Lexical Summary
adikeó: To do wrong, to act unjustly, to injure
Original Word:ἀδικέω
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:adikeó
Pronunciation:ä-dē-ke'-ō
Phonetic Spelling:(ad-ee-keh'-o)
KJV: hurt, injure, be an offender, be unjust, (do, suffer, take) wrong
NASB:harm, hurt, wronged, does wrong, done wrong, injure, wrong
Word Origin:[fromG94 (ἄδικος - unrighteous)]
1. to be unjust
2. (actively) to do wrong (morally, socially or physically)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
hurt, injure, be an offender, be unjust.
Fromadikos; to be unjust, i.e. (actively) do wrong (morally, socially or physically) -- hurt, injure, be an offender, be unjust, (do, suffer, take) wrong.
see GREEKadikos
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 91adikéō (from93/adikía, "unrighteousness") – properly, doingwrong (committing injustice), especially to inflict undeserved hurt byignoring God's justice – i.e. acting contrary to what isdivinely approved.See 93 (adikia).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
adikosDefinitionto do wrong, act wickedly
NASB Translationam a wrongdoer (1), damage (1), do harm (1), do wrong (1), does wrong (2), doing...wrong (1), done...wrong (2), harm (4), hurt (3), injure (2), injuring (1), offended (1), offender (1), treated unjustly (1), wrong (2), wrong...done (1), wronged (3).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 91: ἀδικέωἀδικέω,
(ῶ; (future
ἀδικήσω; 1 aorist
ἠδίκησα; passive, (present
ἀδικοῦμαι; 1 aor,
ἠδικήθην; literally to be
ἄδικος.
1. absolutely;
a.to act unjustly or wickedly, to sin:Revelation 22:11;Colossians 3:25.
b. to be a criminal, to have violated the laws in some way:Acts 25:11 (often so in Greek writings (cf.Winers Grammar, § 40, 2 c.)).
c. to do wrong:1 Corinthians 6:8;2 Corinthians 7:12.
d. to do hurt:Revelation 9:19.
2. transitively;
a.τί,to do some wrong, sin in some respect:Colossians 3:25 (ὁἠδίκησε 'the wrong which he hath done').
b.τινα, to wrong some one, act wickedly toward him:Acts 7:26f (by blows);Matthew 20:13 (by fraud);2 Corinthians 7:2; passiveἀδικεῖσθαι to be wronged,2 Corinthians 7:12;Acts 7:24; middleἀδικοῦμαι to suffer oneself to be wronged, take wrong (Winers Grammar, § 38, 3; cf.Riddell, Platonic Idioms, § 87f):1 Corinthians 6:7;τιναοὐδέν (Buttmann, § 131, 10:Winer's Grammar, 227 (213)),Acts 25:10;Galatians 4:12;τινατί,Philemon 1:18; (ἀδικούμενοιμισθόνἀδικίας (R. V. suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing),2 Peter 2:13WHTr marginal reading).)
c.τινα, to hurt, damage, harm (in this sense by Greeks of every period):Luke 10:19;Revelation 6:6;Revelation 7:2;Revelation 9:4, 10;Revelation 11:5; passiveοὐμήἀδικηθῇἐκτοῦθανάτου shall suffer no violence from death,Revelation 2:11.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Greek 91 (ἀδικέω) conveys the active practice of wrongdoing, injustice, or harm. The verb assumes intentionality: one person (or power) treats another contrary to what is right before God. Used 28 times in the Greek New Testament, it ranges from personal offenses in everyday relationships to cosmic judgments in the Apocalypse. Its distribution highlights three chief arenas: inter-personal conduct, judicial treatment, and eschatological harm or protection.
Old Testament and Intertestamental Roots
In the Septuagint ἀδικέω often renders Hebrew verbs for violence (חָמַס), wrong (עָוָה), or deceit (עָשַׁק). Israel’s prophets denounced ἀδικία (“injustice”) as covenant infidelity toward both God and neighbor (Isaiah 10:1-3;Jeremiah 22:3). By the time of Second Temple Judaism, the word carried legal weight—wrongdoing demanded restitution and, if unrepented, divine retribution.
