ἀνομ-ία G0458
Lawlessness, wickedness; the state of acting in defiance of divine or moral law; iniquity.
In the Greek moral vocabulary, anomia stands as the direct antithesis of righteousness (dikaiosynē). More than mere rule-breaking, it denotes a settled disposition of rebellion against God's established order. Jesus warns that workers of anomia will be turned away despite their outward ministry (Matt 7:23), and Paul contrasts it sharply with righteousness as two incompatible ways of life (2 Cor 6:14). The Pastoral and eschatological texts present it as the characteristic mark of the age preceding Christ's return, when the 'mystery of lawlessness' is already at work (2 Thess 2:7). The Spanish 'iniquidad' and French 'iniquité' both capture the deeply moral, not merely legal, weight of the term.
Senses
1. lawlessness, iniquity — The state or habitual practice of acting without regard for God's revealed law — not simply ignorance of legal statutes but willful moral rebellion. Used of both individual wickedness (Matt 7:23, 'you who practice lawlessness') and collective eschatological evil (Matt 24:12, where anomia increases and love grows cold). The multilingual evidence (Spanish 'iniquidad,' French 'iniquité,' German 'Gesetzlosigkeit') confirms the term bridges legal and moral registers. 15×
AR["آثامُهُم", "آثَامِهِمْ", "إِثمٍ", "إِثمَ", "إِثمُ", "إِثمِ", "الإثمِ", "الإثْمِ", "الإِثمُ", "الإِثمِ", "الإِثْمَ"]·ben["অধর্ম", "অধর্মগুলি", "অধর্মসমূহ,", "অধর্মে?", "অধর্মের", "অবিধিতে", "অবিধির"]·DE["Gesetzlosigkeit", "ἀνομίαν", "ἀνομίας"]·EN["lawlessness", "lawlessnesses", "to-lawlessness"]·FR["iniquité"]·heb["הָעַוְלָה", "הָפְקֵרָה", "לָעַוְלָה", "עֲווֹנוֹת", "עַוְלָה", "עָוֶל", "פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם", "רִשְׁעָה", "רָשַׁע,"]·HI["अधरम", "अधर्म", "अधर्म-की", "अधर्म-को", "अधर्म-से", "अधर्मों", "अपअधरमि,"]·ID["kejahatan", "kelaliman", "pelanggaran,", "pelanggaran-hukum", "pelanggaran-hukum,", "pelanggaran-hukum.", "pelanggaran-hukum;", "pelanggaran-pelanggaran"]·IT["anomian", "anomias", "illegalità", "iniquita"]·jav["dosa,", "dosa-dosanipun,", "duraka", "duraka,", "duraka-duraka", "duraka;", "duraka?"]·KO["불법", "불법-으로부터", "불법-을", "불법들", "불법들을", "불법에", "불법을", "불법의", "불법이"]·PT["iniquidade", "iniquidade,", "iniquidade.", "iniquidades"]·RU["беззаконие", "беззаконие.", "беззаконию", "беззакония", "представьте", "рабами"]·ES["a-iniquidad", "de-iniquidad", "iniquidad", "iniquidades"]·SW["itapoa", "makosa", "uasi", "uasi.", "uasi?", "uovu"]·TR["yasasızlık", "yasasızlıkları", "yasasızlıklarını", "yasasızlıktan", "yasasızlıktan,", "yasasızlığa", "yasasızlığı", "yasasızlığın"]·urd["بداعمالیوں", "بدکاری", "بدکاری-کو", "بدکاریاں", "بے-دینی", "بے-دینی-کے", "بے-شریعتی", "بے-شریعتی۔", "بے-قانونی", "بے-قانونی-سے"]
Matt 7:23, Matt 13:41, Matt 23:28, Matt 24:12, Rom 4:7, Rom 6:19, Rom 6:19, 2 Cor 6:14, 2 Thess 2:3, 2 Thess 2:7, Titus 2:14, Heb 1:9 (+3 more)
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀνομ-ία, Ionic dialect -ιη, ἡ, lawlessness, lawless conduct, opposed to δικαιοσύνη, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 the negation of law, opposed to νόμος, Refs 4th c.BC+