What does παραγίνομαι (paragínomai) mean in the Bible?
Paraginomai means to arrive, come near, appear, or be present at a place. Matthew announces the magi arriving in Jerusalem.
Greek · G3854
παραγίνομαι
To come
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παραγίνομαι G3854
Pronunciation paragínomai
What does παραγίνομαι (paragínomai) mean in the Bible?
Paraginomai means to arrive, come near, appear, or be present at a place. Matthew announces the magi arriving in Jerusalem.
Reader summary
Full entry for παραγίνομαι (G3854) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3854?
The BSB source-word alignment has 37 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include arrived (5), came (4), On his arrival (2), returned (2), They came (2).
Where does παραγίνομαι (paragínomai) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (20), Luke (8), Matthew (3), John (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Paraginomai means to arrive, come near, appear, or be present at a place. Matthew announces the magi arriving in Jerusalem. A servant returns to the master after carrying out an invitation. Peter arrives at the grieving home of Tabitha. Paul comes to James with a ministry report. Hebrews announces Christ arriving as High Priest of the good things now secured.
The verb marks presence reached, but it does not explain the journey or confer the same significance on every arrival. Some arrivals create inquiry, some accountability, some pastoral consolation, and one belongs to Christ's decisive priestly work. Readers should ask who has arrived, before whom, and what changes because that person is now present.
How the Bible Uses It
Paraginomai marks arrival into a consequential scene: magi seek the newborn King, a servant reports to his master, Peter enters a house of mourning, Paul meets Jerusalem's elders, and Christ appears as the effective High Priest. Presence creates a new moment of response.
- Matt.2.1
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:1 says magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem asking for the born King of the Jews. Their arrival disturbs Herod and sets worshipful seeking against murderous resistance.
- Luke.14.21
The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
Luke 14:21 records the servant arriving and reporting the invited guests' excuses. His faithful report prompts the master to extend the banquet invitation to the poor and excluded.
- Acts.9.39
So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Acts 9:39 says Peter arose and went with the messengers; when he arrived, grieving widows showed him Tabitha's garments. His presence enters a community's concrete loss before God restores her.
- Acts.21.18
The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were present.
Acts 21:18 records Paul going in to James after arriving in Jerusalem, with the elders present. He reports God's work among the Gentiles before navigating serious concerns and danger.
- Heb.9.11
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation.
Hebrews 9:11 announces Christ appearing as High Priest of the good things that have come. His arrival introduces the superior sanctuary and once-for-all redemption developed in the chapter.
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 arrived 5× Matthew 2:1, Mark 14:43, Acts 5:21, Acts 11:23
came 4× Matthew 3:1, Matthew 3:13, Luke 7:20, Luke 8:19
On his arrival 2× Acts 9:39, Acts 18:27
returned 2× Luke 14:21, Acts 24:24
They came 2× Luke 7:4, Acts 20:18
. . . 1× Acts 13:14
[from there] 1× Acts 28:21
[people] kept coming 1× John 3:23
[Saul] arrived 1× Acts 9:26
arrive 1× Acts 23:35
came as 1× Hebrews 9:11
came forward 1× Luke 19:16
came in 1× Acts 5:25
had come 1× Luke 22:52
has come 1× Luke 11:6
he went 1× Acts 23:16
He went [back] 1× John 8:2
I have come 1× Luke 12:51
I returned [ to Jerusalem ] 1× Acts 24:17
on arriving 1× Acts 5:22
On arriving [there] 1× Acts 17:10
on my arrival 1× 1 Corinthians 16:3
stood with 1× 2 Timothy 4:16
their arrival 1× Acts 15:4
they arrived 1× Acts 14:27
to come 1× Acts 10:33
were present 1× Acts 21:18
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:1 παρεγένοντο to arrived Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural Matthew 3:1 παραγίνεται to came Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Matthew 3:13 παραγίνεται to came Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Mark 14:43 παραγίνεται to arrived Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 7:4 παραγενόμενοι to They came Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural Luke 7:20 Παραγενόμενοι to came Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural Luke 8:19 Παρεγένετο to came Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular Luke 11:6 παρεγένετο to has come Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular Luke 12:51 παρεγενόμην to I have come Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular Luke 14:21 παραγενόμενος to returned Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:1
