A stealer (literally or figuratively)
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Kleptēs names a thief, someone who takes what belongs to another, commonly by stealth. Jesus warns that earthly treasures are vulnerable to thieves, while generosity stores treasure where no thief approaches.
Reader summary
Full entry for κλέπτης (G2812) · Open the biblical lexicon
Kleptēs names a thief, someone who takes what belongs to another, commonly by stealth. Jesus warns that earthly treasures are vulnerable to thieves, while generosity stores treasure where no thief approaches.
The BSB source-word alignment has 16 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a thief (7), thief (5), thieves (4).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:19. Its strongest book concentrations include John (4), Matthew (3), 1 Thessalonians (2), Luke (2).
Kleptēs names a thief, someone who takes what belongs to another, commonly by stealth. Jesus warns that earthly treasures are vulnerable to thieves, while generosity stores treasure where no thief approaches. In the shepherd discourse, one who enters the sheepfold by another way is a thief and robber, contrasting predatory access with the true Shepherd. Paul says thieves will not inherit God's kingdom, placing theft among practices from which believers must be washed and transformed.
The day of the Lord comes like a thief, an analogy about unexpected arrival rather than immoral intent. The noun can identify a criminal, a predatory religious figure, or a comparison for surprise. Context must prevent the metaphor from transferring every feature of theft to God.
Kleptēs marks one who steals, but its imagery serves several claims: material treasure is insecure, false shepherds prey on sheep, persistent theft contradicts kingdom life, and the Lord's day arrives unexpectedly like a thief. Stealth and loss matter differently in each passage.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19 warns against storing treasures on earth where moth, rust, and thieves destroy or steal. Jesus redirects the heart toward heavenly treasure and undivided service to God.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Luke 12:33 says heavenly treasure is an unfailing purse where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. Generosity to the needy embodies readiness for the Father's kingdom.
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
John 10:1 calls the one who climbs into the sheepfold another way a thief and robber. The image contrasts illegitimate, predatory leadership with the shepherd recognized by the sheep and fulfilled in Jesus.
Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
First Corinthians 6:10 includes thieves among those who will not inherit God's kingdom, then reminds believers that some were such people but were washed, sanctified, and justified.
For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
First Thessalonians 5:2 says the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. The comparison emphasizes unexpectedness for the unready, followed by a call for children of light to remain awake and sober.
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. Steals secretly through fraud and cunning, contrasting with robbers who plunder openly and violently.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a thief
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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 2 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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 16 lexical occurrence verses.
κλέπτης is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Kleptēs exposes false security and violated trust. Earthly goods cannot bear the heart's ultimate confidence because decay and theft can remove them. Jesus therefore joins heavenly treasure to generous allegiance under the Father's kingdom. In John 10, theft becomes a leadership image: those who bypass the Shepherd's rightful way approach the flock for predatory ends, whereas Jesus knows, protects, and lays down His life for the sheep.
Paul names theft as incompatible with kingdom inheritance, yet immediately announces transforming grace to people who once lived that way. Finally, the Lord's day is thief-like only in its unannounced arrival. Faithful teaching should defend property and vulnerable people, expose exploitative leaders, invite restitution and repentance, and form watchful hope without ever attributing criminal character to God.
John.10.1
Kleptēs is related to kleptō, "to steal," and often suggests a thief acting covertly, though usage need not maintain a strict distinction from lēstēs, "robber." Metaphors may select only one feature of the source image.
The commandments forbid stealing, wisdom warns against dishonest gain, and prophets condemn leaders who prey upon the flock. Jesus fulfills the promised shepherd role and forms a people marked by generosity and honest labor.