Gratuitously (literally or figuratively)
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' The word derives from δῶρον (gift) and carries the essential character of gift-giving: what is given δωρεάν comes without the recipient's prior contribution, merit, or payment. It is the adverbial form of the NT's theology of grace.
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Full entry for δωρεάν (G1432) · Open the biblical lexicon
' The word derives from δῶρον (gift) and carries the essential character of gift-giving: what is given δωρεάν comes without the recipient's prior contribution, merit, or payment. It is the adverbial form of the NT's theology of grace.
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Freely (5), for nothing (1), free of charge (1), without paying for it (1), without reason (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 10:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (2), Revelation (2), 2 Corinthians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
Δωρεάν is the accusative of δωρεά (gift), used adverbially to mean 'freely,' 'as a gift,' 'without cost' — or occasionally 'without cause,' 'for no reason.' The word derives from δῶρον (gift) and carries the essential character of gift-giving: what is given δωρεάν comes without the recipient's prior contribution, merit, or payment. It is the adverbial form of the NT's theology of grace.
Romans 3:24 places δωρεάν at the center of the doctrine of justification: 'justified freely (δωρεάν) by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' The justification of the ungodly costs the recipient nothing — not because it was cheap (the cost to Christ was total) but because the benefit is given as pure gift. Δωρεάν here is not a peripheral modifier; it is the word that establishes the complete exclusion of human merit from justification.
If the justified are justified δωρεάν, then nothing they did contributed to it. Matthew 10:8 extends δωρεάν into the ethics of ministry: 'Freely (δωρεάν) you have received; freely (δωρεάν) give.' The disciples receive their apostolic power and authority as pure gift from Jesus; therefore the pattern of their ministry must match the pattern of their reception.
The grace they have received without cost must be given without cost. This verse does not comment on financial arrangements for ministry; it establishes the posture: the minister of the gospel cannot withhold from others what was freely given to them. Revelation 21:6 and 22:17 give δωρεάν its eschatological completion: 'To the thirsty I will give freely (δωρεάν) from the spring of the water of life' (21:6); 'let the one who desires the water of life drink freely (δωρεάν)' (22:17).
The great invitation at the end of Scripture is characterized by δωρεάν — the water of life, the consummation of all God's gifts, is given without cost. The end of the Bible echoes the middle of the Bible: the gift was free from the cross; the gift will be free at the consummation. Galatians 2:21 uses the concept of δωρεάν in its sharpest form: 'if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing (δωρεάν).'
Here δωρεάν flips to its negative sense — 'without reason,' 'in vain.' If a different path to righteousness existed, the death of Christ would have been pointless. The logical force of this is devastating: the freeness of justification (Romans 3:24) and the necessity of the cross (Galatians 2:21) are the same claim from two angles. Christ died not δωρεάν (not for nothing) but so that justification could be given δωρεάν (freely).
Δωρεάν appears 9 times in the New Testament across Matthew, John, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation. It carries two related senses: 'freely/as a gift' (the giving sense — Matthew 10:8; Romans 3:24; Revelation 21:6) and 'without cause/for nothing' (the negative sense — John 15:25; Galatians 2:21). Both senses flow from the same root concept: that which is given or done without prior obligation or corresponding merit.
And are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Δωρεάν as the adverb of justification: the manner of justification is free — without the recipient's merit, without cost to the recipient. The word is paired with 'by His grace' (tē autou chariti), which reinforces its meaning: grace is the noun; δωρεάν is the quality of how grace operates. To receive grace freely is to receive it with nothing brought from one's side. This is the foundational δωρεάν of the NT.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Δωρεάν as the shape of ministry ethics: the disciples received their power and authority as pure gift; therefore they must give without cost. The word frames not only the financial question but the posture of the entire ministry — grace received δωρεάν produces grace extended δωρεάν. The minister who withholds from others what was freely given to them has forgotten the character of their own reception.
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
Δωρεάν at the eschatological completion: the final gift of the water of life is given freely. The whole arc of redemption — from the free justification of Romans 3:24 to the free gift of eternal life at the consummation — is characterized by δωρεάν. The 'It is done' echoes the completion of salvation (John 19:30 — 'it is finished'); the gift that was secured freely at the cross is given freely at the end.
