δανειστής (daneistēs)
daneistēs
moneylender
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun daneistēs refers to a moneylender or creditor, specifically one who lends money at interest. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in Luke 7:41, within Jesus’ parable of two debtors.
This term highlights the economic reality of first-century Judea, where lending was often necessary for survival but could lead to crushing burdens. The parable contrasts a debtor owing five hundred denarii with one owing fifty, illustrating vastly different levels of financial obligation and subsequent grace.
The word underscores the theme of forgiveness in Luke’s Gospel, showing how Jesus uses familiar social roles to teach spiritual truths about mercy and gratitude.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word daneistēs points to a moneylender, a figure familiar in first-century Judea where borrowing was often a matter of survival. In Luke 7:41, Jesus uses this role to tell a story about two men who could not pay their debts. One owed a huge sum, the other a small amount. Both were forgiven completely by their lender.
This parable invites us to see our own need for grace through that lens. Whether our burdens feel overwhelming or manageable, the offer of forgiveness is total. It reminds us that gratitude flows naturally when we realize how much has been released from our shoulders. We are invited to rest in that unearned mercy rather than carrying the weight of what we cannot repay.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to a creditor1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- δανιστῇ1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 7:41
“A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
This verse introduces the moneylender whose act of cancelling both debts serves as the central metaphor for divine forgiveness in Jesus' teaching.