G3781 — ὀφειλέτης (opheilétēs)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3781
Original: ὀφειλέτης
Transliteration: opheilétēs
Pronunciation: of-i-let'-ace
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: ὀφείλω (opheiló, G3784) — to owe
Occurrences: 7 in NT
First Occurrence: Matt 6:12 — "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

An ower, i.e. person indebted; figuratively, a delinquent; morally, a transgressor (against God). From G3784 (opheiló).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 57.018: Owe, Debt, Cancel
Other words in domain: ἀφίημι (G863), ὀφειλή (G3782), ὀφείλημα (G3783), ὀφείλω (G3784), προσοφείλω (G4359), χαρίζομαι (G5483), χρεοφειλέτης (G5533)
Domain 88.038: Sin, Wrongdoing, Guilt
Domain 71.004: Should, Ought

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
debtors	3	42.9%
a debtor	1	14.3%
debtor	1	14.3%
sinners	1	14.3%
which owed him	1	14.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Romans	3	0.69
Galatians	1	0.67
Matthew	2	0.19
Luke	1	0.09

Concentrated in Paul's epistles (4 of 7 occurrences). The two Matthew occurrences are both in teachings on forgiveness/debt (Lord's Prayer and Parable of Unforgiving Servant). Absent from all other NT books.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Moral/Spiritual Debtor — One Who Owes God Forgiveness¶

Matt 6:12 — "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Lord's Prayer — debt as metaphor for sin requiring divine pardon)
Luke 13:4 — "Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?" (KJV renders opheiletes as "sinners" — moral culpability before God)

2. Financial/Parabolic Debtor — One Who Owes a Monetary Debt¶

Matt 18:24 — "And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents." (Parable of the Unforgiving Servant — literal financial debt as parabolic vehicle for spiritual obligation)

3. Obligation Debtor — One Who Owes a Duty or Service¶

Rom 1:14 — "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise." (Gospel obligation — Paul's sense of commissioned duty)
Rom 8:12 — "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." (Ethical obligation — negated; believers do not owe the flesh obedience)
Rom 15:27 — "It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." (Reciprocal obligation — spiritual blessings received create material obligation)
Gal 5:3 — "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." (Legal obligation — circumcision binds one to the entire Mosaic code)

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Parsing	Occurrences
ὀφειλέτης	Nom Sg M	3 (Matt 18:24, Rom 1:14, Gal 5:3)
ὀφειλέται	Nom Pl M	3 (Luke 13:4, Rom 8:12, Rom 15:27)
ὀφειλέταις	Dat Pl M	1 (Matt 6:12)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)	G444	2x (29%)	"a certain man... which owed" (Matt 18:24); "all men" (Luke 13:4)
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	2x (29%)	"all men" (Luke 13:4); "every man" (Gal 5:3)
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)	G863	1x (14%)	"as we forgive our debtors" (Matt 6:12)
σάρξ (sarx)	G4561	1x (14%)	"debtors, not to the flesh" (Rom 8:12)
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	1x (14%)	"debtor to do the whole law" (Gal 5:3)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3784 ὀφείλω (opheiló) — root verb: to owe (36 occurrences)
G3782 ὀφειλή (opheilē) — indebtedness, a sum owed (3 occurrences)
G3783 ὀφείλημα (opheilēma) — something owed, a debt (2 occurrences — Matt 6:12 "debts," Rom 4:4)
G3785 ὄφελον (ophelon) — particle: "I ought/wish" (4 occurrences)

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 57.018 — Owe, Debt, Cancel)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV
G863	ἀφίημι	36	left, forgive
G3782	ὀφειλή	2	debt, their dues
G3783	ὀφείλημα	2	debt, debts
G3784	ὀφείλω	15	ought, he ought
G4359	προσοφείλω	2	besides, thou owest
G5483	χαρίζομαι	5	forgave, forgiving
G5533	χρεοφειλέτης	2	debtors

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
χρεοφειλέτης (chreōpheilétēs)	G5533	"debtors"	G5533 is a compound (chreos + opheiletēs) specifying a loan-debtor; strictly financial. G3781 covers financial, moral, and obligatory debt.

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX mapping. This word is distinctly Greek in formation and usage.