Aligned rows 37
Books represented 8
Matthew 3 Mark 1 Luke 8 John 2 Acts 20 1 Corinthians 1 2 Timothy 1 Hebrews 1
Source forms
παραγενόμενος 8x paragenomenos Luke 14:21, Acts 5:25, Acts 10:33, Acts 11:23
παραγενόμενοι 4x paragenomenoi Luke 7:4, Acts 5:22, Acts 15:4, Acts 17:10
παρεγένοντο 4x paregenonto Matthew 2:1, Acts 13:14, Acts 20:18, Acts 21:18
παραγίνεται 3x paraginetai Matthew 3:1, Matthew 3:13, Mark 14:43
παρεγένετο 3x paregeneto Luke 11:6, John 8:2, 2 Timothy 4:16
Παραγενόμενοι 2x Paragenomenoi Luke 7:20, Acts 14:27
Παραγενόμενος 2x Paragenomenos Acts 5:21, Acts 9:26
Παρεγένετο 2x Paregeneto Luke 8:19, Luke 19:16
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular 11x Luke 14:21, Acts 5:21, Acts 5:25, Acts 9:26
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural 6x Luke 7:4, Luke 7:20, Acts 5:22, Acts 14:27
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular 5x Luke 8:19, Luke 11:6, Luke 19:16, John 8:2
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural 4x Matthew 2:1, Acts 13:14, Acts 20:18, Acts 21:18
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 3x Matthew 3:1, Matthew 3:13, Mark 14:43
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular 2x Luke 12:51, Acts 24:17
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x Luke 22:52
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Accusative Masculine Singular 1x Acts 9:39
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not treat physical presence alone as sufficient pastoral care without truthful, attentive service.
- Do not compare a leader's arrival to Christ's priestly appearance in a way that blurs His unique saving work.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not treat physical presence alone as sufficient pastoral care without truthful, attentive service.
- Do not compare a leader's arrival to Christ's priestly appearance in a way that blurs His unique saving work.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to come
Strong's G3854
Lexical occurrences 36 verses Greek text appearances 37 times 16 shown below Word forms 3 forms 36 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to come
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 37 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:1 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγένοντο paregenonto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Matthew 3:1 Verb Third Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
παραγίνεται paraginetai
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Matthew 3:13 Verb Third Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
παραγίνεται paraginetai
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Mark 14:43 Verb Third Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
παραγίνεται paraginetai
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 7:4 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παραγενόμενοι paragenomenoi
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 7:20 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παραγενόμενοι paragenomenoi
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 8:19 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
Παρεγένοντο paregenonto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 11:6 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγένετο paregeneto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 12:51 Verb First Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγενόμην paregenomhn
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 14:21 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παραγενόμενος paragenomenov
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 19:16 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγένετο paregeneto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Luke 22:52 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
παραγενομένους paragenomenouv
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse John 3:23 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγίνοντο pareginonto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse John 8:2 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
παρεγένετο paregeneto
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Acts 5:21 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παραγενόμενος paragenomenov
I appear, come, arrive at
Read verse Acts 5:22 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παραγενόμενοι paragenomenoi
I appear, come, arrive at
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 36 Tenses Aorist, Present, Imperfect Voices Middle
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 20×
Aorist Middle Luke 14:21 · Acts 5:21 · Acts 5:25 · Acts 9:26 · Acts 10:33 · Acts 11:23 · Acts 18:27 · Acts 23:16 · Acts 24:24 · Acts 28:21 · Heb 9:11 · Luke 7:4 · Luke 7:20 · Acts 5:22 · Acts 14:27 · Acts 15:4 20×