I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
Δωρεάν in its negative sense: 'for nothing,' 'in vain.' Paul's logic is a reductio: if righteousness is achievable through the law, then the cross was δωρεάν — pointless, without cause. But since righteousness is not achievable through the law, the cross was not δωρεάν in this sense. It was necessary — and therefore justification can be given δωρεάν in the gift sense, because it was purchased at total cost by the one who gave himself.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.
Δωρεάν as the final invitation of Scripture: the last word of the Bible's invitation is 'freely.' The water of life is not earned or purchased by the thirsty; it is desired and received. The economy of the new creation is entirely gift-based: the qualified recipient is the one who desires (ho thelōn) and who comes. Thirst is the qualification; receiving freely is the act.
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
Δωρεάν as 'without cause': the hatred directed at Jesus was groundless — 'for nothing,' without deserving. The citation of Psalm 69:4 (or 35:19) uses δωρεάν in its negative-sense form. The irony in the broader context of John 15 is precise: the one who gave freely (δωρεάν — without cost) to all was hated freely (δωρεάν — without cause) by those who refused the gift. Both the giving and the rejection share the word's quality of unconditioned freedom.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Free gift from God, never earned or deserved; emphasizes grace without condition or payment required.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
as a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
Read verseas a free gift, without payment, freely
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.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
δωρεάν is built from this root:
Δωρεάν is the adverb that qualifies grace — and it is the most explosive word in the doctrine of justification. Romans 3:24 does not say believers are justified by great faith, or justified after sufficient repentance, or justified by sincere effort supplemented by grace. It says they are justified freely (δωρεάν) by his grace. The adverb eliminates every contribution on the human side.
What is given freely is given before anything is brought. That is the radical claim of Pauline justification: the free gift precedes and produces the faith that receives it, not the reverse. Galatians 2:21 then shows the knife-edge that δωρεάν puts the preacher on: if righteousness comes through law, Christ died δωρεάν — for nothing. The sermon that quietly smuggles law-keeping back into the basis of justification (not just the evidence of it) makes the cross pointless.
The cost of the cross and the freeness of the gift are two sides of one reality: it cost Christ everything so that it could cost the recipient nothing. Matthew 10:8 draws the pastoral consequence: the disciples who received δωρεάν must give δωρεάν. Ministry shaped by the grace freely received cannot withhold grace from others. Revelation 22:17 then gives the word its final form — the last invitation of the entire Bible: 'drink freely.'
The thirsty come, the cost is borne, the gift is given. The whole of Scripture's redemptive story ends with an adverb: δωρεάν.
Rom.3.24
Δωρεάν is the accusative singular of δωρεά (gift), used as an adverb — a common Greek construction where an accusative noun functions adverbially (see also δωρεά in Romans 5:15-17). Abbott-Smith notes the two primary senses: (1) as a gift, freely, gratis (Matthew 10:8; Romans 3:24; Revelation 21:6, 22:17); (2) without cause, for nothing, in vain (Matthew 10:8 [if undeserved]; John 15:25; Galatians 2:21).
The word derives from δῶρον (gift), which appears in the Lord's Prayer context ('what good gifts do you give your children,' Matthew 7:11). The LXX uses δωρεάν to translate H2600 חִנָּם (without cost, for nothing), preserving the dual sense.
The OT background of δωρεάν runs through the gift theology of the covenant. Isaiah 55:1-2 is the most direct OT parallel to Revelation's closing invitation: 'Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.' The 'without cost' is the OT's δωρεάν — freely given by God because the recipient has nothing with which to pay.
The logic is the same: the gift is free because it cannot be purchased, not because it is cheap. The costly sacrifice of the Levitical system, offered for no cost to the worshiper's standing before God, establishes the pattern: the one who receives freely does so on the basis of a costly provision made by another. The NT fulfillment is the cross: Christ died at total cost so that justification could be given at no cost — the word δωρεάν in Romans 3:24 rests on the word ἱλαστήριον in Romans 3:25 (the propitiation that bore the cost).
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