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Greek verb · G3784

G3784

to owe

35 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G3784is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 13 of 27
    New Testament books
  • 13
    spellings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · G3784

to owe (pecuniarily); figuratively, to be under obligation (ought, must, should); morally, to fail in duty

The King James renders it: behove, be bound, (be) debt(-or), (be) due(-ty), be guilty (indebted), (must) need(-s), ought, owe, should.

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

G3784 is rendered "to owe". It stands 35 times in the Greek text, across thirteen books.

  • Six of the uses stand in Matthew, more than in any other book.
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Matthew 18:28But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
  • The Greek text spells it thirteen different ways.

The first use

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

Matthew 18:28ὤφειλεν

The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.

Where the word stands

The word stands in thirteen of the 27 New Testament books.

The other 14 New Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • ought11
  • we ought3
  • is being owed2
  • is bound2
  • was owing2
  • do owe1
  • he is obligated1
  • He ought1
  • he owes1
  • indebted1
  • it ought1
  • it was necessary1

and 8 more, 35 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

All 35, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

13 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • ὀφείλει11
  • ὀφείλομεν7
  • ὀφείλεις3
  • ὤφειλεν3
  • ὀφείλετε2
  • ὀφείλουσιν2
  • ὀφειλόμενον1
  • ὀφειλόμενον.¶1
  • ὀφείλοντες1
  • ὀφείλοντι1
  • ὠφείλετε1
  • ὠφείλομεν1

and 1 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singular11V-PAI-3S
  • verb · present active, indicative · 1st person plural7V-PAI-1P
  • verb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person singular3V-IAI-3S
  • verb · present active, indicative · 2nd person singular3V-PAI-2S
  • verb · present active, indicative · 3rd person plural2V-PAI-3P
  • verb · present passive, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singular2V-PPP-ASN
  • verb · imperfect active, indicative · 1st person plural1V-IAI-1P
  • verb · imperfect active, indicative · 1st person singular1V-IAI-1S
  • verb · imperfect active, indicative · 2nd person plural1V-IAI-2P
  • verb · present active, indicative · 2nd person plural1V-PAI-2P
  • verb · present active, command · 2nd person plural1V-PAM-2P
  • verb · present active, participle · dative (“to / for”) · masculine singular1V-PAP-DSM

Matthew

six uses
  • But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

    Matthew 18:28

    • ὤφειλενopheilenverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: was owing
    • ὀφείλειςopheileisverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person singulartagged: you owe.’
  • But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.

    Matthew 18:30

    • ὀφειλόμενον.¶opheilomenonverb · present passive, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: is being owed
  • In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.

    Matthew 18:34

    • ὀφειλόμενονopheilomenonverb · present passive, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: is being owed
  • Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

    Matthew 23:16

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: is bound
  • And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’

    Matthew 23:18

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: is bound

Luke

five uses
  • “Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

    Luke 7:41

    • ὤφειλενopheilenverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: was owing
  • And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

    Luke 11:4

    • ὀφείλοντιopheilontiverb · present active, participle · dative (“to / for”) · masculine singulartagged: indebted
  • And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first.

    Luke 16:5

    • ὀφείλειςopheileisverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person singulartagged: owe you
  • Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him.

    Luke 16:7

    • ὀφείλειςopheileisverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person singulartagged: owe
  • So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

    Luke 17:10

    • ὠφείλομενopheilomenverb · imperfect active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: we were obliged

John

two uses
  • So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

    John 13:14

    • ὀφείλετεopheileteverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: ought
  • “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

    John 19:7

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: He ought

Acts

one use
  • Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

    Acts 17:29

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: we ought

Romans

three uses
  • Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

    Romans 13:8

    • ὀφείλετεopheileteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do owe
  • We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

    Romans 15:1

    • Ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: We ought
  • They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.

    Romans 15:27

    • ὀφείλουσινopheilousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they ought

1 Corinthians

five uses
  • I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

    1 Corinthians 5:10

    • ὠφείλετεopheileteverb · imperfect active, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: you have been obliged
  • However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married.

    1 Corinthians 7:36

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: it ought
  • Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.

    1 Corinthians 9:10

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: ought
  • A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

    1 Corinthians 11:7

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: ought
  • For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

    1 Corinthians 11:10

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: ought

2 Corinthians

two uses
  • I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

    2 Corinthians 12:11

    • ὤφειλονopheilonverb · imperfect active, indicative · 1st person singulartagged: was being obliged
  • See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

    2 Corinthians 12:14

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: ought

Ephesians

one use
  • In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

    Ephesians 5:28

    • ὀφείλουσινopheilousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: ought

2 Thessalonians

two uses
  • We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.

    2 Thessalonians 1:3

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: we ought
  • But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.

    2 Thessalonians 2:13

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: ought

Philemon

one use
  • But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.

    Philemon 1:18

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he owes

Hebrews

three uses
  • For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

    Hebrews 2:17

    • ὤφειλενopheilenverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: it was necessary
  • That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

    Hebrews 5:3

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he is obligated
  • Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

    Hebrews 5:12

    • ὀφείλοντεςopheilontesverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: you ought

1 John

three uses
  • Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.

    1 John 2:6

    • ὀφείλειopheileiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: ought
  • By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

    1 John 3:16

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: ought
  • Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

    1 John 4:11

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: ought

3 John

one use
  • Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

    3 John 1:8

    • ὀφείλομενopheilomenverb · present active, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: ought

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESG (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0), the Brief lexicon based on Abbott-Smith (1922).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →