What does πάρειμι (páreimi) mean in the Bible?
G3918 means to be present, to be near, or to be at hand. John uses it in two very different scenes.
Greek · G3918
πάρειμι
Be present
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
πάρειμι G3918
Pronunciation páreimi
What does πάρειμι (páreimi) mean in the Bible?
G3918 means to be present, to be near, or to be at hand. John uses it in two very different scenes.
Reader summary
Full entry for πάρειμι (G3918) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3918?
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (1), come (1), has come (1), have now come (1), have you come (1).
Where does πάρειμι (páreimi) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 26:50. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (5), Acts (5), 1 Corinthians (2), 2 Peter (2).
What This Word Actually Means
G3918 means to be present, to be near, or to be at hand. John uses it in two very different scenes. In John 7:6, Jesus says His time has not yet come, while His brothers' time is always at hand. In John 11:28, Martha tells Mary that the Teacher is here and is asking for her. The word therefore touches timing and nearness, but the passage decides the pastoral weight. Sometimes nearness is not permission to act ahead of Jesus' hour. Sometimes nearness is a summons to come to Him in grief.
For John-focused use, the safest path is to let the immediate passage set the claim, then let the word clarify how the scene moves toward witness, faith, resistance, or worship.
How the Bible Uses It
G3918 carries presence and at-hand language. In John it helps frame Jesus' mission timing in John 7 and His personal summons in the grief of John 11.
- John.7.6
Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.
Jesus distinguishes His hour from the time that is always available to His brothers. Presence and timing are governed by His mission.
- John.11.28
After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
Martha tells Mary that the Teacher is present and calling for her. The word becomes part of a grief scene where Jesus' nearness summons response.
- Acts.10.33
So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us.”
Acts 10:33 uses presence language for gathered hearers before God, showing the word's ordinary sense of being present and ready to hear.
Passage contextCanonical parallel
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 . . . 1× Acts 12:20
come 1× John 7:6
has come 1× Colossians 1:6
have now come 1× Acts 17:6
have you come 1× Acts 10:21
here 1× Acts 10:33
I am present [with you ] 1× 1 Corinthians 5:3
I could be 1× Galatians 4:20
I was [with you] 1× 2 Corinthians 13:2
I were present 1× 1 Corinthians 5:3
is here 1× John 11:28
lacks 1× 2 Peter 1:9
present 1× Luke 13:1
time 1× Hebrews 12:11
to appear 1× Acts 24:19
vvv 1× Galatians 4:18
when I am present 1× 2 Corinthians 13:10
when I come 1× 2 Corinthians 10:2
when I was 1× 2 Corinthians 11:9
when present 1× 2 Corinthians 10:11
will be 1× Revelation 17:8
you came 1× Matthew 26:50
you have 1× Hebrews 13:5
you now have 1× 2 Peter 1:12
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 26:50 πάρει to you came Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Luke 13:1 Παρῆσαν to present Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural John 7:6 πάρεστιν to come Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 11:28 πάρεστιν to is here Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 10:21 πάρεστε to have you come Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Acts 10:33 πάρεσμεν to here Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Acts 12:20 παρῆσαν to . . . Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 17:6 πάρεισιν to have now come Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 24:19 παρεῖναι to to appear Verb - Present Infinitive Active 1 Corinthians 5:3 παρὼν to I am present [with you ] Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 26:50
Aligned rows 24
Books represented 11
Matthew 1 Luke 1 John 2 Acts 5 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 5 Galatians 2 Colossians 1 Hebrews 2 2 Peter 2 Revelation 1
Source forms
παρὼν 6x parōn 1 Corinthians 5:3, 2 Corinthians 10:2, 2 Corinthians 11:9, 2 Corinthians 13:2
πάρεστιν 3x parestin John 7:6, John 11:28, 2 Peter 1:9
παρεῖναι 2x pareinai Acts 24:19, Galatians 4:20
πάρει 1x parei Matthew 26:50
παρεῖναί 1x pareinai Galatians 4:18
πάρεισιν 1x pareisin Acts 17:6
πάρεσμεν 1x paresmen Acts 10:33
παρέσται 1x parestai Revelation 17:8
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 6x 1 Corinthians 5:3, 2 Corinthians 10:2, 2 Corinthians 11:9, 2 Corinthians 13:2
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x John 7:6, John 11:28, 2 Peter 1:9
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 3x Acts 24:19, Galatians 4:18, Galatians 4:20
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 2x Luke 13:1, Acts 12:20
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular 1x Revelation 17:8
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x Acts 10:33
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x Acts 10:21
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Matthew 26:50
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use presence language to call for trust and response, not to imply that believers control Jesus' timing.
- Keep John 11 personal and concrete. The Teacher is present and calling Mary, not offering a vague religious mood.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that because something is at hand, it must be God's moment to act. John 7:6 distinguishes human availability from Jesus' hour.
- Do not reduce John 11:28 to general comfort language. It is a summons from Jesus in a specific grief scene.
