What does παίω (paíō) mean in the Bible?
Παίω (paíō) means to strike or hit. In the passion narratives it appears both in violence against Jesus and in Peter's violence on Jesus' behalf.
Greek · G3817
παίω
To strike
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παίω G3817
Pronunciation paíō
What does παίω (paíō) mean in the Bible?
Παίω (paíō) means to strike or hit. In the passion narratives it appears both in violence against Jesus and in Peter's violence on Jesus' behalf.
Reader summary
Full entry for παίω (G3817) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3817?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include hit (2), [and] struck (1), struck (1), the stinging (1).
Where does παίω (paíō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 26:68. Its strongest book concentrations include John (1), Luke (1), Mark (1), Matthew (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Παίω (paíō) means to strike or hit. In the passion narratives it appears both in violence against Jesus and in Peter's violence on Jesus' behalf. Mockers strike Jesus and demand that He prophesy who hit Him (Matt. 26:68; Luke 22:64). In John 18:10 Peter strikes the high priest's servant and cuts off his ear. Jesus immediately commands Peter to put away the sword and receives the cup the Father has given Him.
John's use is especially important for discipleship. Peter's loyalty is real, but his action misunderstands the way Jesus will complete His mission. The kingdom does not advance by protecting Jesus through the disciple's sword. Jesus willingly goes toward the cross, where He bears violence rather than authorizing His followers to secure His reign by force.
The verb itself simply names a blow and appears in another setting for painful torment (Rev. 9:5). It does not settle every biblical question about civil authority, self-defense, military service, or protection of others. Faithful teaching must stay with the passage's claim: violence used to prevent Jesus' obedient suffering resists His stated mission. The church bears witness through truth, sacrificial love, prayer, and lawful protection of the vulnerable, never coercion in Christ's name.
Canonical parallelBook contextEditorial synthesis
How the Bible Uses It
The verb portrays blows against Jesus, Peter's misguided strike in the garden, and painful torment in Revelation.
- Matt.26.68
And said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”
The captors combine physical abuse with mockery of Jesus' messianic identity.
- Luke.22.64
They blindfolded Him and kept demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”
The blow is part of degrading mockery immediately before Jesus faces the council.
- John.18.10
Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
Peter uses force to resist the arrest, but Jesus rejects the action and embraces the Father's cup.
- Rev.9.5
The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.
The verb contributes to apocalyptic imagery of limited but severe torment.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It hit 2× Matthew 26:68, Luke 22:64
[and] struck 1× Mark 14:47
struck 1× John 18:10
the stinging 1× Revelation 9:5
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 26:68 παίσας to hit Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Mark 14:47 ἔπαισεν to [and] struck Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 22:64 παίσας to hit Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular John 18:10 ἔπαισεν to struck Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Revelation 9:5 παίσῃ to the stinging Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 26:68
Aligned rows 5
Books represented 5
Matthew 1 Mark 1 Luke 1 John 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
ἔπαισεν 2x epaisen Mark 14:47, John 18:10
παίσας 2x paisas Matthew 26:68, Luke 22:64
παίσῃ 1x paisē Revelation 9:5
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Mark 14:47, John 18:10
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Matthew 26:68, Luke 22:64
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Revelation 9:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Apply Peter's failure directly to coercion in Christ's name. Broader questions about civil authority and immediate protection require the whole counsel of Scripture and careful pastoral judgment.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that sincere zeal makes violent action faithful. Peter's loyalty does not excuse resisting Jesus' command and mission.
- Do not claim that John 18:10 by itself forbids every use of force by civil authorities or in immediate protection. The passage addresses Peter's attempt to stop Jesus' arrest and appointed suffering.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to strike
Strong's G3817
Lexical occurrences 5 verses Greek text appearances 5 times Word forms 3 forms 5 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to strike
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 26:68 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παίσας paisav
I strike, smite
Read verse Mark 14:47 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔπαισε epaisen
I strike, smite
Read verse Luke 22:64 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παίσας paisav
I strike, smite
Read verse John 18:10 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔπαισε epaisen
I strike, smite
Read verse Revelation 9:5 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
παίσῃ paish
I strike, smite
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 mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 5 Tenses Aorist Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 2×
Aorist Active Matt 26:68 · Luke 22:64 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 2×
Aorist Active Mark 14:47 · John 18:10 2×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active Rev 9:5 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 5
Voice
active 5
Mood
indicative 2 participle 2 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
παίω is a primary verb - no further derivation.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Peter's strike is a warning about zeal without submission. He wants to defend Jesus, yet Jesus has repeatedly taught that His hour and suffering belong to the Father's saving plan. By drawing the sword, Peter acts against the very mission he hopes to protect. The later mockers strike Jesus from hatred, while the disciple strikes another person from misdirected loyalty.
Both scenes expose the destructive power of violence, though their motives differ. Preaching should center Jesus, who receives the cup and goes to the cross willingly. The church does not establish His kingdom through force or intimidation. It speaks truth, protects the vulnerable through righteous means, accepts costly witness, and trusts the crucified and risen King.
Anchor passage
John.18.10
Doctrinal connections
- John 10:17-18 - Jesus willingly lays down His life
- John 18:1-11 - arrest, sword, and the Father's cup
- Matthew 26:47-56 - the sword and fulfillment of Scripture
- 1 Peter 2:21-25 - Christ suffers without retaliation
The verb names the act of striking. Questions of motive, authority, justice, and discipleship come from the surrounding narrative rather than the lexical form alone.
From Old to New Testament
The suffering righteous and rejected prophets provide a background for Jesus' abuse, while the servant pattern reaches its center in the Messiah who receives suffering without establishing His reign by the sword.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain