What does παρατηρέω (paratēréō) mean in the Bible?
Watching closely or observing must be understood through what is watched and the purpose the account states. Some people watch Jesus to find a reason to accuse Him if He heals on the Sabbath.
Greek · G3906
παρατηρέω
Watching closely or observing must be understood through what is watched and the purpose the account states. Some people watch Jesus to find a reason to accuse Him if He heals on the Sabbath.
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παρατηρέωG3906
Pronunciationparatēréō
What does παρατηρέω (paratēréō) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for παρατηρέω (G3906) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3906?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include they watched (1), they watched [Him] closely (1), they were watching (1), watching Him closely (1), were watching Him closely (1).
Where does παρατηρέω (paratēréō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 3:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (3), Acts (1), Galatians (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Watching closely or observing must be understood through what is watched and the purpose the account states. Some people watch Jesus to find a reason to accuse Him if He heals on the Sabbath. Others send spies to catch His words and hand Him to the governor. In Damascus, gates are watched day and night with a plan to kill Saul, and disciples help him escape.
Paul also speaks of observing days, months, seasons and years within his warning about returning to enslaving principles. The verb cannot make each use careful discipleship or make every calendar practice the same wrongdoing. Identify the observer, object and intended result. Responsible attention differs from surveillance for entrapment, and the narrated hostile watchers do not represent every Jewish person or every sincere questioner.
The passages must retain both the real danger and the limits of their particular charges.
How the Bible Uses It
All six Greek witnesses include close watching around healings, deceptive questioning, gate surveillance and calendar observance in Paul's warning. Purpose and the stated argument determine the interpretation.
- Mark.3.2
In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.
The narrator states that the watchers seek to accuse Jesus over Sabbath healing, and Jesus' following question contrasts doing good and saving life with harm.
- Acts.9.24
But Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
The gates are watched day and night to kill Saul, after he learns of the plot, and the next verse reports a practical escape with help from disciples.
- Gal.4.10
You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
Observing days, months, seasons and years appears in Paul's concern about a return to weak principles and slavery, so the argument must accompany the calendar wording.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itthey watched1×Acts 9:24
they watched [Him] closely1×Luke 20:20
they were watching1×Mark 3:2
watching Him closely1×Luke 14:1
were watching Him closely1×Luke 6:7
You are observing1×Galatians 4:10
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 3:2παρετήρουνtothey were watchingVerb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralLuke 6:7παρετηροῦντοtowere watching Him closelyVerb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person PluralLuke 14:1παρατηρούμενοιtowatching Him closelyVerb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine PluralLuke 20:20παρατηρήσαντεςtothey watched [Him] closelyVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine PluralActs 9:24παρετηροῦντοtothey watchedVerb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person PluralGalatians 4:10παρατηρεῖσθεtoYou are observingVerb - Present Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMark 3:2
Aligned rows6
Books represented4
Mark1Luke3Acts1Galatians1
Source forms
παρετηροῦντο2xparetērountoLuke 6:7, Acts 9:24
παρατηρεῖσθε1xparatēreistheGalatians 4:10
παρατηρήσαντες1xparatērēsantesLuke 20:20
παρατηρούμενοι1xparatēroumenoiLuke 14:1
παρετήρουν1xparetērounMark 3:2
Parsing patterns
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural2xLuke 6:7, Acts 9:24
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural1xLuke 20:20
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xMark 3:2
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Plural1xGalatians 4:10
Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural1xLuke 14:1
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Respond to credible danger with protection and support instead of requiring continued exposure to hostile watching.
- Allow accountable inquiry without inferring hidden malice or judging a person's observances from one verb.
Avoid claiming...
- Every close observer or religious questioner intends harm or rejects God.
- The verb alone condemns every calendar custom or represents the conduct of an entire people.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Careful, suspicious observation with intent to find fault or catch someone in wrongdoing
Strong'sG3906
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms2 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 14:1–6Source Gloss
to observe
Extended definition
Careful, suspicious observation with intent to find fault or catch someone in wrongdoing
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 3:2Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
παρετήρουνparethroun
I watch
Read verseLuke 6:7Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
παρετήρουνparethroun
I watch
Read verseLuke 14:1Verb Present Middle Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παρατηρούμενοιparathroumenoi
I watch
Read verseLuke 20:20Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παρατηρήσαντεςparathrhsantev
I watch
Read verseActs 9:24Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
παρετήρουνparethroun
I watch
Read verseGalatians 4:10Verb Second Person Plural Present Middle Indicative
παρατηρεῖσθε,parathreisqe
I watch
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 groups2Aligned forms6TensesImperfect, Present, AoristVoicesMiddle, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality4×
Imperfect MiddleLuke 6:7 · Acts 9:242×
Imperfect ActiveMark 3:21×
Present MiddleGal 4:101×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality2×
Present MiddleLuke 14:11×
Aorist ActiveLuke 20:201×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect3present1aorist1
Voice
middle3active2
Mood
indicative4participle1
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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
Luke 14:1–6παρατηρούμενοιparatēréō
Watching closely
Luke 6:6–11παρετηροῦντοparatēréō
They were watching closely
New Testament Witnesses
being closely watched
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
παρατηρέω is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Reveals hostile scrutiny under religious pretense.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Close attention can be directed toward an act, a person's words, a gate or recurring times, but those objects do not carry one moral meaning. Mark and Luke explicitly identify attempts to accuse Jesus, and Luke's later account names spies pretending sincerity to hand Him to authority. Acts gives a lethal gate-watching purpose and records the disciples' protective response.
Galatians instead places observed times within Paul's warning about a return to slavery and his pastoral concern for the hearers. A teacher should state each purpose and read the whole argument before applying the verb. Do not label every question hostile, equate all calendar customs with the Galatian problem, or assign the named opponents' conduct to an entire people.
Where the text gives danger and protective action, retain both rather than treating continued exposure as a test of faith.
Anchor passage
Mark.3.2
Doctrinal connections
- Mark 3:1-4 states the accusation-seeking watch around Sabbath healing and Jesus' question about doing good and saving life.
- Luke 6:5-9 likewise names the search for an accusation while Jesus teaches and places the man with the withered hand before the hearers.
- Luke 14:1-3 reports close watching at a Pharisee's meal and a question about healing, without supplying an identical motive for every guest.
- Luke 20:19-22 explicitly identifies spies pretending sincerity to catch Jesus' words and hand Him to the governor, retaining the stated deception.
- Acts 9:23-26 names the plot, watched gates and disciples' basket escape before Saul's arrival in Jerusalem, keeping danger and protection concrete.
- Galatians 4:7-12 contrasts sonship with returning slavery and names observed times within Paul's concern, rather than providing a complete calendar policy through the verb.
The licensed Greek record supports close watching and careful observance of days or seasons. The objects and surrounding statements distinguish surveillance from calendar practice; an English rendering cannot by itself supply a motive, condemn every observance or define all attention as faithful.
From Old to New Testament
First Samuel 19:1-3 describes Jonathan warning David of Saul's intent to kill and directing him to hide while information is sought. This separate Hebrew account is not the Greek observation verb. Read alongside the Damascus plot, it preserves the role of concrete warnings and protective action without granting permission for retaliatory violence or hidden institutional wrongdoing.