What does παγίς (pagís) mean in the Bible?
Pagis names a snare, a trap whose danger is capture rather than a difficulty that is merely unpleasant. The New Testament uses this image for several kinds of peril.
Greek · G3803
παγίς
Pagis names a snare, a trap whose danger is capture rather than a difficulty that is merely unpleasant. The New Testament uses this image for several kinds of peril.
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παγίςG3803
Pronunciationpagís
What does παγίς (pagís) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for παγίς (G3803) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3803?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a snare (2), [into the] snare (1), become ensnared (1), snare (1).
Where does παγίς (pagís) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 21:34. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Timothy (2), 2 Timothy (1), Luke (1), Romans (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Pagis names a snare, a trap whose danger is capture rather than a difficulty that is merely unpleasant. The New Testament uses this image for several kinds of peril. A leader's damaged reputation can expose him to the devil's snare; the determination to become rich can entangle a person in ruinous desires. In 2 Timothy, the hope is that opponents recover their senses and escape, while the Lord's servant teaches with patience and gentleness.
Jesus also compares the sudden arrival of the coming day to a snare. These uses encourage watchfulness and truthful correction without authorizing panic or humiliation. They do not identify every illness, financial setback or disagreement as demonic captivity, and they do not turn a suffering neighbor into a person to be hunted.
How the Bible Uses It
Five tagged BSB witnesses place the snare in leadership, wealth, correction, watchfulness and a psalm quotation about judgment. The danger and response must be read from each unit; the trapping picture alone does not supply one universal cause.
- 1Tim.3.7
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.
The leadership qualifications include reputation with outsiders, alongside gentleness and freedom from money-love; status cannot replace credible conduct.
- 1Tim.6.9
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
The warning concerns the desire to become rich and its harmful cravings, not a declaration that possessing resources is itself captivity.
- 2Tim.2.26
Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.
Escape from the snare follows the hope of God-given repentance; the teacher must remain kind, patient and able to instruct.
- Luke.21.34
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
The BSB places the snare comparison within this grouped verse; Jesus calls for watchfulness and prayer rather than speculative dates.
- Rom.11.9
And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
Paul quotes the psalm as he discusses hardening, then forbids Gentile boasting and insists that stumbling is not beyond recovery.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Ita snare2×Luke 21:34, Romans 11:9
[into the] snare1×1 Timothy 3:7
become ensnared1×1 Timothy 6:9
snare1×2 Timothy 2:26
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 21:34παγίςtoa snareNoun - Nominative Feminine SingularRomans 11:9παγίδαtoa snareNoun - Accusative Feminine Singular1 Timothy 3:7παγίδαto[into the] snareNoun - Accusative Feminine Singular1 Timothy 6:9παγίδαtobecome ensnaredNoun - Accusative Feminine Singular2 Timothy 2:26παγίδοςtosnareNoun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 21:34
Aligned rows5
Books represented4
Luke1Romans11 Timothy22 Timothy1
Source forms
παγίδα3xpagidaRomans 11:9, 1 Timothy 3:7, 1 Timothy 6:9
παγίδος1xpagidos2 Timothy 2:26
παγίς1xpagisLuke 21:34
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular3xRomans 11:9, 1 Timothy 3:7, 1 Timothy 6:9
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular1x2 Timothy 2:26
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular1xLuke 21:34
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use the recovery passage to guide respectful correction, never to threaten a dissenter with a diagnosis of captivity.
- Investigate a leader's conduct fairly; neither public popularity nor automatic suspicion satisfies the reputation requirement.
Avoid claiming...
- Pagis provides no basis for declaring that a named person's illness or distress proves demonic control.
- The psalm quotation in Romans cannot make hostility toward Jewish neighbors an act of Christian faithfulness.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Metaphorical trap for moral/spiritual danger, not physical snare; used of temptation and doctrinal deception
Strong'sG3803
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms3 forms5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study link1 Timothy 3:1-7Source Gloss
trap
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Metaphorical trap for moral/spiritual danger, not physical snare; used of temptation and doctrinal deception
(πήγνυμι), [in LXX for פַּח, מוֹקֵשׁ, רֶשֶׁת, etc. ;] poët. (Aristoph., al.) and late for πάγη, a trap, snare; metaphorically (as also in cl.): Luk.21:35, Rom.11:9" (LXX) 1Ti.3:7 6:9, 2Ti.2:26.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 21:35Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
παγὶςpagiv
a snare, trap
Read verseRomans 11:9Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παγίδα,pagida
a snare, trap
Read verse1 Timothy 3:7Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παγίδαpagida
a snare, trap
Read verse1 Timothy 6:9Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παγίδαpagida
a snare, trap
Read verse2 Timothy 2:26Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
παγίδος,pagidov
a snare, trap
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 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.
Form patterns3Aligned forms5Case patternAccusative (3)Number patternSingular (5)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · FeminineLuke 21:351×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine2 Tim 2:261×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineRom 11:9 · 1 Tim 3:7 · 1 Tim 6:93×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
A hidden danger leading to capture or ruin.
Showing 1 selected witness from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
παγίς is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Leadership failure has spiritual consequences and exposes the church to reproach.1 Timothy 3:1-7
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The hopeful use of the snare in 2 Timothy 2 disciplines how its warning should be taught. Paul does not instruct the Lord's servant to trap the opponent in return, win by aggression or humiliate someone into agreement. He requires kindness, patient teaching and gentle correction, while repentance remains a gift God may grant. First Timothy names more concrete preventive measures: leaders need an honest reputation, and believers must resist making riches the aim of life.
Luke turns the image toward watchfulness before a suddenly arriving day. Romans uses a judgment quotation while confronting Gentile conceit. The metaphor therefore combines serious warning with restrained application. Its pastoral force lies in recognizing the named danger and pursuing faithful recovery, not in attaching a demonic diagnosis to everyone who struggles.
Anchor passage
2Tim.2.26
Doctrinal connections
- God may grant repentance and knowledge of the truth to people who currently oppose instruction.
- The Lord's servant answers spiritual danger through kindness, patience and truthful correction.
- Contentment challenges the craving for wealth that First Timothy describes as a path into ruin.
- Leadership qualifications concern observable life before outsiders as well as conduct inside the church.
- Jesus joins watchfulness with prayer as His followers anticipate standing before the Son of Man.
- Paul's discussion of hardening places Gentile believers under a warning against arrogance and boasting.
Pagis is the noun for a snare or trap. Its occurrences use different grammatical cases without changing the basic catching image. A source-reference difference in Luke follows verse grouping; the current BSB comparison appears in Luke 21:34.
From Old to New Testament
Romans 11:9 draws on Psalm 69:22, where an afflicted speaker asks God to judge persecutors. Paul places that quotation within his account of hardening and mercy and immediately challenges Gentile pride. The citation cannot justify contempt for Jewish people or a personal campaign to curse opponents.