, and plead [din] the cause of the poor" - JER 5:28 -- "they judge [din] not the cause... of the fatherless... the right of the needy" - JER 22:16 -- "He judged [din] the cause of the poor and needy"
Significance: An alternative judicial term to shaphat (H8199). Din denotes ruling/judging with an emphasis on advocacy and vindication. In 2 Chronicles 19:10, "din" (translated "law") appears alongside mitsvah, chuqqim, and mishpatim as a fourth legal category, completing the four-term formula. Its usage in Proverbs 31:9 and Jeremiah 5:28 shows the judicial function explicitly includes advocating for the poor -- justice is not merely punitive but protective.
H8545 -- temurah (תְּמוּרָה)¶
Transliteration: temurah | Pronunciation: tem-oo-raw | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 5
Definition: From muwr (to change); barter, compensation. Translated as: exchange, recompense, restitution.
Key Usages: - LEV 27:10, 33 -- exchange of dedicated animals (ceremonial context) - RUT 4:7 -- "concerning changing [temurah]" -- property transfer/exchange custom - JOB 15:31 -- "vanity shall be his recompence [temurah]" - JOB 28:17 -- "the exchange [temurah] of it shall not be for jewels"
Significance: A compensation/exchange term used in both civil (Ruth 4:7, property exchange) and ceremonial (Lev 27, dedicated offerings) contexts. Its dual usage further illustrates the overlap between civil and ceremonial domains.
H1498 -- gazel (גָּזֵל)¶
Transliteration: gazel | Pronunciation: gaw-zale | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 5
Definition: From gazal (to plunder); robbery, or (concretely) plunder; thing taken away by violence.
Key Usages: - PSA 62:10 -- "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery [gazel]" - ISA 10:2 -- "that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob [gazel] the fatherless" - ISA 61:8 -- "I hate robbery [gazel] for burnt offering" - EZE 22:29 -- "have used oppression, and exercised robbery [gazel]"
Significance: A property crime term denoting violent seizure/plunder. Isaiah 61:8 is notable: God hates "robbery for burnt offering" -- a civil wrong (theft/robbery) pollutes a ceremonial act (burnt offering), showing the moral-civil-ceremonial intersection.
H2710 -- chaqaq (חָקַק)¶
Transliteration: chaqaq | Pronunciation: khaw-kak | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 19
Definition: A primitive root; properly, to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (generally) prescribe. Translated as: appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, pourtray, print, set.
KJV Translations: - "lawgiver" (3x, 15.8%) -- including GEN 49:10 "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver [chaqaq] from between his feet" - "governors" (2x) - Also: decree, law, set, appointed, engraved
Key Usages: - GEN 49:10 -- "nor a lawgiver [chaqaq] from between his feet, until Shiloh come" - DEU 33:21 -- "the lawgiver's [chaqaq] portion" (Gad) - JDG 5:9, 14 -- "governors" and "lawgivers" of Israel - PRO 8:15 -- "by me princes decree [chaqaq] justice" - PRO 8:27, 29 -- God "set" (chaqaq) the compass/bounds of creation - ISA 10:1 -- "Woe unto them that decree [chaqaq] unrighteous decrees" - ISA 33:22 -- "the LORD is our lawgiver [chaqaq]"
Significance: The root of choq (H2706). This verb means "to engrave/enact" -- revealing that choq (statute) carries the core meaning of "something engraved/enacted." The lexicon note that "laws being cut in stone or metal tablets" connects this to the physical inscription of law. ISA 33:22 ("the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king, the LORD is our judge") brings together legislative, royal, and judicial functions under God -- the theocratic ideal where God fills all three civil roles.
H1881 -- dath (דָּת)¶
Transliteration: dath | Pronunciation: dawth | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 23
Definition: Of uncertain (perhaps foreign) derivation; a royal edict or statute. Translated as: commandment, commission, decree, law, manner.
KJV Translations: - "decree" (6x, 26.1%) - "law" (3x, 13.0%) - "commandment" (2x) - Also: manner, commission, laws
Key Usages: - DEU 33:2 -- "a fiery law [dath] for them" (at Sinai) - EXO 20:18 (in some traditions) - EST 1:8, 13, 15, 19; 2:8, 12; 3:8, 14, 15; 4:3, 8, 11, 16; 8:13, 14, 17; 9:1, 13, 14 (20 of 23 uses are in Esther)
Significance: Overwhelmingly used in Esther for Persian royal decrees -- civil/governmental edicts. The DEU 33:2 usage ("a fiery law") connects divine law-giving at Sinai to the concept of royal decree. The heavy concentration in Esther shows dath as the term for civil/governmental legislation in a non-theocratic (Persian) context, contrasting with the Sinai-specific terminology (choq, mishpat, mitsvah).
H6416 -- peliliy (פְּלִילִי)¶
Transliteration: peliliy | Pronunciation: pel-ee-lee | Part of Speech: adjective | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From H6414 (palil); judicial. Translated as: judge.