- Do not treat G3918 as a technical end-times term in every occurrence. Its basic sense is presence or nearness.
Pastoral applicationPassage context
Evidence Summary
Greek word. be present
Strong's G3918
Lexical occurrences 25 verses Greek text appearances 23 times 16 shown below Word forms 3 forms 25 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
be present
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 23 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 26:50 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Indicative
πάρει; parei
I am present, am near
Read verse Luke 13:1 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
Παρῆσαν parhsan
I am present, am near
Read verse John 7:6 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
πάρεστιν, parestin
I am present, am near
Read verse John 11:28 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
πάρεστι parestin
I am present, am near
Read verse Acts 10:21 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Indicative
πάρεστε; pareste
I am present, am near
Read verse Acts 10:33 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
πάρεσμεν paresmen
I am present, am near
Read verse Acts 12:20 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
παρῆσαν parhsan
I am present, am near
Read verse Acts 17:6 Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Indicative
πάρεισιν, pareisin
I am present, am near
Read verse Acts 24:19 Verb Present Active Infinitive
παρεῖναι pareinai
I am present, am near
Read verse 1 Corinthians 5:3 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρὼν parwn
I am present, am near
Read verse 1 Corinthians 5:3 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρών, parwn
I am present, am near
Read verse 2 Corinthians 10:2 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρὼν parwn
I am present, am near
Read verse 2 Corinthians 10:11 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
παρόντες parontev
I am present, am near
Read verse 2 Corinthians 11:9 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρὼν parwn
I am present, am near
Read verse 2 Corinthians 13:2 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρὼν parwn
I am present, am near
Read verse 2 Corinthians 13:10 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
παρὼν parwn
I am present, am near
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 25 Tenses Present, Imperfect, Aorist, Future Voices Active, 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 11×
Present Active 1 Cor 5:3 · 2 Cor 10:2 · 2 Cor 11:9 · 2 Cor 13:2 · 2 Cor 13:10 · 2 Cor 10:11 · Col 1:6 · Heb 12:11 · Heb 13:5 · 2 Pet 1:12 11×
Indicative states a fact or reality 10×
Present Active John 7:6 · John 11:28 · 2 Pet 1:9 · Matt 26:50 · Acts 10:21 · Acts 10:33 · Acts 17:6 7×
Imperfect Active Luke 13:1 · Acts 12:20 2×
Future Middle Rev 17:8 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 4×
Present Active Acts 24:19 · Gal 4:18 · Gal 4:20 3×
Aorist Active Luke 11:42 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 24 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 20 imperfect 2 aorist 1 future 1
Voice
active 23 middle 1
Mood
participle 11 indicative 10 infinitive 3
NT Occurrences
Matthew 26:50 πάρει present active indicative ongoing Luke 11:42 παρεῖναι aorist active infinitive infinitive Luke 13:1 Παρῆσαν imperfect active indicative background John 7:6 πάρεστιν present active indicative ongoing John 11:28 πάρεστιν present active indicative ongoing Acts 10:21 πάρεστε present active indicative ongoing Acts 10:33 πάρεσμεν present active indicative ongoing Acts 12:20 παρῆσαν imperfect active indicative background Acts 17:6 πάρεισιν present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 5:3 παρὼν present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 5:3 παρὼν present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 10:11 παρόντες present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 10:2 παρὼν present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 11:9 παρὼν present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 13:10 παρὼν present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 13:2 παρὼν present active participle participle Galatians 4:18 παρεῖναί present active infinitive infinitive Galatians 4:20 παρεῖναι present active infinitive infinitive Colossians 1:6 παρόντος present active participle participle Hebrews 12:11 παρὸν present active participle participle Hebrews 13:5 παροῦσιν present active participle participle 2 Peter 1:12 παρούσῃ present active participle participle 2 Peter 1:9 πάρεστιν present active indicative ongoing Revelation 17:8 παρέσται future middle indicative prospective
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
πάρειμι is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Presence language can be comforting or correcting. John 7:6 corrects restless pressure. Jesus will not be managed by His brothers' sense of timing, because His mission moves according to His hour. John 11:28 comforts and summons. The Teacher is here, and Mary is called. Both uses matter. The word does not simply mean that something is nearby. In context it asks whether nearness is being received under Jesus' authority.
Teachers can use this word to help people distinguish availability from obedience, and Christ's nearness from human control over His timing.
Anchor passage
John.7.6
Doctrinal connections
- John.7.6 - primary John anchor for presence, timing, and summons.
- John.11.28 - supporting passage for presence, timing, and summons.
- Acts.10.33 - supporting passage for presence, timing, and summons.
To be present or at hand is a reviewed display gloss for G3918. In this John-focused companion, the local discourse foregrounding data shows 2 John use(s), with tense patterns summarized as present 2. Use these grammar signals as support for reading the passage, not as a replacement for context.
From Old to New Testament
The broader Scripture connection should remain modest: presence, timing, and summons is visible in the cited passages, while the full theological claim must come from each passage's context rather than from the word alone.
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