Lexical Summary parabatés: Transgressor, lawbreaker Original Word: παραβάτης Strong's Exhaustive Concordance breaker, transgressor. From parabaino; a violator -- breaker, transgress(-or). see GREEK parabaino HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 3848 parabátēs (from 3848 /parabátēs, "contrary to" and 939 /básis, "go") – properly, someone who steps over (walks contrary to) God's line. Accordingly, 3848 /parabátēs ("transgressor") refers to a deliberate violator (transgressor) of God's law. See 3847 (parabasis). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom parabainó Definition one who stands beside NASB Translation transgressor (4), transgressors (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3848: παραβάτηςπαραβάτης, παραβατου, ὁ (παραβαίνω (cf. Winers Grammar, 26)), a transgressor (Vulg.praevaricator, transgressor): νόμου, a lawbreaker (Plautus legirupa), Romans 2:25, 27; James 2:11; absolutely, Galatians 2:18; James 2:9. (Aeschylus (παρβατης); Graecus Venetus, Deuteronomy 21:18, 20.) Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrences The term appears five times in the Greek New Testament: Romans 2:25; Romans 2:27; Galatians 2:18; James 2:9; James 2:11. In each setting it marks a person whose conduct stands in conscious violation of God’s revealed will. Legal and Covenant Background Under the Mosaic covenant, blessing and life were attached to obedience, while curse and judgment followed disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). To be indicted as a “transgressor” places one under covenantal liability and exposes the offender to God’s righteous wrath. The New Testament preserves this legal nuance, portraying the sinner not merely as morally deficient but as standing in breach of a binding divine charter. Circumcision, Law, and Heart Obedience (Romans 2) Paul addresses Jewish hearers who rested in ritual privilege yet ignored inward conformity. “Circumcision has value if you practice the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision” (Romans 2:25). External badges of covenant identity become null when coupled with disobedience. By labeling them “lawbreakers” (Romans 2:27), Paul exposes their misplaced reliance on ceremony and highlights the necessity of Spirit-wrought heart obedience (Romans 2:29). Return to Works-Based Righteousness (Galatians 2:18) “If I rebuild what I already tore down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker” (Galatians 2:18). Here Paul applies the term to himself hypothetically. Should he reinstate Torah observance as a ground of acceptance, he would transgress the very grace he preaches. The word underscores the contradiction of seeking justification through law once Christ has provided perfect righteousness. The “lawbreaker” is anyone who retreats from grace to human merit. The Sin of Partiality (James 2) James presses the point that favoritism toward the rich violates the royal law of love. “If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). He then illustrates with the commandments against adultery and murder (James 2:11). One breach suffices to brand a person a transgressor because the law reflects a unified expression of God’s character. The vocabulary therefore serves James’s larger argument: true faith manifests consistent mercy and obedience. Christological Implications Identification as a transgressor frames the human predicament that necessitates the Incarnation and atonement. Isaiah 53:12 prophesies that Messiah would be “numbered with the transgressors.” The New Testament fulfillment (Luke 22:37) shows Jesus voluntarily bearing the status and penalty reserved for lawbreakers, securing justification for all who believe (Romans 5:1). Thus the term accentuates both the gravity of sin and the magnitude of Christ’s redemptive work. Eschatological Verdict Romans 2 anticipates a coming day “when God judges men’s secrets through Jesus Christ.” The verdict hinges on whether one remains a lawbreaker or is found in Christ’s righteousness. Transgression, if unforgiven, results in wrath and exclusion from the kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Conversely, those justified by faith stand acquitted despite former violations (Romans 8:1). Pastoral and Discipleship Applications 1. Conviction of Sin: Preaching should press the listener with the law’s searching verdict, fostering repentance. Historical-Theological Reflection Augustine, Luther, and Calvin appealed to these passages to articulate the doctrine of total depravity and justification by faith. The Reformers particularly prized Galatians 2:18 for clarifying the antithesis between grace and works. Puritan pastors applied James 2 to expose social inequities, while modern evangelical missions continue to use the term to translate concepts of sin and guilt in various cultures, underscoring the universality of human transgression and the exclusivity of Christ’s remedy. Summary The Spirit employs this word to unveil the sinner’s rebellion, dismantle self-righteous confidence, and point to Christ as the sole mediator who removes the stigma of transgression and empowers obedience that flows from faith. Forms and Transliterations παραβαται παραβάται παραβατην παραβάτην παραβατης παραβάτης parabatai parabátai parabaten parabatēn parabáten parabátēn parabates parabatēs parabátes parabátēsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Romans 2:25 N-NMSGRK: ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς NAS: but if you are a transgressor of the Law, KJV: if thou be a breaker of the law, thy INT: if however a transgressor of law you are Romans 2:27 N-AMS Galatians 2:18 N-AMS James 2:9 N-NMP James 2:11 N-NMS Strong's Greek 3848 |
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