Bible Dictionaries
Iniquity

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

lit., "lawlessness" (a, negative, nomos, "law"), is used in a way which indicates the meaning as being lawlessness or wickedness. Its usual rendering in the NT is "iniquity," which lit. means unrighteousness. It occurs very frequently in the Sept., especially in the Psalms, where it is found about 70 times. It is used (a) of iniquity in general, Matthew 7:23; 13:41; 23:28; 24:12; Romans 6:19 (twice); 2 Corinthians 6:14 , RV, "iniquity" (AV, "unrighteousness"); 2 Thessalonians 2:3 , in some mss.; the AV and RV follow those which have hamartia, "(man of) sin;" 2 Thessalonians 2:7 , RV, "lawlessness" (AV, "iniquity"); Titus 2:14; Hebrews 1:9; 1 John 3:4 (twice), RV, "(doeth) ... lawlessness" and "lawlessness" (AV, "transgresseth the law" and "trangression of the law"); (b) in the plural, of acts or manifestations of lawlessness, Romans 4:7; Hebrews 10:17 (some inferior mss. have it in Hebrews 8:12 , for the word hamartia). See LAWLESSNESS , TRANSGRESSION , UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

Note: In the phrase "man of sin," 2 Thessalonians 2:3 , the word suggests the idea of contempt of Divine law, since the Antichrist will deny the existence of God.

denotes "unrighteousness," lit., "unrightness" (a, negative, dike, "right"), a condition of not being right, whether with God, according to the standard of His holiness and righteousness, or with man, according to the standard of what man knows to be right by his conscience. In Luke 16:8; 18:6 , the phrases lit. are, "the steward of unrighteousness" and "the judge of injustice," the subjective genitive describing their character; in Luke 18:6 the meaning is "injustice" and so perhaps in Romans 9:14 . The word is usually translated "unrighteousness," but is rendered "iniquity" in Luke 13:27; Acts 1:18; 8:23; 1 Corinthians 13:6 , AV (RV, "unrighteousness"); so in 2 Timothy 2:19; James 3:6 .

denotes "a wrong, injury, misdeed" (akin to No. 2; from adikeo, "to do wrong"), the concrete act, in contrast to the general meaning of No. 2, and translated "a matter of wrong," in Acts 18:14; "wrong-doing," Acts 24:20 (AV, "evil-doing"); "iniquities," Revelation 18:5 . See EVIL , WRONG.

akin to poneo, "to toil" (cp. poneros, "bad, worthless;" see BAD), denotes "wickedness," and is so translated in Matthew 22:18; Mark 7:22 (plural); Luke 11:39; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:8; Ephesians 6:12; in Acts 3:26 , "iniquities." See WICKEDNESS. Cp. kakia, "evil."

"law-breaking" (para, "against," nomos, "law"), denotes "transgression," so rendered in 2 Peter 2:16 , for AV, "iniquity."