Lawyer
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The Greek adjective nomikos means relating to law and, when used as a substantive title in the Gospels, an expert in the law. In those Gospel settings, the law is Israel's Torah and the experts participate in Jewish interpretation, teaching, and debate.
Reader summary
Full entry for νομικός (G3544) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Greek adjective nomikos means relating to law and, when used as a substantive title in the Gospels, an expert in the law. In those Gospel settings, the law is Israel's Torah and the experts participate in Jewish interpretation, teaching, and debate.
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include experts in the law (5), about [the] law (1), an expert in the law (1), expert in the law (1), lawyer (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 22:35. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (6), Titus (2), Matthew (1).
The Greek adjective nomikos means relating to law and, when used as a substantive title in the Gospels, an expert in the law. In those Gospel settings, the law is Israel's Torah and the experts participate in Jewish interpretation, teaching, and debate. The term should not be mechanically replaced by the modern profession of litigation attorney. Luke records individual experts questioning Jesus, receiving questions from Him, feeling insulted, loading others with burdens, or obstructing knowledge.
Those criticisms address particular actions and authorities, not Jewish people, Torah study, or legal expertise as inherently corrupt. Jesus also reasons with experts about healing on the Sabbath from within a Jewish scriptural conversation. Titus warns against quarrels about law yet positively names Zenas the lawyer and asks that he be equipped for his journey, showing that the label itself is no moral verdict.
Responsible teaching distinguishes role from conduct, refuses anti-Jewish caricature, avoids contempt for disabled or ill people, and evaluates every interpreter, including Christian teachers, by truth, mercy, integrity, and service.
Nomikos identifies what pertains to law or a person expert in it. Gospel contexts focus on Torah specialists in dialogue and conflict with Jesus, while Titus uses legal language for unprofitable quarrels and neutrally or positively identifies Zenas by profession.
One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
An expert in the law tests Jesus about inheriting eternal life and is directed to his reading of Torah.
“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “For you weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.
Jesus confronts experts who load people with burdens they will not help lift.
Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Jesus charges experts with taking away the key of knowledge and hindering those entering.
So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
Jesus asks experts in the law and Pharisees whether healing on the Sabbath is lawful.
But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless.
Titus is told to avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law.
Do your best to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they will have everything they need.
Paul asks Titus to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos so that they lack nothing for their journey.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Expert in Jewish law and Torah interpretation, distinct from scribes who copied texts professionally.
Expert in Jewish law and Torah interpretation, distinct from scribes who copied texts professionally.
(νόμος), [in LXX: 4Ma.5:4 * ;]
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
about law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
Read verseabout law, one learned in the Law
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.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 7 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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
νομικός is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Nomikos identifies a relationship to law or a recognized legal expert, not a fixed moral character. In Luke 10, an expert tests Jesus, yet Jesus takes his Torah question seriously and draws from his own reading before telling the Good Samaritan story. Luke 11 condemns leaders who burden others and obstruct knowledge. Christian teachers should hear that warning as self-implicating rather than projecting it onto Jews or Judaism.
Luke 14 places Sabbath healing within a Jewish legal discussion. Jesus' mercy does not require portraying Torah as cruel, disabled people as object lessons without agency, or Jewish interpreters as uniquely heartless. Titus 3 adds two crucial distinctions: quarrels about law can be unprofitable, while Zenas the lawyer is a named coworker whose travel should be generously supplied.
The same lexical family can therefore describe a debated subject and a respected person. Faithful application values disciplined interpretation, tests authority by whether it helps carry burdens and opens truthful understanding, welcomes sincere questions, resists endless controversy, and rejects antisemitism. It also distinguishes ancient Torah expertise from contemporary legal practice while encouraging qualified legal help when rights, safety, or reporting obligations are at stake.
Luke.10.25
Nomikos is a Greek adjective meaning legal or relating to law and can function substantivally for a legal expert. The article, noun relationship, narrative setting, and relevant legal corpus distinguish a Torah specialist from a general legal matter or profession.
Israel's Scriptures honor instruction, justice, and wise judgment while condemning leaders who exploit others. The New Testament continues both strands: Jesus fulfills and teaches Scripture, confronts burdensome authority, and the apostolic church receives practical service from Zenas the lawyer.