What does παράδοσις (parádosis) mean in the Bible?
Παράδοσις is something handed over or passed down, a tradition. Paul evaluates tradition by its source and fidelity, not by its age alone.
Greek · G3862
παράδοσις
Tradition
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παράδοσις G3862
Pronunciation parádosis
What does παράδοσις (parádosis) mean in the Bible?
Παράδοσις is something handed over or passed down, a tradition. Paul evaluates tradition by its source and fidelity, not by its age alone.
Reader summary
Full entry for παράδοσις (G3862) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3862?
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include tradition (10), traditions (3).
Where does παράδοσις (parádosis) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 15:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (5), Matthew (3), 2 Thessalonians (2), 1 Corinthians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Παράδοσις is something handed over or passed down, a tradition. Paul evaluates tradition by its source and fidelity, not by its age alone. In 1 Corinthians 11:2, he commends the church for maintaining instructions he delivered. Second Thessalonians 2:15 calls believers to hold firmly to apostolic teaching received by spoken word or letter. Colossians 2:8 warns against human tradition joined to empty deception and elemental powers rather than to Christ.
The noun itself can therefore describe faithful apostolic transmission or enslaving human teaching. It neither condemns every inherited practice nor sanctifies every longstanding custom. The church must receive the apostolic gospel preserved in Scripture, test subordinate traditions by that authority, and refuse customs that displace the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses παράδοσις for teaching handed down, whether faithful apostolic instruction or deceptive human tradition. Source, content, and relation to Christ determine its authority.
- 1Cor.11.2
Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
Paul commends the Corinthians for retaining what he delivered, though the following chapters also correct their practice and show that reception requires faithful understanding.
- 2Thess.2.15
Therefore, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.
Standing firm includes holding apostolic instruction delivered in person and by letter, especially against destabilizing claims about the day of the Lord.
- Col.2.8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
Human tradition becomes captivity when it is built on empty deception and elemental principles rather than according to Christ.
Book contextPassage context
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 tradition 10× Matthew 15:2, Matthew 15:3, Matthew 15:6, Mark 7:3
traditions 3× 1 Corinthians 11:2, Galatians 1:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 15:2 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 15:3 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 15:6 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 7:3 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 7:5 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 7:8 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 7:9 παράδοσιν to tradition Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 7:13 παραδόσει to tradition Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 11:2 παραδόσεις to traditions Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural Galatians 1:14 παραδόσεων to traditions Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 15:2
Aligned rows 13
Books represented 6
Matthew 3 Mark 5 1 Corinthians 1 Galatians 1 Colossians 1 2 Thessalonians 2
Source forms
παράδοσιν 9x paradosin Matthew 15:2, Matthew 15:3, Matthew 15:6, Mark 7:3
παραδόσεις 2x paradoseis 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15
παραδόσει 1x paradosei Mark 7:13
παραδόσεων 1x paradoseōn Galatians 1:14
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 9x Matthew 15:2, Matthew 15:3, Matthew 15:6, Mark 7:3
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1x Mark 7:13
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural 1x Galatians 1:14
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Identify the source and content of a tradition before praising it as apostolic or dismissing it as merely human.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use Paul's positive παράδοσις texts to grant every later church custom the authority of apostolic revelation.
- Do not use Colossians 2:8 to reject all inherited teaching or practice; Paul himself commands churches to hold faithful apostolic tradition.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Doctrine handed down orally from teacher to student; not written Scripture but living instruction.
Strong's G3862
Lexical occurrences 13 verses Greek text appearances 13 times Word forms 4 forms 13 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Mark 7:1–23 Source Gloss
tradition
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
13 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 15:2 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Matthew 15:3 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Matthew 15:6 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Mark 7:3 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Mark 7:5 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Mark 7:8 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Mark 7:9 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Mark 7:13 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
παραδόσει paradosei
an instruction, tradition
Read verse 1 Corinthians 11:2 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
παραδόσεις paradoseiv
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Galatians 1:14 Noun Genitive Plural Feminine
παραδόσεων. paradosewn
an instruction, tradition
Read verse Colossians 2:8 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
παραδόσεις paradoseiv
an instruction, tradition
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
παράδοσιν paradosin
an instruction, tradition
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 4 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 patterns 4 Aligned forms 13 Case pattern Accusative (11) Number pattern Singular (10)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Plural · Feminine Gal 1:14 1×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Mark 7:13 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 15:2 · Matt 15:3 · Matt 15:6 · Mark 7:3 · Mark 7:5 · Mark 7:8 · Mark 7:9 · Col 2:8 · 2 Thess 3:6 9×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine 1 Cor 11:2 · 2 Thess 2:15 2×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
tradition
Additional Occurrences
Mark 7:1–23 παράδοσις parádosis
tradition; handed-down teaching
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
παράδοσις is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Human authority contrasted with God’s command. Mark 7:1–23
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 question is not whether Christians will receive traditions, but which traditions will govern them and under what authority. Paul praises the preservation of apostolic instruction because the message and practices entrusted to the churches serve the gospel. He commands the Thessalonians to hold that teaching when false claims threaten stability. Yet he also warns the Colossians that human tradition can become a vehicle of captivity when it is not according to Christ.
This distinction gives churches a sober posture toward inherited forms. We need not despise the wisdom of previous generations, and we must not treat novelty as purity. At the same time, age, familiarity, and institutional approval cannot turn a human custom into divine command. Scripture preserves the normative apostolic witness. Every subordinate tradition should be received gratefully, revised, or rejected according to its faithfulness to Christ, truth, holiness, and the good order of His church.
Anchor passage
1Cor.11.2
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, receiving apostolic instruction and applying it faithfully
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, the gospel Paul received and delivered
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, standing firm against destabilizing teaching
- Colossians 2:6-23, fullness in Christ versus human regulations
- Deuteronomy 4:1-2, receiving God's commands without addition or subtraction
- Mark 7:5-13, human tradition nullifying the word of God
Παράδοσις is related to παραδίδωμι, to hand over or deliver. The noun describes what is transmitted, without building a positive or negative judgment into the form itself. Paul's modifiers, source references, and Christological context supply that evaluation.
From Old to New Testament
Israel is commanded to teach God's revealed words across generations while refusing additions that displace them. Jesus condemns traditions that nullify God's command. The apostles deliver the gospel and church instruction now normatively preserved in Scripture, by which later traditions must be tested.
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