ἐλλογέω (ellogeō)
ellogeō
to charge
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb ellogeō means to charge something to someone’s account or to impute it as a liability. It carries the concrete sense of entering an item into a ledger, marking it as owed by the person in question. In the New Testament, this term appears only twice, yet its usage highlights a specific legal or accounting metaphor for responsibility.
In Philemon 18, Paul uses the word to ask Philemon to charge any debt or wrong done to him personally onto Paul’s own account. This illustrates a voluntary assumption of another’s liability. In Romans 5:13, the term describes how sin was "charged" or reckoned to people during the period before the Law was given, distinguishing this imputation from the specific transgressions defined by later legislation.
The word combines the prefix ekk- (out) with logeō (to count or reckon), suggesting a formal calculation. Translators typically render it as "charge" or "impute," preserving the idea that the action is recorded against a person’s spiritual or legal standing rather than merely describing an internal feeling.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ellogeō brings to mind a ledger where debts are recorded against a person’s name. In Philemon, Paul asks his friend to charge any wrong done by Onesimus directly to him. This is not just polite generosity; it is a deliberate act of taking on someone else’s liability so they might stand free. It shows how Christian relationships can involve bearing the costs that others have incurred.
In Romans, the same idea appears in a different context. Paul notes that before the Law was given, sin existed but was not formally charged to people’s accounts in the same way. This highlights that accountability requires a defined standard. Yet, the grace shown in Philemon points to a deeper reality: Christ takes our debt upon Himself, removing the charge from us so we can live without fear of condemnation.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- is imputed1×
- do charge.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐλλόγα.¶1×
- ἐλλογεῖται1×
Key Verses
-
Philemon 1:18
But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account.
Paul uses this term to request that Philemon transfer Onesimus’s debt onto his own account, demonstrating voluntary substitution.
-
Romans 5:13
For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law.
The word clarifies that sin existed before the Law but was not formally imputed as a legal charge until the Law arrived.