παρανομία
paranomía
G3892 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Violation of law, specifically the act of acting contrary to law, ordinance, or accepted custom; more broadly, lawlessness, transgression, or conduct regarded as illegitimate according to legal or established norms. The term typically refers to an overt act or state of defiance against formal rules or standards, whether civil, religious, or moral. In some contexts, it comes to mean iniquity, especially when describing moral disorder or flagrant disobedience.
Semantic Range
transgression, violation of law, lawlessness, illegality, iniquity, act contrary to law or established custom
Root / Etymology
From παρανομέω (paranomeō, 'to act contrary to law'), itself from παρά ('beside, beyond') and νόμος ('law'); thus, παρανομία is a nominal formation indicating the state or act of being outside or against the law.
Historical & Contextual Notes
παρανομία is found in Hellenistic and Koine Greek literature to denote violation of law or unlawful behavior, often in legal or moral contexts. In the Septuagint, it can translate various Hebrew terms for lawlessness or rebellion, particularly in wisdom or prophetic literature. In the New Testament, its sole appearance is in 2 Peter 2:16, describing the 'transgression' of Balaam, where it focuses on the specific act of going against divine or established law. Standard English renderings such as 'transgression' or 'iniquity' partially capture the nuance, but the underlying sense is tied closely to legal or normative order and its deliberate breach. The term is less frequent than other Greek terms such as ἀνομία ('lawlessness') or παράπτωμα ('trespass'), but all carry overlapping senses. παρανομία often includes both legal culpability and a more general sense of deviant behavior unrelated to purely religious law.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as παρανομέω; transgression:--iniquity.
Root Family
νομ- (énnomos) — law, custom, norm
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G1772 | ἔννομος | within-law (feminine dative singular) |
| G3543 | νομίζω | they regarded as customary |
| G3544 | νομικός | legal (feminine plural) |
| G3545 | νομίμως | lawfully |
| G3546 | νόμισμα | official coin |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3892-01 |
παρανομίας | paranomias | N GEN F SG |
transgression | of lawlessness | of lawlessness | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3892-01 |
2 Peter 2:16 | παρανομίας | paranomias | N GEN F SG |
transgression | of lawlessness | of lawlessness |