G3783 — ὀφείλημα (opheilēma)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3783
Original: ὀφείλημα
Transliteration: opheilēma
Pronunciation: of-i'-lay-mah
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: ὀφείλω (opheilō, G3784) — to owe; -μα suffix marks the concrete result/product of the action
Occurrences: 2 in NT (2 unique verses, 2 tokens)
First Occurrence: Mat 6:12 — "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Hapax Legomenon: No (dis legomenon — appears exactly twice)

Lexicon Definition¶

Something owed; i.e. (figuratively) a due; morally, a fault. From the alternate of G3784 (opheilō). The -μα noun suffix denotes the thing resulting from the verbal action: what has accrued as owed.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 57.018: Owe, Debt, Cancel
Other words in domain: ἀφίημι (G863), ὀφειλέτης (G3781), ὀφειλή (G3782), ὀφείλω (G3784), προσοφείλω (G4359), χαρίζομαι (G5483), χρεοφειλέτης (G5533)
Domain 88.038: Sin, Wrongdoing, Guilt
Domain 71.004: Should, Ought

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
debt	1	50%
debts	1	50%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Romans	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1

Only 2 occurrences across the entire NT, both in didactic/theological contexts (the Lord's Prayer and Paul's justification argument). Absent from Luke's parallel of the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:4 uses ἁμαρτίας instead), the Epistles generally, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Moral/Spiritual Debt (Sin as Obligation Owed to God)¶

Mat 6:12 — "And forgive us our debts (ὀφειλήματα), as we forgive our debtors (ὀφειλέταις)." The Lord's Prayer uses the debt metaphor for sins — moral obligations owed to God that remain unpaid. The plural "debts" treats individual transgressions as accumulated obligations.

2. Financial/Legal Obligation (What Is Owed for Work)¶

Rom 4:4 — "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt (ὀφείλημα)." Paul contrasts grace with debt in the context of justification. When someone works, the wage is owed as a legal obligation — it is a debt, not a gift. The word here retains its literal commercial sense to set up the contrast with grace-based righteousness.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)	G863	1x	"forgive us our debts" — debt released through forgiveness
ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs)	G3781	1x	"debts...debtors" — paired noun for the person who owes
μισθός (misthos)	G3408	1x	"reward...of debt" — wage as owed obligation
λογίζομαι (logizomai)	G3049	1x	"reckoned...of debt" — accounting/imputation language
χάρις (charis)	G5485	1x	"not of grace, but of debt" — explicit antithesis

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3784 ὀφείλω (opheilō) — root verb: to owe, to be indebted, ought (36 occurrences)
G3782 ὀφειλή (opheilē) — feminine noun: indebtedness, a sum owed, due (2 occurrences; Mat 18:32, Rom 13:7, 1 Cor 7:3)
G3781 ὀφειλέτης (opheiletēs) — masculine noun: debtor, one who owes (7 occurrences)
G4359 προσοφείλω (prosopheilō) — compound verb: to owe besides (Phm 1:19)
G5533 χρεοφειλέτης (chreopheiletēs) — compound noun: a loan-debtor (Luk 7:41, 16:5)

Antonyms¶

G5485 χάρις (charis) — grace, gift, favor. Explicitly contrasted in Rom 4:4: what is owed as debt vs. what is given as grace. (Abbott-Smith)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ὀφειλή (opheilē)	G3782	"debt"	G3782 = the abstract state of indebtedness or the sum owed; G3783 = the concrete thing owed, the obligation itself (the -μα suffix marks result)
δάνειον (daneion)	G1156	"debt" (Mat 18:27)	G1156 = a loan specifically; G3783 = any obligation owed, including moral debts

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew sources found via LXX alignment data for G3783. However, the Louw-Nida outline references Deut 24:12 (LXX usage of ὀφείλημα for the Hebrew pledge/debt concept).