ὀφείλ-ω G3784
To owe; to be obligated — morally (ought, must) or financially (to owe a debt)
A verb spanning the concrete world of monetary debt and the abstract realm of moral duty. In Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt 18:28–34), the word carries its literal financial force — one slave 'owes' another a hundred denarii. Yet in the Upper Room Jesus declares that if he washed their feet, they 'ought' to wash one another's (John 13:14). Spanish 'debe/debes' and French 'devoir' preserve the same ambiguity between financial and moral obligation, while the Matthean parables consistently trigger the financial reading and the epistolary literature triggers the moral one.
Senses
1. ought, to be morally obligated — Moral or ethical obligation: to be duty-bound, to be fitting or necessary. The dominant NT sense (25 of 35 occurrences), used for what one should do before God or neighbor. All major translations converge on obligation language (spa 'debe', fra 'devoir', deu 'schulden'). Central in Jesus' teaching (Luke 17:10 'we are unworthy servants; we have only done what we ought') and apostolic exhortation (John 13:14; 1 John 4:11). 25×
AR["كانَ-يَجِبُ","وَجَبَ","يَجِبُ","يَجِبُ-عَلَينا","يَجِبُ-عَلَيْ-هِمْ","يَجِبُ-عَلَيْنا","يَنبَغي","يَنبَغي-لَنا","يَنْبَغِي"]·ben["আমরা","আমরা-ঋণী","উচিত","উচিত-ছিল","ঋণী","কর্তব্য","ধার-আছে-আমাদের","ধার-থাকে","বাধ্য","যেন-হয়","যেন-হয়,"]·DE["schulden","schuldet"]·EN["We-ought","he-is-obligated","he-ought","he-was-obligated","ought","ought-we","they-ought","we-ought"]·FR["devoir"]·heb["הָיָה-צָרִיךְ","חַיֶּבֶת","חַיָּב","חַיָּבִים","צָרִיךְ","צָרִיךְ-הָיִיתִי"]·HI["उनहे-चहिये","उसे-चाहिए","चहिये","चाहिए","चाहिए-था"]·ID["Dia-harus","Ia-harus","Kita-wajib","harus","ia-harus","kami-harus","kita-harus","mereka-wajib","seharusnya","seharusnya,","wajib"]·IT["dovere","opheilei","opheilomen","opheilousin","ōpheilen"]·jav["Kita-kedah","kedah","kedah,","kedahipun","kita-kedah"]·KO["마땅하니","마땅하다","마땅하지","마땅하지-않다","마땅히-해야-한다","마땅히-했다","빚졌다","우리-는-마땅히-해야-한다","우리가-마땅히","우리가-빚졌다","필요하니","필요했으니","해야-한다"]·PT["Devemos","deve","deve,","deveis","devem","devemos","devia"]·RU["-в-","Должны","должен","должен,","должен-был","должна","должно","должны","должны-мы"]·ES["debe","debemos","deben","debéis","debía"]·SW["-paswi","Tunapaswa","anapaswa","ilimpasa","inampasa","inapaswa","lazima","mnapaswa","nilipaswa","tunapaswa","wanapaswa","waume-wanastahili","yampasa,"]·TR["Borçluyuz","borc-altinda","borlu","borçludur","borçludurlar","borçlusunuz","borçluydu","borçluyuz","gerekir","yapmalıydım"]·urd["ضروری-تھا","ضروری-ہے","چاہیے","چاہیے-تھا","چاہیے،","ہم-پر-فرض-ہے"]
Matt 23:16, Matt 23:18, Luke 17:10, John 13:14, John 19:7, Acts 17:29, Rom 15:1, Rom 15:27, 1 Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 7:36, 1 Cor 9:10, 1 Cor 11:7 (+13 more)
2. to owe a debt — Financial indebtedness: to owe money, goods, or a quantifiable debt. Concentrated in the parables of Matt 18:28–34 (the two debtors) and Luke 7:41 (the moneylender). English distinguishes 'owe' from 'ought', and the parabolic contexts make amounts explicit ('a hundred denarii', 'five hundred denarii'), confirming the concrete economic reading. Also in Rom 13:8 'owe no one anything' and Phlm 1:18, where Paul assumes Onesimus's material debt. 10×
AR["المَدِينَ","تَدِينُ","تَدِينُوا","كانَ-يَدينُ","كَانَ-يَدِينُهُ","مَدينٌ","مَدينٍ"]·ben["ঋণ-ছিল","ঋণী","ধার-থাকো-না,","ধারী","ধারী-ছিল","পাওনা"]·DE["schulden","schuldet"]·EN["being-owed","do-you-owe","owe","owed","owes","owing","you-owe"]·FR["devoir"]·heb["הַחוֹב","חַיָּב","חַיָּב־אַתָּה","חָיָב","תִּהְיוּ-חַיָּבִים"]·HI["कर्जदार-को","देन","देन-थ","देन-है","देनदार-न-रहो","देना-था","देना-है-तुझे","देना-है-तुझे?","वोह-देनदअर-है"]·ID["berhutang","berhutang,","engkau-berhutang","jangan-berhutang,","kamu-berhutang","yang-berhutang","yang-terhutang"]·IT["dovere","opheilei"]·jav["ingkang-gadhah-utang","kagungan-utang","panjenengan-sambut","panjenengan-sami-utang,","sambut,","sambut?","utang"]·KO["빚졌느냐","빚졌다","빚졌다면","빚졌으면","빚지지-말라","빚진-것-을","빚진-자를"]·PT["devais,","deve,","deves","devia"]·RU["был-должен","должен","должен,","должен-был","должнику","должное","не-"]·ES["debe","debes","debido","debáis","debía","el-que-debe","le-debía"]·SW["alidaiwa","alimwia","anayetudai","deni","kuwa-na-deni","msidaiwe,","unadaiwa"]·TR["borçlananı","borçlanmayın","borçlu-olana","borçlusun","borçluydu","borçluysa,"]·urd["تھا","قرض-ہو","قرضدار","قرضدار-نہ-رہو","مقروض-تھا","مقروض-ہے","واجب-الادا","واجب-ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὀφείλ-ω, imperfect ὤφειλον; Epic dialect ὀφέλλω (also Aeolic dialect, Refs 4th c.BC+imperfect ὤφελλον or ὄφελλον, see infr. II. Refs 8th c.BC+: future ὀφειλήσω Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist 1 ὠφείλησα Refs 5th c.BC+ (ἐπ-): perfect ὠφείληκα: pluperfect -ήκεινRefs 4th c.BC+aorist 2 ὤφελον (see. below Refs:—passive, aorist participle ὀφειληθείς Refs 5th c.BC+. (Cretan dialect ὀφήλω Refs, written ὀπέλο Refs…