Inter-Personal Wrongs in Paul’s Letters
1 Corinthians 6:7-8 exposes believers who “wrong and defraud, and this to your brothers.” Paul’s rebuke shows ἀδικέω violates the unity of Christ’s body.Galatians 4:12 reminds the Galatians that Paul had never “done any wrong” to them, appealing to relational integrity. In the delicate case of Onesimus,Philemon 18 frames ἀδικέω within restorative justice: “If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.”
The repeated pair “wronging and being wronged” (ἀδικεῖτε … ἀδικεῖσθε) in1 Corinthians 6 underscores that injustice often cascades; the offended become offenders unless grace intervenes (compareMatthew 18:23-35).
Judicial and Political Contexts in Acts
Luke employs ἀδικέω to portray courtroom tension. Stephen’s speech recounts Moses defending “the one being wronged” (Acts 7:24) and confronting the offender, “Why do you wrong your neighbor?” (Acts 7:26). Festus faces Paul, who insists, “If I am not doing wrong … I do not refuse to die” (Acts 25:11). Roman officials thus become accountable to divine justice, reminding readers that earthly courts stand under a higher bar of righteousness.
Exhortations and Warnings in the Prison Epistles
Colossians 3:25 sets a sobering principle: “The wrongdoer will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no favoritism.” The verse bridges present church discipline and final judgment, assuring victims that hidden injustices will not escape the Lord’s scrutiny. The same passage couples ἀδικέω with impartial recompense, harmonizing divine mercy and justice.
Eschatological Dimension in Revelation
John’s Apocalypse uses ἀδικέω more than any book, giving it prophetic depth:
• Protection: The sealed servants are spared—“Do not harm the earth …” (Revelation 7:3).
• Partial judgments: Scorpion-like locusts “were told not to harm the grass … but only the people who did not have the seal of God” (Revelation 9:4).
• Witness defense: Fire proceeds from the two witnesses so that “anyone wishing to harm them must be killed in this way” (Revelation 11:5).
• Final separation: “Let the evildoer continue to do evil” (Revelation 22:11) contrasts the fixed state of the unjust with the purity of the righteous.
These scenes assure the faithful that divine sovereignty limits evil, even amid tribulation, and that ultimate justice is certain.
Theological Themes
1. Moral Accountability
ἀδικέω presupposes an objective moral order revealed in God’s law. Whether Jew (Acts 25:8), Gentile (Acts 25:10), or angelic power (Revelation 9:10), no actor is exempt.
2. Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions
Every injustice against a person is simultaneously offense against God, who created each image-bearer (comparePsalm 51:4). Thus Paul’s “Make room for us; we have wronged no one” (2 Corinthians 7:2) appeals to conscience before God and neighbor.
3. Retribution and Restoration
Scripture holds two parallel responses to ἀδικέω. Divine retribution is sure (Colossians 3:25;Revelation 22:11-12). Yet the gospel offers restoration: Paul absorbs Onesimus’ debt (Philemon 18), picturing Christ’s substitutionary payment for wrongdoers (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. Spiritual Warfare
Luke 10:19 promises disciples authority “to trample snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Physical harm symbolizes wider spiritual assault. Christ’s victory protects believers from ultimate injury (Revelation 2:11).
Ministry Significance
• Church Discipline and Reconciliation
Pastors must confront ἀδικέω quickly, guiding offenders toward repentance and restitution (Matthew 5:23-24). Delayed justice breeds bitterness and dishonors the gospel witness.
• Counseling Victims of Injustice
Verses such asColossians 3:25 andRevelation 6:10 (“How long, O Lord …”) help shepherd hearts toward trust in God’s perfect timing. Believers may pursue lawful remedies (Acts 25:11) while resting in divine vindication.
• Evangelistic Appeal
Highlighting universal guilt (Romans 3:23) opens the door to proclaim Christ who “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). The Innocent bore the penalty of the unjust (1 Peter 3:18).
