λογίζομαι (logizomai)
logizomai
to count
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 40 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb logizomai means to count, reckon, or take into account. In everyday Greek, it was used for financial calculations, such as recording debts or inventory in business ledgers. The New Testament adopts this commercial language to describe how God evaluates human standing before Him. It appears forty times, with a heavy concentration in Paul’s letters, especially Romans and 2 Corinthians.
Its most significant theological use is the concept of imputation. When Paul writes that faith was "counted" to Abraham as righteousness (Romans 4:3), he uses logizomai to show that God credits something to a person’s account without that person having earned it through works. This same word describes how God does not count sins against believers (2 Corinthians 5:19) and how Paul considers his own past achievements as loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:8).
While it can simply mean to calculate or consider (as in Philippians 4:8), its distinctive power lies in this accounting metaphor. It suggests a legal or relational transfer where God’s judgment operates on principles of grace rather than merit. Translators often render it as "impute" or "credit" to capture this specific sense of being reckoned something that is not inherently one's own.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word logizomai comes from the language of business and accounting. In the ancient world, it described the careful recording of debts, credits, and inventory in a ledger. When the New Testament uses this term, it borrows that commercial imagery to explain something profound about our relationship with God: He keeps a record, but His accounting is governed by grace rather than strict merit.
This concept brings deep comfort to anyone who feels weighed down by past mistakes or personal inadequacy. In Romans 4:5, we see that faith is "accounted" as righteousness. This means God credits what we do not earn to our own spiritual account. It is a legal transfer where Christ’s standing covers our shortcomings, allowing us to approach Him with confidence rather than fear.
Understanding this shifts how we view our daily walk. We are not trying to build up a balance of good deeds to secure God’s love; instead, we rest in the gift already given. This assurance frees us from anxiety and invites us to live out of gratitude, knowing that our standing before God is secure in His gracious judgment.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 40 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- reckoning3×
- I reckon3×
- it was reckoned2×
- it was credited2×
- is reckoned2×
- do consider2×
- would it be charged!1×
- will be reckoned?1×
- we were regarded1×
- was it credited?1×
- was credited.1×
- was credited1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐλογίσθη6×
- λογίζεται5×
- λογιζέσθω3×
- ἐλογίσθη.2×
- λογίσηται2×
- λογίζομαι2×
- λογίζεσθε2×
- Λογίζομαι2×
- ἐλογίσθημεν1×
- ἐλογίσθη;1×
- ἐλογιζόμην1×
- λογίσασθαί1×
Key Verses
-
Romans 4:5
But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
This verse defines the core theological meaning: faith is credited as righteousness to those who do not work for it, highlighting grace over merit.
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Romans 4:3
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Paul quotes Genesis to show that Abraham’s belief was counted as righteousness, establishing faith as the basis for justification long before the law existed.
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Mark 15:28
The Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with transgressors.”
This fulfillment of prophecy shows Jesus being counted among sinners, illustrating the substitutionary nature of His sacrifice on the cross.
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Romans 6:11
Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here the word shifts to a personal application, urging believers to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God based on their new identity in Christ.