Indicative states a fact or reality 14×
Aorist Middle Matt 2:1 · Acts 13:14 · Acts 20:18 · Acts 21:18 · Luke 8:19 · Luke 11:6 · Luke 19:16 · 2 Tim 4:16 · Luke 12:51 · Acts 24:17 10×
Present Middle Matt 3:1 · Matt 3:13 · Mark 14:43 3×
Imperfect Middle John 3:23 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Aorist Middle Acts 23:35 · 1 Cor 16:3 2×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 37 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 33 present 3 imperfect 1
Voice
middle 37
Mood
participle 20 indicative 15 subjunctive 2
NT Occurrences
Matthew 2:1 παρεγένοντο aorist middle indicative completed Matthew 3:1 παραγίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Matthew 3:13 παραγίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Mark 14:43 παραγίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Luke 7:20 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Luke 7:4 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Luke 8:19 Παρεγένετο aorist middle indicative completed Luke 11:6 παρεγένετο aorist middle indicative completed Luke 12:51 παρεγενόμην aorist middle indicative completed Luke 14:21 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Luke 19:16 παρεγένετο aorist middle indicative completed Luke 22:52 παραγενομένους aorist middle participle participle John 3:23 παρεγίνοντο imperfect middle indicative background John 8:2 παρεγένετο aorist middle indicative completed Acts 5:21 Παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 5:22 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Acts 5:25 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 9:26 Παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 9:39 παραγενόμενον aorist middle participle participle Acts 10:33 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 11:23 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 13:14 παρεγένοντο aorist middle indicative completed Acts 14:27 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Acts 15:4 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Acts 17:10 παραγενόμενοι aorist middle participle participle Acts 18:27 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 20:18 παρεγένοντο aorist middle indicative completed Acts 21:18 παρεγένοντο aorist middle indicative completed Acts 23:16 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 23:35 παραγένωνται aorist middle subjunctive subjunctive Acts 24:17 παρεγενόμην aorist middle indicative completed Acts 24:24 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle Acts 25:7 παραγενομένου aorist middle participle participle Acts 28:21 παραγενόμενός aorist middle participle participle 1 Corinthians 16:3 παραγένωμαι aorist middle subjunctive subjunctive 2 Timothy 4:16 παρεγένετο aorist middle indicative completed Hebrews 9:11 παραγενόμενος aorist middle participle participle
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
παραγίνομαι is built from these roots:
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
Paraginomai marks the moment when distance gives way to presence. The magi's arrival brings a question Jerusalem cannot ignore. A servant's return makes rejected invitations known and advances the master's generous purpose. Peter arrives among widows whose grief is embodied in garments Tabitha made. Paul arrives among leaders to recount God's work and face difficult communal realities.
Hebrews gives arrival its greatest weight by announcing Christ as the effective High Priest whose own blood secures eternal redemption. These texts commend more than physical attendance. Faithful presence listens, reports truthfully, enters grief, accepts accountability, and responds to God's action. Yet human presence remains limited. Peter and Paul serve within dependence and danger; Christ alone enters the superior sanctuary as the sufficient priest and sacrifice.
Anchor passage
Heb.9.11
Doctrinal connections
- Christology: the magi's arrival reveals Jesus as the sought King and divides worship from hostility.
- Kingdom invitation: the servant's report advances the master's welcome of unexpected guests.
- Pastoral presence: Peter enters communal grief before the narrative's restoration.
- Mission accountability: Paul reports what God has done among Gentiles to Jerusalem's leaders.
- Priesthood: Christ appears as the superior High Priest of promised good things.
- Redemption: His once-for-all sacrificial work secures eternal deliverance beyond human ministry.
Paraginomai combines para with ginomai and often means to arrive, come on the scene, or be present. It can describe simple arrival or a significant appearance; importance must come from the subject and context.
From Old to New Testament
Visitors arrive before kings, prophets come with God's word, and priests enter appointed service in the Old Testament. Hebrews gathers priestly approach and promised good into Christ's definitive appearance and sanctuary work.
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