κλέπτω G2813
To steal, take unlawfully; used of theft prohibited by the Decalogue and of clandestine removal such as grave-robbing.
The standard Greek verb for stealing — taking another person's property without right or consent. It appears prominently in Jesus' quotations of the Decalogue commandment 'you shall not steal' (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom 2:21; 13:9), grounding the word firmly in the moral law. Yet it also describes more clandestine acts: thieves who break through walls to steal treasure (Matt 6:19-20), the feared theft of Jesus' body from the tomb (Matt 27:64; 28:13), and the thief's approach 'to steal, kill, and destroy' in John 10:10. The translations consistently employ a single term across languages (Spanish hurtar/robar, French voler, German stehlen), confirming one unified semantic sense.
Senses
1. steal — To take another's property unlawfully, to steal or pilfer. The word appears in direct Decalogue citations forbidding theft (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Rom 13:9), in Jesus' teaching about thieves who break in and steal earthly treasure (Matt 6:19-20), in the conspiracy to claim the disciples stole Jesus' body (Matt 27:64; 28:13), and in John 10:10 where the thief comes only to steal. Cross-linguistic evidence uniformly maps to a single theft concept (French voler, German stehlen, Spanish robar), with no semantic subdivision warranted. 13×
AR["السارِقُ", "تَسرِقُ", "تَسرِقْ", "تَسْرِقْ", "سَرَقوا", "يَسرِق", "يَسرِقونَ", "يَسْرِقُوهُ"]·ben["চুরি-কর", "চুরি-করতে,", "চুরি-করবে", "চুরি-করবে,", "চুরি-করল", "চুরি-করুক", "চুরি-করে", "চুরি-করে;", "চুরি-করে।", "তুমি-চুরি-কর?", "যে-চুরি-করে"]·DE["stehlen", "stiehlt"]·EN["do-you-steal", "he-might-steal", "let-steal", "steal", "stealing", "stole", "to-steal", "you-shall-steal", "you-will-steal"]·FR["voler"]·heb["גָּנְב-וּ", "גּוֹנְבִים", "גּוֹנֵב-אַתָּה", "הַגּוֹנֵב", "יִגְנְב-וּ", "יִגְנֹב", "לִ-גְנֹב", "לִגְנֹב", "תִּגְנֹב"]·HI["चुरा-ले-गए", "चुरा-लें", "चुराए", "चुराते-हैं", "चोरि-करेग", "चोरी-कर", "चोरी-करता-है", "चोरी-करना", "चोरी-करेगा", "चोरेए-करने-वअल", "चोरेए-करे"]·ID["ia-mencuri", "mencuri", "mencuri,", "mencuri;", "mencuri?"]·IT["kleptetō", "kleptōn", "rubare"]·jav["lan", "nyolong", "nyolong,", "nyolong;", "panjenengan-nyolong?"]·KO["도둑질하기-를", "도둑질하는가", "도둑질하라", "도둑질하지", "도둑질하지-말라", "훔쳤다", "훔치고", "훔치는-자", "훔치도록", "훔치지-말라;", "훔친다"]·PT["furtar", "furtareis,", "furtarás;", "furtas", "furte;", "furtes", "que-furtava", "roubam", "roube", "roubem"]·RU["да-крадёт;", "кради", "крадут", "крадущий", "крадёшь", "красть", "не-", "укради;", "украли", "украсть,"]·ES["hurtarás", "roban", "robando", "robar", "robaron", "robas", "robe", "roben", "robes"]·SW["-", "aibaye", "aibe", "ibe", "ibe,", "kuiba", "tena", "uibe", "unaiba", "wakamwiba", "walimwiba"]·TR["calan", "caliyor-musun?", "calmak,", "calmasin", "hırsızlık", "çal", "çalacaksın", "çalarlar", "çaldılar", "çalsın"]·urd["تو-چوری-کرتا-ہے", "چرا-لیں", "چرائے", "چراتے", "چراتے-ہیں", "چوری-کر", "چوری-کرنا", "چوری-کرنے-والا", "چوری-کرے", "چوری-کرے-گا", "چُرا-لیا"]
Matt 6:19, Matt 6:20, Matt 19:18, Matt 27:64, Matt 28:13, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, John 10:10, Rom 2:21, Rom 2:21, Rom 13:9, Eph 4:28 (+1 more)
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κλέπτω, Ionic dialect imperfect κλέπτεσκον Refs 5th c.BC+: future κλέψω Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἔκλεψα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect κέκλοφα Refs 5th c.BC+; later participle κεκλεβώς Refs 1st c.BC+:—passive, aorist 1 ἐκλέφθην Refs 5th c.BC+aorist 2 ἐκλάπην [ᾰ] Refs 5th c.BC+; later participle κλεπείς Refs 2nd c.AD+: perfect κέκλεμμαι Refs 5th c.BC+. (Cf. Latin clèpere, Gothic hlifan (κλέπτειν), hliftus…