← Back to Lexicon
G1677 · Greek · New Testament
ἐλλογέω
ellogeo
Verb
To Charge to Account / To Impute

Definition

Ellogeo (ἐλλογέω, G1677) means to charge to one's account, to put to one's reckoning, to impute. From en (in) + logos (account/reckoning). It appears twice in the New Testament: Romans 5:13 — 'sin is not charged (ellogeitai) to anyone's account when there is no law' — and Philemon 1:18 — 'If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it (ellogei) to me.'

Usage & Theological Significance

Ellogeo is a financial term from the commercial world of accounting — to record a debt in someone's ledger. Its two appearances bracket the full sweep of the gospel: Romans 5:13 presents the theological principle (sin is charged against the account where law exists) and Philemon 1:18 presents the living parable (Paul charges Onesimus' debt to himself, bearing it on behalf of the freed slave). This is exactly the logic of atonement. Humanity's debt — sin — is real and charged. But Christ says to the Father: 'Charge it to Me.' Paul in Philemon plays the role of Christ; Onesimus plays the role of the sinner; Philemon plays the role of the offended Father. Ellogeo thus becomes one of the clearest legal metaphors for substitutionary atonement: the debt is real, the transfer is real, and the guarantee is personal.

Key Bible Verses

Romans 5:13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law.
Philemon 1:18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
2 Corinthians 5:19 God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Related Words

External Resources

🌙
☀️