Key Usage: - JOB 31:11 -- "For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges [peliliy]"
Significance: Though rare (only 1 KJV occurrence), peliliy explicitly classifies certain offenses as "judicial" -- crimes that require judicial adjudication. Job 31:11 and 31:28 use this term to describe adultery and idolatry as crimes deserving judicial punishment, showing these offenses were understood as falling under civil/judicial jurisdiction, not merely moral or ceremonial categories.
H8196 -- shephowt (שְׁפוֹט)¶
Transliteration: shephowt | Pronunciation: shef-ote | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 3
Definition: From H8199 (shaphat); a judicial sentence, i.e. punishment. Translated as: judgment.
Key Usages: - 2CH 20:9 -- "when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment [shephowt], or pestilence, or famine" - EZE 23:10 -- "they had executed judgment [shephowt] upon her"
Significance: A derivative of shaphat (H8199) emphasizing the punitive outcome of judgment -- the sentence/punishment rather than the process. The 2 Chronicles 20:9 usage lists "judgment" alongside sword, pestilence, and famine as forms of divine punishment, connecting civil judicial punishment to divine retribution.
H4896 -- mishtar (מִשְׁטָר)¶
Transliteration: mishtar | Pronunciation: mish-tawr | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From shatar; jurisdiction, dominion.
Key Usage: - JOB 38:33 -- "Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion [mishtar] thereof in the earth?"
Significance: Though only one occurrence, mishtar connects jurisdiction/dominion to divine ordinances. God's "ordinances of heaven" have a "dominion" (mishtar) set in the earth -- suggesting that earthly civil jurisdiction reflects a heavenly pattern of ordered governance.
Supplementary Greek Legal Terminology (NT)¶
G2922 -- kriterion (κριτήριον)¶
Transliteration: kriterion | Pronunciation: kree-tay-ree-on | Part of Speech: neuter noun | Occurrences: 2 (KJV); 3 (BLB)
Definition: A rule of judging; tribunal, court.
All Uses: - 1CO 6:2 -- "do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters [kriterion]?" - 1CO 6:4 -- "If then ye have judgments [kriterion] of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church" - JAS 2:6 -- "Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats [kriterion]?"
Significance: Both 1 Corinthians 6 uses occur in Paul's discussion of intra-church judicial disputes -- directly relevant to how the NT community handled civil/judicial matters. The term denotes both the "court" or "tribunal" and the "matters" to be adjudicated. James 2:6 uses it for secular courts. Together, these show the NT recognizing both church-based and secular judicial forums -- a transfer of judicial function from theocratic Israel to two separate institutions.
G2923 -- krites (κριτής)¶
Transliteration: krites | Pronunciation: kree-tace | Part of Speech: masculine noun | Occurrences: 14 (KJV); 17 (BLB)
Definition: From krino (to judge); a judge (general or specific).
KJV Translations: - "judge" (8x, 57.1%) - "judges" (3x, 21.4%) - "the Judge" (2x, 14.3%)
Key Usages: - MAT 5:25 -- "lest...the judge [krites] deliver thee to the officer" (civil judicial process) - LUK 12:14 -- "Man, who made me a judge [krites] or a divider over you?" (Jesus declines civil judicial role) - LUK 18:6 -- "the unjust judge [krites]" (parable) - ACT 10:42 -- "ordained of God to be the Judge [krites] of quick and dead" - ACT 13:20 -- "he gave unto them judges [krites] about the space of four hundred and fifty years" (OT Judges) - ACT 18:15 -- "I will be no judge [krites] of such matters" (Gallio refuses to adjudicate Jewish law) - HEB 12:23 -- "to God the Judge [krites] of all" - JAS 4:11-12 -- "There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"
Significance: The NT judge term shows a range of judicial contexts: civil courts (Mat 5:25), ecclesiastical refusal (Luke 12:14, Acts 18:15), OT Judges (Acts 13:20), and divine judgment (Acts 10:42, Heb 12:23). Luke 12:14 is notable: Jesus explicitly declines a civil judicial role ("who made me a judge?"), suggesting He distinguishes His mission from civil jurisdiction. Acts 18:15 shows a Roman official refusing to adjudicate matters of Jewish religious law -- recognizing a boundary between civil and religious jurisdiction.
G1379 -- dogmatizo (δογματίζω)¶
Transliteration: dogmatizo | Pronunciation: dog-mat-id-zo | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From dogma (G1378); to prescribe by statute, i.e. (reflexively) to submit to ordinances.
Single Use: - COL 2:20 -- "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances [dogmatizo]?"
Significance: The verb form of dogma (G1378), used in the same Colossians 2 cessation context. Paul asks why believers who died with Christ would submit to "ordinances" (dogmatizo). This extends Col 2:14 (dogma nailed to the cross) with the practical application: being "subject to ordinances" is incompatible with death with Christ. Combined with v.21 ("Touch not; taste not; handle not"), the context points to regulations about physical things -- whether ceremonial, civil, or ascetic.
G3544 -- nomikos (νομικός)¶
Transliteration: nomikos | Pronunciation: nom-ik-os | Part of Speech: adjective | Occurrences: 9
Definition: From nomos (law); according (or pertaining) to law, i.e. legal; as a noun, one skilled in the law.
