Opheilema denotes an obligation treated either as forgiven or as the basis on which a wage is reckoned.

The attested use concerns an obligation: Matthew 6:12 places plural obligations in a request for forgiveness, while Romans 4:4 contrasts grace with a wage reckoned according to obligation.

1. Obligation subject to forgiveness or reckoning · dominant

   In Matthew 6:12, the accusative plural form stands in the request that obligations be forgiven, alongside those identified as debtors in the verse. In Romans 4:4, the accusative singular occurs where the APB renders a wage as counted “according to debt,” contrasting that basis with grace.

   Matthew 6:12Romans 4:4

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the plural occurrence within a request for forgiveness and the singular occurrence in the accounting of a wage “according to debt.” These phrases indicate the clauses' presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.