χρεωφειλέτης
chreōpheilétēs
G5533 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person who owes a debt or is under obligation to repay a loan; specifically, one who is indebted financially or contractually, often in a formal or legal sense. The term denotes an individual who is bound to fulfill an obligation, typically the repayment of borrowed resources, whether money or goods. Depending on the context, it can refer broadly to any person owing a debt, or more narrowly to those under explicit legal or financial obligation, such as in creditor-debtor relationships regulated by contract or law.
Semantic Range
debtor, person under obligation for a loan, one who owes a specific or formal debt, legal debtor
Root / Etymology
Compound derived from χρέος (debt, obligation) and ὀφειλέτης (debtor; one who owes). χρέος itself is related to χράω (to use, lend), though here it serves as a noun indicating the entity of debt, while ὀφειλέτης is from ὀφείλω (to owe). Thus, χρεωφειλέτης specifically refers to one who is a debtor with reference to a loan or obligation involving χρέος.
Historical & Contextual Notes
χρεωφειλέτης is a relatively rare term, not found in earlier classical Greek but attested in later Greek, notably in documentary and legal papyri, where precision in legal and financial language was required. Its appearance in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 18:24) reflects terminology current in legal and economic texts of the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The term is more specific than ὀφειλέτης, the more generic term for 'debtor,' as χρεωφειλέτης highlights the existence of a formal or contractual debt or loan. Most English translations render both ὀφειλέτης and χρεωφειλέτης as 'debtor,' obscuring the specificity and nuance; χρεωφειλέτης is properly a 'loan-debtor' – that is, a person bound to repay a quantifiable obligation, often under legal sanction. The term reflects a cultural and economic context in which borrowing and debt were formalized, and distinctions between types of financial obligation were legally significant. It is not attested in the Septuagint and is rare outside legal/administrative documents.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a derivative of χράω and ὀφειλέτης; a loan-ower, i.e. indebted person:--debtor.
Root Family
χρεωφειλέτης (chreōpheiletēs) — debt, obligation, to owe, to be bound to repay
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5533-02 |
χρεοφιλετῶν | chreophileton | N GEN M PL |
debtors | of obligated debtors | obligated debtors | 1 |
G5533-01 |
χρεοφιλέται | chreophiletai | N NOM M PL |
debtors | legal debtors | legal debtors | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences