Lexical Summary adikia: Injustice, unrighteousness, wrongdoing Original Word: ἀδικία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance iniquity, unrighteousness, wrong. From adikos; (legal) injustice (properly, the quality, by implication, the act); morally, wrongfulness (of character, life or act) -- iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong. see GREEK adikos HELPS Word-studies 93 adikía (a feminine noun derived from 1 /A "not" and 1349 /díkē, "justice") – properly, the opposite of justice; unrighteousness, as a violation of God's standards (justice) which brings divine disapproval; a count (violation) of God's justice, i.e. what is contrary to His righteous judgments (what He approves). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom adikos Definition injustice, unrighteousness NASB Translation doing wrong (1), evildoers (1), iniquities (1), iniquity (2), injustice (1), unrighteous (2), unrighteousness (12), wickedness (4), wrong (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 93: ἀδικίαἀδικία, (ας, ἡ (ἄδικος) (from Herodotus down); 1. injustice, of a judge: Luke 18:6; Romans 9:14. 2. unrighteousness of heart and life; a. universally: Matthew 23:25 Griesbach; Acts 8:23 (see σύνδεσμος); Romans 1:18, 29; Romans 2:8; Romans 6:13; 2 Timothy 2:19; opposed to ἡ ἀλήθεια, 1 Corinthians 13:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; opposed to ἡ δικαιοσύνη, Romans 3:5; Hebrews 1:9 Tdf.; owing to the context, the guilt of unrighteousness, 1 John 1:9; ἀπάτη τῆς ἀδικίας deceit which unrighteousness uses, 2 Thessalonians 2:10; μισθός ἀδικίας reward (i. e., penalty) due to unrighteousness, 2 Peter 2:13 (see ἀδικέω, 2 b. at the end). b. specifically, unrighteousness by which others are deceived: John 7:18 (opposed to ἀληθής); μαμωνᾶς τῆς ἀδικίας deceitful riches, Luke 16:9 (cf. ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου, Matthew 13:22; others think 'riches wrongly acquired'; (others, riches apt to be used unrighteously; cf. Matthew 13:8 and Meyer at the passage)); κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας, a phrase having reference to sins of the tongue, James 3:6 (cf. κόσμος, James 3:8); treachery, Luke 16:8 (οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας (others take it generally, 'acting unrighteously')). 3. a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness: πᾶσα ἀδικία ἁμαρτία ἐστι, 1 John 5:17; ἐργάται τῆς ἀδικίας, Luke 13:27 αἱ ἀδικίαι iniquities, misdeeds, Hebrews 8:12 (from the Sept. Jeremiah 38:34 ( ἀδικία gathers every form of moral deviation that violates the just character of God. It is not merely the absence of righteousness but an active distortion of what is right, a hostility toward truth that provokes divine wrath (Romans 1:18). Occurrences in the Ministry of Jesus Luke records four strategic uses of ἀδικία. In the parable of the shrewd manager, earthly gain procured “from worldly wealth of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9) is contrasted with “true riches” entrusted to the faithful. The adjective also exposes the “unjust judge” (Luke 18:6) and highlights the hollowness of nominal discipleship when Jesus says to pretenders, “Depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness” (Luke 13:27). John’s Gospel affirms Christ’s own sinlessness: “There is no unrighteousness in Him” (John 7:18), establishing the standard against which all human conduct is measured. Unrighteousness in Acts Judas’s betrayal money is called “the wages of unrighteousness” (Acts 1:18), showing how ἀδικία purchases only ruin. Peter discerns in Simon Magus “the bond of unrighteousness” (Acts 8:23), a spiritual captivity that can be broken only by repentance. Pauline Theology of Unrighteousness Paul employs the term more than any other writer, weaving it into three doctrinal threads: 1. Universal Guilt: “All are filled with…unrighteousness” (Romans 1:29). The catalog in Romans 1 moves from idolatry to social evils, proving every person accountable. In 1 Corinthians 13:6 love “takes no pleasure in unrighteousness,” binding Christian affection to moral truth. 2 Thessalonians twice warns that those who “did not welcome the love of the truth…took pleasure in unrighteousness” will face judgment (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12), foreshadowing eschatological deception. Johannine Contributions John succinctly defines sin itself as ἀδικία: “All wrongdoing is sin” (1 John 5:17). Yet hope triumphs: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Christ’s atoning faithfulness removes the very stain the word describes. Hebrews and the New Covenant Promise Hebrews 8:12 cites Jeremiah to announce the new covenant climax: “I will forgive their unrighteousness and remember their sins no more.” Divine mercy answers human ἀδικία with irreversible forgiveness, grounding the believer’s assurance. Petrine Warnings Peter exposes false teachers who “will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done…reveling in their deceptions” (2 Peter 2:13). They “loved the wages of unrighteousness” like Balaam (2 Peter 2:15). The church must therefore discern doctrine by its fruit. Ethical and Pastoral Implications • Personal holiness: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness” (2 Timothy 2:19). Historical Background In Second Temple Judaism, ἀδικία described violations of Torah that demanded atonement. Septuagint usage connects it to Hebrew ʿāwōn (iniquity) and ḥāmās (violence). The New Testament intensifies the term by tying it directly to suppression of truth and opposition to Christ, thereby universalizing its scope. Key Theological Insights 1. Unrighteousness is both root and fruit of sin. Summary for Ministry Use ἀδικία texts to proclaim human need, God’s holy standard, Christ’s perfect righteousness, and the transforming power of the Spirit. Maintain both warning and invitation: “Turn from unrighteousness and live,” confident that the One in whom “there is no unrighteousness” grants both forgiveness and a new way of life. Englishman's Concordance Luke 13:27 N-GFSGRK: πάντες ἐργάται ἀδικίας NAS: FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' KJV: all [ye] workers of iniquity. INT: all [you] workers of unrighteousness Luke 16:8 N-GFS Luke 16:9 N-GFS Luke 18:6 N-GFS John 7:18 N-NFS Acts 1:18 N-GFS Acts 8:23 N-GFS Romans 1:18 N-AFS Romans 1:18 N-DFS Romans 1:29 N-DFS Romans 2:8 N-DFS Romans 3:5 N-NFS Romans 6:13 N-GFS Romans 9:14 N-NFS 1 Corinthians 13:6 N-DFS 2 Corinthians 12:13 N-AFS 2 Thessalonians 2:10 N-GFS 2 Thessalonians 2:12 N-DFS 2 Timothy 2:19 N-GFS Hebrews 8:12 N-DFP James 3:6 N-GFS 2 Peter 2:13 N-GFS 2 Peter 2:15 N-GFS 1 John 1:9 N-GFS 1 John 5:17 N-NFS Strong's Greek 93 |
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