What does ἄνομος (ánomos) mean in the Bible?
Ἄνομος describes someone or something without law, outside a particular law, or characterized by lawlessness. Paul uses the adjective with important differences.
Greek · G459
ἄνομος
Lawless
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ἄνομος G459
Pronunciation ánomos
What does ἄνομος (ánomos) mean in the Bible?
Ἄνομος describes someone or something without law, outside a particular law, or characterized by lawlessness. Paul uses the adjective with important differences.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἄνομος (G459) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G459?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include without [the] law (3), [by the] lawless (1), [the] transgressors (1), for [the] lawless (1), lawless [one] (1).
Where does ἄνομος (ánomos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 22:37. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (4), 1 Timothy (1), 2 Peter (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἄνομος describes someone or something without law, outside a particular law, or characterized by lawlessness. Paul uses the adjective with important differences. In 1 Corinthians 9:21, he can become like those outside the Mosaic law for the sake of mission while immediately denying that he is outside God's law; he is under the law of Christ. First Timothy 1 lists the lawless among those whose rebellion the law confronts.
Second Thessalonians 2 applies the term to the climactic lawless one whom the Lord Jesus will destroy at His appearing. The word therefore cannot be translated into one undifferentiated category in every passage. Being a Gentile outside Torah is not identical to moral lawlessness, and missionary adaptation is never permission to sin.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses ἄνομος for those outside a law and for active lawlessness, with context distinguishing social-covenantal location from moral rebellion. Christ's law governs mission, and Christ finally defeats the lawless one.
- 1Cor.9.21
To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law.
Paul adapts to people outside the Mosaic law without becoming morally lawless, because he remains accountable to God under the law of Christ.
- 1Tim.1.9
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,
The law confronts lawless and rebellious conduct that contradicts sound teaching and the gospel entrusted to Paul.
- 2Thess.2.8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
The lawless one represents defiant opposition, yet his end is certain at the majestic appearing of the Lord Jesus.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It without [the] law 3× 1 Corinthians 9:21
[by the] lawless 1× 2 Peter 2:8
[the] transgressors 1× Luke 22:37
for [the] lawless 1× 1 Timothy 1:9
lawless [one] 1× 2 Thessalonians 2:8
of the lawless 1× Acts 2:23
outside [the] law 1× 1 Corinthians 9:21
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 22:37 ἀνόμων to [the] transgressors Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural Acts 2:23 ἀνόμων to of the lawless Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural 1 Corinthians 9:21 ἀνόμοις to without [the] law Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural 1 Corinthians 9:21 ἄνομος to without [the] law Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 1 Corinthians 9:21 ἄνομος to outside [the] law Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 1 Corinthians 9:21 ἀνόμους to without [the] law Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ἄνομος to lawless [one] Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 1 Timothy 1:9 ἀνόμοις to for [the] lawless Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural 2 Peter 2:8 ἀνόμοις to [by the] lawless Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 22:37
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 6
Luke 1 Acts 1 1 Corinthians 4 2 Thessalonians 1 1 Timothy 1 2 Peter 1
Source forms
ἀνόμοις 3x anomois 1 Corinthians 9:21, 1 Timothy 1:9, 2 Peter 2:8
ἄνομος 3x anomos 1 Corinthians 9:21, 2 Thessalonians 2:8
ἀνόμων 2x anomōn Luke 22:37, Acts 2:23
ἀνόμους 1x anomous 1 Corinthians 9:21
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 3x 1 Corinthians 9:21, 2 Thessalonians 2:8
Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 9:21, 1 Timothy 1:9
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural 2x Luke 22:37, Acts 2:23
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x 1 Corinthians 9:21
Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural 1x 2 Peter 2:8
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Always identify whether the passage means outside Mosaic law, morally lawless, or the eschatological lawless figure.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use 1 Corinthians 9:21 to justify sinful accommodation; Paul explicitly remains under the law of Christ.
