κλέπτης

Matthew 6:19 κλέπται thieves

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Here: A thief who takes things secretly, as opposed to an armed robber (lēstēs). This is the burglar who strikes at night.

Matthew 6:20 κλέπται thieves

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Here: Burglars, people who take by stealth rather than by force.

Matthew 24:43 κλέπτης thief

But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

Here: A thief who works by stealth, a burglar, as opposed to the violent highway robber (lēstēs). The point of the comparison is that he arrives without warning and at a time of his own choosing.

Luke 12:33 κλέπτης thief

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

Here: The ordinary burglar who threatened money hidden in a house. Compare 12:39, where the thief image returns.

Luke 12:39 κλέπτης thief

But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

Here: A thief who steals by stealth, here a night burglar. He is not a violent bandit (lēstēs). His weapon is surprise.

John 10:1 κλέπτης a thief

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Here: One who steals by stealth. John uses the same word for Judas, who stole from the common purse (12:6).

John 10:8 κλέπται thieves

All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

Here: Thieves who work by stealth and trickery. It is the word John uses for Judas skimming from the money bag (12:6). These are people who slip in and take what is not theirs.

John 10:10 κλέπτης thief

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

Here: One who takes by stealth what is not his. In this parable the thief is the one who climbs into the sheepfold 'some other way' instead of using the gate (10:1), and he stands for false leaders of God's flock.

John 12:6 κλέπτης a thief

Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

Here: A thief who takes secretly, in contrast to a robber who takes by force. In John's Gospel the word also recalls the 'thief' of the Good Shepherd discourse (10:1, 10).

1 Corinthians 6:10 κλέπται thieves

nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Here: People who steal secretly, taking what is not theirs when no one is looking. The noun names someone known for it, not a person who once took something.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 κλέπτης a thief

For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Here: A burglar who breaks in. The comparison is to his timing: no announcement, no warning, arrival when the household is asleep and unready.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 κλέπτης a thief

But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.

Here: A burglar who breaks in at night without warning and causes loss. The point of the image is that he comes unexpectedly and does harm, not that he comes in secret. (One manuscript tradition reads 'thieves'; see variants.)

1 Peter 4:15 κλέπτης a thief

Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

Here: A thief: someone who takes property by stealth. Like murder, theft was a standard offence that Roman courts prosecuted.

2 Peter 3:10 κλέπτης a thief

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

Here: A burglar breaking into a house. The image comes from a saying of Jesus (Matt 24:43; Luke 12:39) and was used widely in the early church. The point is unexpected timing, not a quiet or hidden arrival.

Revelation 3:3 κλέπτης, a thief,

Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.

Here: A burglar who breaks in unannounced, usually at night. It echoes Jesus' own saying (Matt 24:43; Luke 12:39), already a fixed image in the early church (1 Thess 5:2).

Revelation 16:15 κλέπτης. a thief.

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

Here: The night burglar who gives no warning. The point of the image is the timing: he arrives when no one expects him and catches anyone asleep.