G3782 — ὀφειλή (opheilḗ)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3782
Original: ὀφειλή
Transliteration: opheilḗ
Pronunciation: of-i-lay'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From G3784 ὀφείλω (opheilō) — to owe
Occurrences: 3 unique verses (3 tokens) across 3 NT books
First Occurrence: Mat 18:32 — "I forgave thee all that debt (opheilē)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G3784 (opheilō); indebtedness, i.e. (concretely) a sum owed; figuratively, obligation, duty, what is due.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domains¶

Domain 57.018: Owe, Debt, Cancel
Other words: ἀφίημι (G863), ὀφειλέτης (G3781), ὀφείλημα (G3783), ὀφείλω (G3784), προσοφείλω (G4359), χαρίζομαι (G5483), χρεοφειλέτης (G5533)
Domain 71.004: Should, Ought
Other words: ἀναγκαστῶς (G317), ἀνάγκη (G318), δεῖ (G1163), ὀφειλέτης (G3781), ὀφείλημα (G3783), ὀφείλω (G3784), ὄφελον (G3785)

Domain Neighbors (57.018 — Owe, Debt, Cancel)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G863	ἀφίημι	36	left, forgive
G3781	ὀφειλέτης	5	debtors, a debtor
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

Greek Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Count	Reference
Accusative Singular (ὀφειλήν)	2	Mat 18:32, 1 Cor 7:3
Accusative Plural (ὀφειλάς)	1	Rom 13:7

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
debt	1	33%
their dues	1	33%
due (benevolence)	1	33%

Note: The 1 Cor 7:3 occurrence renders ὀφειλήν as "due" in the phrase "due benevolence." The KJV translation database records only 2 of 3 occurrences.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	1	0.1
Romans	1	0.2
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

All three occurrences are in the NT. The word appears once in a parabolic context (Matthew), once in civic-duty instruction (Romans), and once in marital-obligation teaching (1 Corinthians).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Financial Debt Owed to a Creditor¶

Mat 18:32 — "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt (opheilē), because thou desiredst me:" — The master cancels the full financial liability of the servant in the parable of the unforgiving debtor.

2. Civic Obligation / What Is Owed to Authorities¶

Rom 13:7 — "Render therefore to all their dues (opheilas): tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." — Plural form denoting the various obligations citizens owe to governing authorities: taxes, customs, respect, honor.

3. Marital Duty / Conjugal Obligation¶

1 Cor 7:3 — "Let the husband render unto the wife due (opheilēn) benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." — The obligation of mutual physical affection within marriage, framed as a reciprocal debt each spouse owes the other.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἀποδίδωμι (apodidōmi)	G591	2x (67%)	"render (apodidōmi) the debt/dues (opheilē)" — Rom 13:7, Mat 18:32 context
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)	G863	1x (33%)	"forgave (aphiēmi) all that debt (opheilē)" — Mat 18:32
δοῦλος (doulos)	G1401	1x (33%)	Debtor identified as a servant — Mat 18:32
φόρος (phoros)	G5411	1x (33%)	"tribute" listed as a specific type of opheilē — Rom 13:7
τιμή (timē)	G5092	1x (33%)	"honour" listed as a specific type of opheilē — Rom 13:7
φόβος (phobos)	G5401	1x (33%)	"fear" listed as a specific type of opheilē — Rom 13:7

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3784 ὀφείλω (opheilō) — root verb: to owe (pecuniarily); figuratively, to be under obligation (ought, must, should); 35 verses
G3783 ὀφείλημα (opheilēma) — neuter noun: that which is owed, a debt (the concrete thing owed; -μα result suffix); 2 verses
G3781 ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs) — masculine noun: a debtor, one who owes; 7 verses
G4359 προσοφείλω (prosopheilō) — compound verb: to owe additionally; 1 verse (Phm 1:19)
G5533 χρεοφειλέτης (chreopheiletēs) — compound noun: a loan-debtor (χρέος + ὀφειλέτης); 2 verses
G3786 ὄφελος (ophelos) — neuter noun: advantage, profit (ultimate root base); 3 verses

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ὀφείλημα (opheilēma)	G3783	"debt"	G3783 = the concrete thing owed, the obligation itself (result noun with -μα suffix); G3782 = the abstract state of indebtedness or the sum due
δάνειον (daneion)	G1156	"debt"	G1156 = a loan specifically (from danos "a gift"); G3782 = broader indebtedness covering financial, civic, and relational obligation
ὀφείλω (opheilō)	G3784	"debt" / "due"	G3784 = the verb "to owe"; G3782 = the noun "the debt/due"

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew source words found via LXX mapping. This word is NT-only with no LXX attestation.