Greek Form Guide

παραπτώματα, (paraptomata) in Colossians 2:13: Noun Accusative Plural Neuter

παραπτώματα, (paraptomata) in Colossians 2:13

Textual Witness

παραπτώματα, paraptomata Noun Accusative Plural Neuter

The witness reads παραπτώματα in the phrase πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα, within Colossians 2:13, where the context speaks of being made alive and forgiven.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form strengthens a reading of full and direct forgiveness: the trespasses are the counted offenses that God has graciously pardoned.

How To Communicate It

In preaching or translation, this can be communicated as 'all your trespasses' or 'all your offenses,' keeping the plurality and the total scope clear.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Neuter grammatical gender is a form class, not a statement about persons or theology.
  • If syntax seems uncertain, stay with the conservative reading that the trespasses are the forgiven object of the clause.
  • Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Noun: this word names an act or condition of trespass, so it functions as a substantive in the sentence.

Case

Accusative: the form commonly marks the direct object or the thing affected by the verb, and here it fits the forgiven items named in the clause.

Number

Plural: the form refers to multiple trespasses, presenting the offenses as a collective set rather than a single act.

Gender

Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which is a formal language feature and not a theological gender claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα

Governed By

The accusative plural is governed by χαρισάμενος, which presents the forgiven trespasses as the direct object of the gracious act.

Role In The Phrase

It names the totality of offenses that are being forgiven, and it completes the thought of God's gracious dealing with the readers' sins.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not by itself name the subject of the sentence, and it does not require a special abstract meaning beyond the context of forgiven trespasses.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The accusative plural noun names all the trespasses as the object of gracious forgiveness.

Syntax Profile

Accusative plural neuter noun. names the offenses forgiven in the clause. Attached to all the trespasses. Governed by the forgiving participial clause in Colossians 2:13. The plural object shows the offenses in view; the gracious action supplies the saving emphasis.

Reader Question

What has been forgiven? The plural noun names the trespasses as the offenses forgiven.

Translation Effect

Direct: The form directly supports trespasses or offenses as the object in English.

Where Caution Is Needed

The plural form names a set of offenses but does not count or classify every sin by itself. Neuter grammatical gender does not add a theological gender claim.

Fallacies To Avoid

Plural noun defines every category of sin alone: The noun names the forgiven offenses; the passage governs the full soteriological claim. grammar replaces gracious action: The object matters because it is governed by the forgiving action in the clause.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads παραπτώματα in the phrase πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα, within Colossians 2:13, where the context speaks of being made alive and forgiven.

Lexical Identity

The lemma παράπτωμα refers to a trespass, misdeed, or false step, so the form here points to concrete offenses rather than a different lexical idea.

Grammar In Context

As an accusative plural noun, the form is best read as the thing forgiven by the participle χαρισάμενος, while the surrounding sentence explains the saving action.

Passage Meaning

The verse presents God as giving life together with Christ and, in that same saving action, forgiving all the readers' trespasses.

Canonical Fit

This fits the broader biblical pattern that links divine mercy, forgiveness, and new life, without forcing the grammar to carry the theology by itself.

Communication Use

For teaching, the form clarifies that the verse speaks of many sins being dealt with together, not a vague moral failure in general.

Do Not Derive

Do not derive a claim that the accusative form creates the doctrine of forgiveness, changes the lemma, or settles every question of syntax beyond this context.