ὀφείλημα (opheilēma)
opheilēma
debt
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun opheilema refers to that which is owed or legally due, primarily denoting a financial debt. In the New Testament, it appears only twice, carrying both a literal and a metaphorical weight. The term originates from the verb for owing, pointing directly to an obligation that stands as a claim against the debtor.
Its most significant usage occurs in the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus teaches his followers to ask God to forgive their opheilemata (Matthew 6:12). Here, the word shifts from currency to morality, equating sin with a debt incurred against God. This metaphor suggests that wrongdoing creates a balance that must be settled, highlighting the seriousness of moral failure as something owed and due for payment.
While the term is rare, its theological implication is clear: sin is not merely a mistake but a liability. By using this specific word in the prayer, the text frames forgiveness as the cancellation of a debt that cannot be paid by human effort alone, underscoring the necessity of divine grace to resolve the obligation.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word opheilema simply means a debt—something legally or morally owed. In everyday life, we understand the weight of owing money. It creates pressure and defines our relationship with the creditor. When Jesus uses this term in the Lord’s Prayer, He takes that familiar feeling of obligation and applies it to sin. Sin is not just a vague error; it is a specific liability incurred against God.
This metaphor offers profound comfort. A debt can be cancelled. If your standing before God were based on your own perfect performance, you would never be free. But because Jesus frames forgiveness as the wiping of a ledger, He invites you to rest in grace. You do not have to work off your past mistakes through endless penance. The balance is settled by His mercy.
Yet this freedom comes with a mirror for our own hearts. We are asked to forgive those who owe us wrongs, just as God forgives us. This does not mean ignoring real harm or staying in unsafe situations. It means releasing the right to demand payment from others, trusting that God sees the full weight of every offense against Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- debts1×
- debt;1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ὀφείλημα·1×
- ὀφειλήματα1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 6:12
Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
This verse establishes the core metaphor by equating personal sins with financial debts that require divine cancellation.
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Romans 4:4
Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed.
Paul uses the related concept of being owed to contrast human earning with God’s unmerited grace, showing that salvation cannot be a debt paid by works.