παραβάτης (parabatēs)
parabatēs
transgresor
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun parabatēs identifies a person who breaks a law or covenant, essentially functioning as a lawbreaker. Its core meaning is straightforward: it describes someone who has violated a known standard. In the New Testament, this term appears in five verses, primarily within Paul’s letters to Romans and Galatians, as well as in James. It carries the weight of legal or moral violation rather than mere mistake.
The word is constructed from the prefix para, meaning "beside" or "across," and a root related to stepping or walking. This imagery suggests stepping over a boundary or crossing a line that should not be crossed. Consequently, it implies a deliberate action of transgression. When Paul uses it in Romans 2:25 and 27, he applies it to those who break the law despite possessing it, highlighting that possession of the standard does not prevent violation.
James employs the term in chapter 2 to illustrate how breaking one part of the law makes a person guilty of all of it. This usage underscores the indivisibility of moral responsibility. The word does not describe ignorance but rather the act of crossing a defined limit. Translators consistently render it as "transgressor" or "lawbreaker," preserving the sense of active violation against an established rule.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word parabatēs paints a clear picture of someone who steps over a boundary they know exists. It is not about accidental slips or honest mistakes, but about crossing a line that has been clearly marked. In our daily lives, this reminds us that faith is not just about knowing the rules, but about respecting the relationship those rules protect. When we ignore what we know to be right, we act as transgressors, breaking the trust that holds our community together.
Paul and James use this term to show that moral responsibility is indivisible. You cannot pick and choose which parts of God’s standard to follow. If you break one command, you stand guilty before the whole law. This can feel heavy, but it also offers freedom. By admitting we are prone to stepping over lines, we stop pretending we are self-sufficient. We begin to rely on grace instead of our own performance.
Understanding this word helps us take sin seriously without falling into despair. It invites us to examine our hearts honestly. When we see where we have crossed boundaries, we can turn back to God’s mercy. This awareness keeps us humble and dependent on Christ, who fulfilled the law perfectly for us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a transgressor3×
- transgressors.1×
- [are] a transgressor1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- παραβάτης2×
- παραβάτην2×
- παραβάται.1×
Key Verses
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Romans 2:25
For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
Paul uses this term to show that external religious symbols like circumcision lose their value if a person actively violates the moral principles behind them.
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James 2:11
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James illustrates the indivisibility of the law by showing that violating one command, such as murder, makes one a transgressor even if they kept another, like adultery.
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Galatians 2:18
For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.
Paul declares he would be proving himself a transgressor if he rebuilt the old system of legalism that he had previously torn down through faith in Christ.