• Social Ethics
Though the New Testament’s primary focus is personal holiness, its condemnation of ἀδικέω fuels Christian engagement against systemic wrongs—oppression, exploitation, and violence—reflecting God’s heart for righteousness in society.
Christological Fulfillment
Jesus alone never wronged anyone (Hebrews 4:15). At the cross, both human and judicial systems wronged Him, yet He entrusted Himself “to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). His resurrection vindicates the righteous path of non-retaliation and guarantees that every ἀδικέω will meet either the cross or final judgment.
Eschatological Hope
Revelation’s closing paradox—“Let the evildoer continue to do evil… let the righteous continue to practice righteousness” (Revelation 22:11)—signals that time for repentance will end. The New Jerusalem descends purified of all injustice (Revelation 21:27). Believers persevere, assured that no power can ultimately harm them (Revelation 2:11), while wrongdoers who remain impenitent face the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15).
Summary
Strong’s Greek 91 confronts every reader with the reality of wrongdoing and the certainty of divine justice. Its occurrences weave a consistent testimony: God condemns and limits injustice, calls His people to integrity and reconciliation, and will irrevocably separate the unjust from the righteous in the age to come. The gospel both pardons wrongdoers and empowers the wronged to overcome evil with good, until the day when “righteousness will dwell” (2 Peter 3:13).
Forms and Transliterations
αδικείν αδικεισθε αδικείσθε ἀδικεῖσθε αδικειτε αδικείτε ἀδικεῖτε αδικηθεντος αδικηθέντος ἀδικηθέντος αδικηθη αδικηθή ἀδικηθῇ αδικησαι αδικήσαι ἀδικῆσαι αδικήσαντας αδικησαντος αδικήσαντος ἀδικήσαντος αδικησάντων αδικησατω αδικησάτω ἀδικησάτω αδικησει αδικήσει ἀδικήσει αδικήσειν αδικήσεις ἀδικήσῃ αδικησης αδικήσης ἀδικήσῃς αδικησητε αδικήσητε ἀδικήσητε αδικησουσιν αδικήσουσιν ἀδικήσουσιν αδικήσω αδικήσωσι αδικούμαι αδικουμενοι ἀδικούμενοι αδικουμένοις αδικουμενον αδικούμενον ἀδικούμενον αδικούμενος αδικουμένων αδικούντάς αδικούντι αδικούντος αδικούσι αδικούσί αδικουσιν ἀδικοῦσιν αδικω αδικώ ἀδικῶ αδικων αδικών ἀδικῶν ηδικηκα ἠδίκηκα ηδικηκός ηδίκησα ηδίκησά ἠδίκησα ηδικησαμεν ηδικήσαμεν ἠδικήσαμεν ηδίκησαν ηδίκησας ηδικησατε ἠδικήσατε ηδίκησε ηδίκησέ ηδικησεν ηδίκησεν ἠδίκησεν ἠδίκησέν ηδίκουν ὃ adikeisthe adikeîsthe adikeite adikeîte adikesai adikêsai adikēsai adikē̂sai adikesantos adikēsantos adikḗsantos adikesato adikesáto adikēsatō adikēsátō adikese adikēsē adikḗsei adikḗsēi adikḗseis adikḗsēis adikeses adikēsēs adikesete adikēsēte adikḗsete adikḗsēte adikesousin adikēsousin adikḗsousin adikethe adikēthē adikethêi adikēthē̂i adikethentos adikethéntos adikēthentos adikēthéntos adiko adikô adikō adikō̂ adikon adikôn adikōn adikō̂n adikoumenoi adikoúmenoi adikoumenon adikoúmenon adikousin adikoûsin edikesa edíkesa ēdikēsa ēdíkēsa edikesamen edikḗsamen ēdikēsamen ēdikḗsamen edikesate edikḗsate ēdikēsate ēdikḗsate edikesen edíkesen edíkesén ēdikēsen ēdíkēsen ēdíkēsén oLinks
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