- Do not equate every person outside the Mosaic law with the lawless one of 2 Thessalonians 2.
Evidence Summary
Messiah
Greek word. Describes both active wickedness and those existing outside God's law entirely, not merely lawbreaking
Strong's G459
Lexical occurrences 9 verses Greek text appearances 10 times Word forms 5 forms 9 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 22:35–38 Source Gloss
lawless
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Describes both active wickedness and those existing outside God's law entirely, not merely lawbreaking
(ἀ. neg., νόμος), [in LXX for עָוֺן, פָּשַׁע, רֶשַׁע, etc. ;]
1lawless, wicked: Mrk.15:28, Luk.22:37, Act.2:23, 1Ti.1:9, 2Pe.2:8; ὁ ἄ., 2Th.2:8 (= ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, 2Th.2:3).
Synonymssee: ἄθεσμος
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 15:28 Adjective Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀνόμων anomwn
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse Luke 22:37 Adjective Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀνόμων anomwn
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse Acts 2:23 Adjective Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀνόμων anomwn
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:21 Adjective Dative Plural Masculine
ἀνόμοις anomoiv
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:21 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἄνομος, anomov
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:21 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἄνομος anomov
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:21 Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀνόμους. anomouv
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἄνομος, anomov
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 1 Timothy 1:9 Adjective Dative Plural Masculine
ἀνόμοις anomoiv
lawless, sinful, illegal
Read verse 2 Peter 2:8 Adjective Dative Plural Neuter
ἀνόμοις anomoiv
lawless, sinful, illegal
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 5 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 patterns 5 Aligned forms 9 Case pattern Dative (3) Number pattern Plural (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine 1 Cor 9:21 · 2 Thess 2:8 3×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Luke 22:37 · Acts 2:23 2×
Dative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 9:21 · 1 Tim 1:9 2×
Dative · Plural · Neuter 2 Pet 2:8 1×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 9:21 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
lawless
Additional Occurrences
Luke 22:35–38 ἀνόμων ánomos
Lawless, transgressors
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἄνομος is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Connects to Isaiah 53 and Christ’s identification with sinners. Luke 22:35–38
Canonical Themes
Messiah
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Paul's missionary flexibility is neither compromise nor lawlessness. In 1 Corinthians 9 he crosses cultural boundaries to win people, yet he inserts a decisive qualification: he is not outside God's law but under Christ's law. First Timothy shows that law continues to expose conduct opposed to sound teaching. Second Thessalonians presents concentrated rebellion in the lawless one, whose apparent power ends at Christ's coming.
These passages require lexical care because “without law” can describe covenantal location while “lawless” can condemn defiant moral opposition. Teachers should name the referent instead of moving carelessly between senses. The church may adapt customs, relinquish preferences, and enter another person's world for gospel mission, but it may not call sin freedom.
At the same time, believers need not fear lawlessness as an equal rival to Christ; the Lord will overthrow it by His appearing.
Anchor passage
1Cor.9.21
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, missionary freedom bounded by the law of Christ
- 1 Timothy 1:5-11, lawful use of law and conduct contrary to sound doctrine
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, rebellion, deception, and Christ's decisive appearing
- Psalm 1:1-6, the contrast between the Lord's instruction and the way of the wicked
- Jeremiah 31:31-34, God's law written on the heart in the new covenant
- Matthew 7:21-23, lawlessness exposed despite religious claims
Ἄνομος combines the privative prefix with νόμος, law. The resulting adjective may mean without law, not under a specified law, or lawless. Grammatical form does not decide the ethical sense by itself; Paul's qualifiers and the surrounding argument do.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's Scriptures expose rejection of the Lord's instruction and promise a covenant in which His law is written on the heart. Jesus condemns lawlessness and fulfills God's will. Paul announces mission beyond Torah boundary markers while keeping believers under Christ's rule and awaiting His triumph over final rebellion.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain