Lexical Summary enochos: Guilty, liable, subject to Original Word: ἔνοχος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance in danger of, guilty of, subject to. From enecho; liable to (a condition, penalty or imputation) -- in danger of, guilty of, subject to. see GREEK enecho NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom enechó Definition held in, bound by, liable to (a condition, penalty or imputation) NASB Translation deserves (1), deserving (1), guilty (6), liable (1), subject (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1777: ἔνοχοςἔνοχος, ἔνοχον, equivalent to ὁ ἐνεχόμενος, one who is held in anything, so that he cannot escape; bound, under obligation, subject to, liable: with the genitive of the thing by which one is bound, δουλείας, Hebrews 2:15; used of one who is held by, possessed with, love and zeal for anything; thus τῶν βιβλίων, Sir. prolog. 9; with the dative τοῖς ἐρωτικοις, Plutarch; (on supposed distinctions in meaning between the construction with the genitive and with the dative (e. g. 'the construction with the dative expresses liability, that with the genitive carries the meaning further and implies either the actual or the rightful hold.' Green) see Schäfer on Demosth. see p. 323; cf. Winers Grammar, § 28, 2; Buttmann, 170 (148)). As in Greek writings, chiefly in a forensic sense, denoting the connection of a person either with his crime, or with the penalty or trial, or with that against whom or which he has offended; so a. absolutely guilty, worthy of punishment: Leviticus 20:9, 11, 13, 16, 27; 1 Macc. 14:45. b. with the genitive of the thing by the violation of which guilt is contracted, guilty of anything: τοῦ σώματος καί τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου, guilty of a crime committed against the body and blood of the Lord, 1 Corinthians 11:27 (see Meyer; Winer's Grammar, 202 (190f)); πάντων, namely, ἐνταλμάτων, James 2:10; οἱ ἔνοχοί σου, Isaiah 54:17. c. with the genitive of the crime: αἰωνίου ἁμαρτήματος (an eternal sin), Mark 3:29 L T Tr text WH; (τῶν βιαίων, Plato, legg. 11, 914 e.; κλοπῆς, Philo de Jos. § 37; ἱεροσυλίας, 2 Macc. 13:6; Aristotle, oec. 2 (p. 1349{a}, 19), and in other examples; but much more often in the classics with the dative of the crime; cf. Passow or (Liddell and Scott) under the word). d. with the genitive of the penalty: θανάτου, Mark 14:64; Matthew 26:66; Genesis 26:11; αἰωνίου κρίσεως, Mark 3:29 Rec.; δεσμοῦ (others, dative), Demosthenes, p. 1229, 11. e. with the dative of the tribunal; liable to this or that tribunal i. e. to punishment to he imposed by this or that tribunal: τῇ κρίσει, τῷ συνεδρίῳ, Matthew 5:21f; ἔνοχος γραφή, to be indicted, Xenophon, mem. 1, 2, 64; cf. Bleek, Br. an d. Hebrew ii. 1, p. 340f; (Winers Grammar, 210 (198)). f. by a use unknown to Greek writers it is connected with εἰς and the accusative of the place where the punishment is to be suffered: εἰς τήν γηνναν τοῦ πυρός, a pregnant construction (Winers Grammar, 213 (200); 621 (577)) (but cf. Buttmann, 170 (148) (who regards it as a vivid circumlocution for the dative; cf. Green, Critical Notes (at the passage) 'liable as far' in respect of penal consequence 'as the fiery G.')) viz. to go away or be cast into etc. Matthew 5:22. The term carries the idea of being answerable, liable, or exposed to a penalty. Whether translated “subject to,” “guilty of,” or “deserving,” it always places a person under an impending judgment that is both personal and unavoidable unless atonement intervenes. Distribution in the New Testament Ten occurrences cluster around three major themes: 1. The ethical teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5; Matthew 26; Mark 14) The Sermon on the Mount: Intensifying Moral Accountability Matthew 5:21–22 uses ἔνοχος three times to show that inward anger, contemptuous speech, and overt murder alike incur liability. Jesus moves guilt from the courtroom of human justice (“subject to judgment,” Matthew 5:21) all the way to “the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22), revealing that divine standards penetrate motive, word, and deed. Condemnation of Christ and Human Injustice When the Sanhedrin declared Jesus “deserving of death” (Matthew 26:66; Mark 14:64), ἔνοχος exposes the irony that the Sinless One is falsely branded guilty so that the truly guilty might be declared righteous. The misuse of the term in these trials highlights how human courts can err, while God’s verdict stands sure. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit Mark 3:29 warns that the one who attributes the Spirit’s work to Satan “is guilty of an eternal sin.” The permanence of this liability underscores the seriousness of hardened unbelief and the inviolate holiness of the Spirit’s testimony about Christ. Bondage to Fear and Christ’s Liberating Work Hebrews 2:15 describes those who “were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.” Liability here is not only juridical but experiential: fear shackles; only the death-defeating High Priest can break the chains. The Lord’s Supper and Covenantal Accountability In 1 Corinthians 11:27, partaking “in an unworthy manner” makes one “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” The table is therefore a place of both grace and sober responsibility. Self-examination (11:28) is the appointed safeguard against covenant violation. Comprehensive Debt Under the Law James 2:10 declares, “Whoever keeps the whole Law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” The word reveals the Law’s indivisible unity and drives the reader to seek mercy rather than self-justification. Pastoral and Practical Applications • Preaching: ἔνοχος supplies the vocabulary for convicting the conscience, stressing that sin always incurs liability. Doctrinal Significance 1. Total Depravity: All stand liable under divine law (James 2:10). Eschatological Overtones The progression from human courts to eternal fire (Matthew 5) and from temporal sin to “eternal sin” (Mark 3) shows that present liability will culminate in final judgment. The gospel offers the only escape. Summary Ἔνοχος unites the legal, moral, and spiritual strands of Scripture into a single thread of accountability, highlighting humanity’s need for redemption and magnifying the sufficiency of Christ’s cross and resurrection to remove guilt and grant peace with God. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:21 Adj-NMSGRK: ἂν φονεύσῃ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ NAS: commits murder shall be liable to the court.' KJV: shall be in danger of the judgment: INT: anyhow shall murder liable will be to the Matthew 5:22 Adj-NMS Matthew 5:22 Adj-NMS Matthew 5:22 Adj-NMS Matthew 26:66 Adj-NMS Mark 3:29 Adj-NMS Mark 14:64 Adj-AMS 1 Corinthians 11:27 Adj-NMS Hebrews 2:15 Adj-NMP James 2:10 Adj-NMS Strong's Greek 1777 |
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