92. adikéma
Lexical Summary
adikéma: Wrongdoing, injustice, offense

Original Word: ἀδίκημα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: adikéma
Pronunciation: ah-dee'-kay-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-eek'-ay-mah)
KJV: evil doing, iniquity, matter of wrong
NASB: iniquities, misdeed, wrong
Word Origin: [from G91 (ἀδικέω - harm)]

1. a wrong done

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
evil doing, iniquity, matter of wrong.

From adikeo; a wrong done -- evil doing, iniquity, matter of wrong.

see GREEK adikeo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 92 adíkēma (a neuter noun derived from 93 /adikía, "unrighteousness") – unrighteousness; a violation of God's justice/judgments with emphasis on its results (note the -ma suffix) – i.e. wrongdoing as it brings certain divine retribution. See 93 (adikia).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from adikeó
Definition
a wrong, injury
NASB Translation
iniquities (1), misdeed (1), wrong (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 92: ἀδίκημα

ἀδίκημα, (τος, τό (ἀδικέω) (from Herodotus on), a misdeed (τό ἄδικον ... ὅταν πραχθῇ, ἀδίκημα ἐστιν, Aristotle, Eth. Nic. 5, 7): Acts 18:14; Acts 24:20; Revelation 18:5.

Topical Lexicon
Underlying Biblical Idea

The term points to a concrete act of moral or legal injustice—a deed that violates God-ordained standards and therefore brings guilt before both heaven and, when recognized, human authorities. Unlike broader words for “sin,” it highlights the actionable offense, the misdeed that can be charged, prosecuted, or judged.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Acts 18:14 – Gallio dismisses the charges against Paul: “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or a serious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.” Here the word identifies an indictable offense in Roman civic life; Gallio’s statement shows Roman officials could recognize genuine criminality, yet find none in the gospel ministry.
2. Acts 24:20 – Paul before the Sanhedrin: “Ask these men here what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin.” Paul confidently invites scrutiny, trusting that the gospel produces no injustice in those who proclaim it.
3. Revelation 18:5 – Concerning Babylon: “For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” The plural form underscores accumulated acts of oppression, corruption, and violence that cry out for divine retribution.

Legal and Judicial Nuances

In Acts, the word functions in a forensic setting. It conveys a breach of law serious enough to warrant court intervention. Luke’s narrative stresses that Christian proclamation, though repeatedly accused, is innocent of true injustice. The gospel cannot legitimately be branded criminal; any persecution of it rests on false charges.

Moral and Prophetic Nuances

Revelation employs the plural to portray systemic evil. Babylon’s iniquities are not isolated slips but a mountain of corrupt deeds entrenched in commerce, idolatry, and persecution of saints. The prophetic picture warns that individual and societal wrongdoing alike accumulate before God until the appointed day of reckoning.

Old Testament Background

The Septuagint often uses cognate forms to translate Hebrew words such as ʿāwôn (iniquity) and ʿāvel (injustice). This linkage binds the New Testament term to themes of covenant violation, exploitation of the weak, and bloodguilt (Genesis 6:11; Isaiah 59:2–4). Thus the concept is rooted in God’s consistent hatred of oppression and His promise to vindicate the righteous.

Christological Significance

Jesus Christ was “numbered with the transgressors” (Luke 22:37) yet committed no wrongdoing. His flawless obedience exposes all human injustice and provides atonement for it (1 Peter 2:22–24). Believers, united to Him, are called to “put away all malice and deceit” (1 Peter 2:1), living lives free from actionable evil that would discredit the gospel.

Eschatological Dimension

Revelation 18 shows that unchecked wrongdoing will provoke final judgment. God’s remembrance is not mere recollection but the activation of justice; what humanity forgets, heaven records. The fall of Babylon guarantees that every unrepentant act of injustice will be answered in the Day of the Lord, encouraging saints to persevere in righteousness.

Pastoral and Practical Implications

• Integrity in witness: Christians are to live so uprightly that accusations of wrongdoing collapse under honest examination (1 Peter 3:16).
• Social justice tempered by the gospel: While believers labor against societal injustice, they rely on the cross, not human retaliation, as the ultimate remedy (Romans 12:19).
• Assurance amid false charges: Like Paul, servants of Christ may suffer slander, yet the final verdict rests with God, who judges impartially (2 Timothy 4:18).
• Warning to the impenitent: Persistent wrongdoing invites divine memory and eventual judgment; timely repentance and faith in Christ remain the only escape (Acts 17:30–31).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 92 portrays injustice as a tangible, indictable act that stands condemned both in earthly courts and, supremely, before God. In Acts it vindicates the innocence of gospel messengers; in Revelation it seals the doom of a corrupt world system. The term therefore challenges believers to personal and communal holiness while assuring them that ultimate justice is certain and will be executed by the Righteous Judge.

Forms and Transliterations
αδικημα αδίκημα αδίκημά ἀδίκημα ἀδίκημά αδικηματα αδικήματα αδικήματά ἀδικήματα αδικημάτων adikema adikēma adíkema adíkemá adíkēma adíkēmá adikemata adikēmata adikḗmata
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 18:14 N-NNS
GRK: μὲν ἦν ἀδίκημά τι ἢ
NAS: it were a matter of wrong or
KJV: it were a matter of wrong or wicked
INT: indeed it was unrighteousness some or

Acts 24:20 N-ANS
GRK: τί εὗρον ἀδίκημα στάντος μου
NAS: what misdeed they found
KJV: they have found any evil doing in me,
INT: any they found unrighteousness having stood of me

Revelation 18:5 N-ANP
GRK: θεὸς τὰ ἀδικήματα αὐτῆς
NAS: and God has remembered her iniquities.
KJV: hath remembered her iniquities.
INT: God the iniquities of her

Strong's Greek 92
3 Occurrences


ἀδίκημά — 2 Occ.
ἀδικήματα — 1 Occ.

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