KJV Translations: - "lawyer(s)" (8x, 88.9%) - "the law" (1x, 11.1%)
Key Usages: - MAT 22:35 -- "Then one of them, which was a lawyer [nomikos], asked him a question" - LUK 7:30 -- "the Pharisees and lawyers [nomikoi] rejected the counsel of God" - LUK 10:25 -- "a certain lawyer [nomikos] stood up, and tempted him" (leading to the Good Samaritan) - LUK 11:45, 52 -- "Woe unto you, lawyers [nomikoi]!" - TIT 3:9 -- "avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law [nomikos]" - TIT 3:13 -- "Bring Zenas the lawyer [nomikos]"
Significance: The NT term for legal experts -- those professionally trained in the Mosaic law. Their existence as a professional class shows the law had become a complex system requiring specialized interpretation. Jesus' conflicts with nomikoi (lawyers) in Luke 7, 10, 11 reveal tensions between the law's original intent and its professional administration. Titus 3:9's warning against "strivings about the law" (nomikos) may relate to disputes over which laws remain binding.
G661 -- apotino (ἀποτίνω)¶
Transliteration: apotino | Pronunciation: ap-ot-ee-no | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From apo and tino (to pay); to pay in full, repay.
Single Use: - PHM 1:19 -- "I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay [apotino] it"
Significance: The only NT occurrence of this civil restitution verb is Paul's offer to repay whatever Onesimus owes Philemon. This is civil restitution language (pay in full) applied in an interpersonal Christian context -- not through courts or legal enforcement but through voluntary assumption of debt. It suggests the moral principle behind civil restitution (making the wronged party whole) continues in the NT even without the judicial enforcement mechanism of the Mosaic system.
G5098 -- timoria (τιμωρία)¶
Transliteration: timoria | Pronunciation: tee-mo-ree-ah | Part of Speech: feminine noun | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From timoros (an avenger); vindication, i.e. (by implication) a penalty, punishment.
Single Use: - HEB 10:29 -- "Of how much sorer punishment [timoria], suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?"
Significance: Used for punishment in the most severe NT warning passage. The author of Hebrews argues that if violating the law of Moses brought death on the testimony of two or three witnesses (v.28, referencing DEU 17:6), then rejecting Christ deserves "sorer punishment" (timoria). This passage explicitly builds on the Mosaic civil penalty system (death for covenant-breaking, witnessed testimony requirement) to argue for greater accountability under the new covenant -- the civil penalty structure is used as a baseline, not dismissed.
G2809 -- klemma (κλέμμα)¶
Transliteration: klemma | Pronunciation: klem-mah | Part of Speech: neuter noun | Occurrences: 1
Definition: From klepto (to steal); stealing (properly, the thing stolen, but used of the act).
Single Use: - REV 9:21 -- "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts [klemma]"
Significance: Theft (klemma) is listed in Revelation 9:21 alongside murders, sorceries, and fornication as sins requiring repentance. All four correspond to Decalogue prohibitions (murder, idolatry/sorcery, adultery, theft). This grouping treats theft as an enduring moral offense -- the same classification the Decalogue gives it -- rather than merely a civil matter requiring restitution.
G2813 -- klepto (κλέπτω)¶
Transliteration: klepto | Pronunciation: klep-to | Part of Speech: verb | Occurrences: 19
Definition: A primary verb; to filch, steal.
KJV Translations: - "steal" (8x, 42.1%) - "Thou shalt [not steal]" (2x) - "Do [not steal]" (2x) - Also: stole, away
Key Usages: - MAT 19:18 -- "Thou shalt not... steal [klepto]" (Jesus citing Decalogue) - MRK 10:19 -- "Do not steal [klepto]" (Jesus citing Decalogue) - LUK 18:20 -- "Do not steal [klepto]" (Jesus citing Decalogue) - ROM 2:21 -- "Thou that preachest a man should not steal [klepto], dost thou steal [klepto]?" - ROM 13:9 -- "Thou shalt not steal [klepto]" (Paul citing Decalogue within "love thy neighbor" summary) - EPH 4:28 -- "Let him that stole [klepto] steal [klepto] no more: but rather let him labour" - MAT 6:19 -- "where thieves break through and steal [klepto]" - MAT 27:64 -- "lest his disciples come... and steal [klepto] him away"
Significance: Critical for the moral-civil intersection. NT authors consistently use klepto when citing the Decalogue's "Thou shalt not steal" (Mat 19:18, Rom 13:9). The moral prohibition (Decalogue) and its civil enforcement (restitution formulas in Exo 22) share the same root concept. Romans 13:9 places "Thou shalt not steal" under the summary principle "love thy neighbor" -- confirming the moral foundation. Ephesians 4:28 transforms the prohibition into a positive principle: stop stealing and start laboring to give to others. The moral principle endures; the civil enforcement mechanism (fourfold/fivefold restitution) is not cited in the NT.
All data from Strong's Concordance via search_strongs.py Retrieved: 2026-02-23