What does δόγμα (dógma) mean in the Bible?
Dogma names a decree, ordinance or authoritative decision. Its five New Testament witnesses do not assign one moral value to every decree.
Greek · G1378
δόγμα
Dogma names a decree, ordinance or authoritative decision. Its five New Testament witnesses do not assign one moral value to every decree.
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δόγμαG1378
Pronunciationdógma
What does δόγμα (dógma) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for δόγμα (G1378) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1378?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include decrees (3), a decree (1), decisions (1).
Where does δόγμα (dógma) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (2), Colossians (1), Ephesians (1), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Dogma names a decree, ordinance or authoritative decision. Its five New Testament witnesses do not assign one moral value to every decree. Luke introduces an imperial census through Caesar Augustus' decree. Acts reports an accusation about Caesar's decrees against believers who proclaim Jesus as king, and elsewhere describes decisions from the apostles and elders being delivered to strengthen the churches.
Ephesians places commandments and decrees within Christ's making peace and reconciling two groups to God through the cross. Colossians describes the cancellation of the debt that stood against believers. The noun identifies an authoritative expression, while the speaker, issuer and argument determine its role. It cannot make all rules oppressive or every institutional decision sacred.
The reconciliation passages call attention to Christ's work, shared access and forgiveness rather than supplying a lexical shortcut for a complete account of every commandment.
How the Bible Uses It
The five BSB witnesses move from an imperial census and a hostile accusation to apostolic decisions, peace through Christ and cancellation of the debt. Issuer, speaker and surrounding argument distinguish these uses of the same noun.
- Luke.2.1
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire.
Caesar's decree sets the census in motion and brings Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem; the noun itself does not endorse the emperor's whole rule.
- Acts.16.4
As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
The decisions come from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, following the letter that encouraged Gentile believers rather than adding unauthorized burdens.
- Acts.17.7
And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”
The charge about defying Caesar is spoken by accusers in a hostile disturbance; it must not be silently turned into the narrator's verdict.
- Eph.2.15
By abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace
Christ makes peace and reconciles both groups to God in one body through the cross; the surrounding reconciliation governs the statement about decrees.
- Col.2.14
Having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!
The canceled debt stands within forgiveness and life with Christ, followed by warnings against judging and self-imposed religious restrictions.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itdecrees3×Acts 17:7, Ephesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14
a decree1×Luke 2:1
decisions1×Acts 16:4
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 2:1
Aligned rows5
Books represented4
Luke1Acts2Ephesians1Colossians1
Source forms
δόγμασιν2xdogmasinEphesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14
δόγμα1xdogmaLuke 2:1
δόγματα1xdogmataActs 16:4
δογμάτων1xdogmatōnActs 17:7
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural2xEphesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural1xActs 16:4
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural1xActs 17:7
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular1xLuke 2:1
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Ask how a religious demand is grounded and explained instead of assuming that its authoritative tone proves its rightness.
- Let shared access and peace shape teaching without demanding contempt for a neighbor's Jewish identity or heritage.
Avoid claiming...
- This noun does not make every rule oppressive or every institutional decree an expression of God's will.
- The five passages do not supply a complete rule for present civil disobedience or resolve every law question.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Official decree or ruling with binding authority, whether civil, religious, or apostolic
Strong'sG1378
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms4 forms5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 2:1-20Source Gloss
a law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical)
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Official decree or ruling with binding authority, whether civil, religious, or apostolic
(δοκέω), [in LXX chiefly for דָּת, טְעֵם ;]
1an opinion.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:1Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
δόγμαdogma
a decree, edict, ordinance
Read verseActs 16:4Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
δόγματαdogmata
a decree, edict, ordinance
Read verseActs 17:7Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
δογμάτωνdogmatwn
a decree, edict, ordinance
Read verseEphesians 2:15Noun Dative Plural Neuter
δόγμασι,dogmasin
a decree, edict, ordinance
Read verseColossians 2:14Noun Dative Plural Neuter
δόγμασιν,dogmasin
a decree, edict, ordinance
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns4Aligned forms5Case patternDative (2)Number patternPlural (4)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · NeuterLuke 2:11×
Genitive · Plural · NeuterActs 17:71×
Dative · Plural · NeuterEph 2:15 · Col 2:142×
Accusative · Plural · NeuterActs 16:41×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Roman imperial edict or official governmental ordinance issued by Caesar
Jewish ceremonial and civil law, particularly regulations separating Jews from Gentiles
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
δόγμα is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Acts offers a useful check against treating decrees as inherently burdensome. The Jerusalem letter refuses demands from people who lacked authorization, communicates agreed requirements and brings encouragement to its recipients. Acts 16 then reports those decisions being delivered as the churches are strengthened. Ephesians and Colossians require a different focus: Christ reconciles those formerly divided and cancels the debt that stood against them.
The noun does not erase the different arguments or resolve every question about the law by itself. In teaching, let Christ's peace and forgiveness carry the weight those passages give them. A present community should also distinguish a rule's claimed authority from its actual source and purpose. Calling a demand a decree cannot exempt it from careful reading, honest explanation and responsibility for its effects on people.
Anchor passage
Eph.2.15
Doctrinal connections
- Christ is the peace of those formerly divided, reconciling both to God through the cross.
- Ephesians joins the removal of hostility to shared access to the Father by one Spirit.
- Colossians locates the canceled debt within God making believers alive with Christ and forgiving trespasses.
- The Jerusalem letter communicates essential requirements while rejecting unauthorized demands that had unsettled Gentile believers.
- Acts identifies Jesus as the proclaimed king within an accusation whose hostile speaker remains visible.
- God's commandments in Deuteronomy 10 are joined to love, service, impartial justice and care for the foreigner.
Dogma is a neuter noun whose singular and plural case forms fit its various clauses. Grammatical number identifies a decree or decrees; it does not settle the authority, covenant role or moral value of the issuer.
From Old to New Testament
Deuteronomy 10:12-22 places commandments beside love for God, impartial judgment and provision for the vulnerable. That setting guards against describing Israel's instruction as merely hostile; Ephesians and Colossians must still be read through their particular statements about Christ. These Hebrew passages add no Greek noun occurrences.