What does παρατηρέω (paratēréō) mean in the Bible?
παρατηρέω (paratēréō): Careful, suspicious observation with intent to find fault or catch someone in wrongdoing
Greek · G3906
παρατηρέω
To observe
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παρατηρέωG3906
Pronunciationparatēréō
What does παρατηρέω (paratēréō) mean in the Bible?
παρατηρέω (paratēréō): Careful, suspicious observation with intent to find fault or catch someone in wrongdoing
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).
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
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.