To filch
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Κλέπτω means to steal, secretly take what belongs to another, or deprive someone of rightful possession. Paul treats stealing as a violation of neighbor love and then moves beyond prohibition toward transformed work and generosity.
Reader summary
Full entry for κλέπτω (G2813) · Open the biblical lexicon
Κλέπτω means to steal, secretly take what belongs to another, or deprive someone of rightful possession. Paul treats stealing as a violation of neighbor love and then moves beyond prohibition toward transformed work and generosity.
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include do not steal (3), steal (3), [and] steal (1), [and] steal Him away (1), [and] stole (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (5), Romans (3), Ephesians (2), John (1).
Κλέπτω means to steal, secretly take what belongs to another, or deprive someone of rightful possession. Paul treats stealing as a violation of neighbor love and then moves beyond prohibition toward transformed work and generosity. Romans 2 exposes the hypocrisy of teaching “do not steal” while stealing. Romans 13 gathers the command against theft with other commandments under love for one's neighbor.
Ephesians 4 tells the thief not only to stop stealing but to work honestly with his own hands so that he may share with anyone in need. Repentance therefore changes acquisition, labor, and purpose. The verb does not concern only dramatic property crime; dishonest taking, exploitation, and misuse of entrusted resources also contradict the command's neighbor-centered logic.
Paul uses κλέπτω for theft and develops repentance from stopping dishonest taking to honest labor and generous sharing under the law of love.
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
The former thief must replace stealing with good labor whose goal includes having resources to share with a person in need.
You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
Paul's question exposes the teacher whose public command and private conduct diverge, demonstrating the impartial judgment of God.
The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The prohibition of theft is summed up with other commands in neighbor love, which does no harm and fulfills the law.
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. To steal or take something belonging to another through deception or secrecy.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
13 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
Read verseI steal
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 mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 11 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
κλέπτω is a primary verb - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Paul's treatment of stealing is strikingly constructive. The command remains clear: the thief must steal no longer. Yet Ephesians 4 does not stop at restraint. Hands once used to take are redirected toward good work, and the purpose of earning expands beyond self-provision to sharing with someone in need. Romans 2 turns the prohibition toward religious hypocrisy, warning teachers that correct words do not shield hidden theft.
Romans 13 roots the command in love, because stealing harms the neighbor whose goods, wages, labor, trust, or opportunity are taken. Churches can therefore address both obvious theft and respectable forms of dishonest gain. Repentance may require confession, restitution, changed employment practices, financial transparency, and generosity. The gospel does not merely make a better rule-keeper; it transforms the taker into a giver under Christ.
Eph.4.28
Κλέπτω is the ordinary verb for stealing, often with an implication of secret taking. The direct object may be unstated when the action itself is foregrounded. Broader ethical application should remain tied to wrongful appropriation rather than every disputed use of property.
The law forbids theft and requires restitution because property, labor, and neighbor welfare matter before God. Prophets condemn exploitation, Jesus transforms Zacchaeus, and Paul directs redeemed hands from taking toward honest work and generous sharing.