ἔνοχος G1777
Guilty, liable, deserving of punishment; also subject to or held in bondage under a power or condition.
A legal adjective that rings through the Sermon on the Mount like a courtroom gavel. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus escalates the stakes: anger makes one 'liable' to judgment, insults 'guilty' before the council, and contempt 'deserving' of Gehenna. At Jesus' trial, the Sanhedrin declares him 'deserving of death' (Matt 26:66, Mark 14:64). Spanish 'reo' (defendant/convict) and German 'schuldig' (guilty) confirm the judicial weight. One distinctive occurrence in Hebrews 2:15 shifts the meaning toward subjection -- those who through fear of death were 'subject to' lifelong bondage -- where Spanish 'sujetos' signals a move from courtroom guilt to existential captivity.
2. subject to, held in bondage — Adjective indicating subjection, bondage, or being held captive under a condition or power -- distinct from juridical guilt. Occurs only in Hebrews 2:15, where it describes those who through fear of death were 'subject to' lifelong slavery. The Spanish rendering 'sujetos' (subjected) rather than 'culpable' (guilty) marks the semantic shift clearly: this is about being bound under a tyrannical condition, not about deserving punishment. 1×
AR["مُقَيَّدِينَ"]·ben["বন্দী"]·DE["schuldig"]·EN["subject"]·FR["coupable"]·heb["מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים"]·HI["बंधुआ"]·ID["takluk"]·IT["enochoi"]·jav["kabekuk"]·KO["종이-되어"]·PT["sujeitos"]·RU["повинные"]·ES["sujetos"]·SW["walikuwa-chini"]·TR["tutuklu"]·urd["قید"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. guilty, liable, deserving of (legal/moral culpability) — Adjective of legal and moral culpability -- guilty, liable, deserving of a penalty. Dominates the NT usage (9 of 10 occurrences), especially in Jesus' teaching on the escalating gravity of offenses in Matthew 5:21-22, where three successive uses intensify from 'liable to the court' through 'guilty before the council' to 'deserving of the fire of Gehenna.' The Sanhedrin's verdict at Jesus' trial (Matt 26:66, Mark 14:64) uses it as a formal judicial finding. Spanish 'reo' and 'culpable,' French 'coupable,' and German 'schuldig' all converge on legal guilt. 9×
AR["مُذنِبًا","مُذنِبٌ","مُذْنِبٌ","مُسْتَوْجِبًا","مُسْتَوْجِبٌ"]·ben["দোষী","যোগ্য"]·DE["schuldig"]·EN["Deserving","deserving","guilty","liable"]·FR["coupable"]·heb["אָשֵׁם","חַיָּב"]·HI["अनन्त","दोषी","योग्य"]·ID["Layak","bersalah","bersalah.","layak"]·IT["colpevole","enochos"]·jav["Patut","kaluputan","lepat","lepat."]·KO["범한-자가.","유죄","유죄가","유죄라고","유죄이다","죄가-있다"]·PT["Réu","culpado","réu"]·RU["Повинен","виновен","виновным.","повинен","повинным","подлежать-будет"]·ES["Reo","culpable","reo"]·SW["Anastahili","ana-hatia","anastahili","mwenye-hatia"]·TR["Suçlu","olacak","suçlu"]·urd["قصوروار","قصوروار۔","مستحق","مستوجب"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἔνοχος, ον, ={ἐνεχόμενος}, held in, bound by, τοιαύταις δόξαις Refs 4th c.BC+; [ἔθεσι γεροντικοῖς] Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 with genitive, connected with, κοιλίης Refs 5th c.BC+ __II as law-term, liable to, subject to, νόμοις, δίκαις, NT+5th c.BC+; τοῖς ἐπιτιμίοις τοῦ φόνου Refs 5th c.BC+; ἔ. ἀνοίαις liable to the imputation of it, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.2 ἔνοχος ψευδομαρτυρίοις liable to action for..,…