to owe
Opheilo denotes being under an obligation, whether a required action, a debt to be paid, or a binding liability.
The predominant use marks an obligation to act: people are described as required to love, serve, give thanks, or act in a manner fitting their stated situation. It also describes money or other amounts owed and, in legal or cultic clauses, liability or a requirement imposed by law, an oath, or a priestly role.
Senses in use
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Required conduct or fitting response · dominant
Present active forms frame actions as required or fitting: in 1 John 3:16 the APB renders the clause "we ought to lay down our souls for the brothers," and in John 13:14 the addressed group is to wash one another's feet after the prior washing. In 1 Corinthians 11:7 and 1 Corinthians 11:10, third-person forms occur in statements about what a man or woman ought to do concerning the head.
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Debt or amount owed · common
The term identifies a debtor's obligation to a creditor in Luke 16:5 and Luke 16:7, where the APB asks, "How much do you owe?" In Matthew 18:28 the debtor is pressed to pay, while the present passive participle in Matthew 18:30 denotes "what was owed."
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Binding liability under stated terms · occasional
In John 19:7, the claim is that, according to a law, the person "owes to die"; the clause presents liability under that law. In Matthew 23:16 and Matthew 23:18, the APB renders the consequence of specified oaths as being "bound," while Hebrews 5:3 states that the high priest is obligated to offer sacrifices for himself as well as for the people.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB variously uses "ought," "owe," "owed," "bound," "obligated," and "had to." These renderings reflect the surrounding clauses, but the translation does not identify a one-to-one English equivalent for each occurrence.