Original Word: πάροικος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: paroikos
Pronunciation: PAH-roi-kos
Phonetic Spelling: (par'-oy-kos)
Definition: Sojourner, foreigner, stranger, alien
Meaning: foreign, alien, subst: a foreigner, sojourner.

Word Origin: Derived from παρά (para, "beside") and οἶκος (oikos, "house" or "dwelling")

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H1616 (גֵּר, ger): Often translated as "sojourner" or "stranger," referring to a foreigner living among the Israelites.

- H8453 (תּוֹשָׁב, toshav): Meaning "resident alien" or "temporary dweller."

Usage: The term "paroikos" is used to describe someone who resides temporarily in a place that is not their permanent home. It conveys the idea of being a foreigner or an alien, living alongside others but not fully belonging to the community or nation. In the New Testament, it often carries a spiritual connotation, referring to believers as temporary residents on earth, whose true citizenship is in heaven.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the ancient world, being a "paroikos" meant living in a place without the full rights of citizenship. Such individuals were often dependent on the hospitality and protection of the local community. This status could involve social and legal limitations, reflecting a transient and vulnerable existence. The concept was familiar in Jewish thought, as the Israelites considered themselves sojourners in Egypt and later in Babylon during the Exile.

3941 pároikos (from 3844 /pará, "close beside" and 3624 /oíkos, "house") – properly, someone living close to others as a temporary dweller, i.e. in a specific locale as a non-citizen with limited rights (identification).

Word Origin
from para and oikos
Definition
dwelling near, foreign
NASB Translation
alien (1), aliens (3).

STRONGS NT 3941: πάροικος

πάροικος, πάροικον (παρά and οἶκος);

1. in classical Greek dwelling near, neighboring.

2. in the Scriptures a stranger, foreigner, one who lives in a place without the right of citizenship; (R. V. sojourner); the Sept. for גֵּר and תּושָׁב (see παροικέω 2, and παροικία (and cf. Schmidt, Syn., 43, 5; Liddell and Scott, under the word)): followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Acts 7:6, 29; metaphorically, without citizenship in God's kingdom: joined with ξένος and opposed to συμπολίτης, Ephesians 2:19 (μόνος κύριος ὁ Θεός πολίτης ἐστι, πάροικον δέ καί ἐπηλυτον τό γενητον ἅπαν, Philo de cherub. § 34 (cf. Mangey 1:161 note)); one who lives on earth as a stranger, a sojourner on the earth: joined with παρεπίδημος (which see), of Christians, whose fatherland is heaven, 1 Peter 2:11. (Cf. Ep. ad Diognet. § 5, 5 [ET].)

foreigner, sojourn, stranger.

From para and oikos; having a home near, i.e. (as noun) a by-dweller (alien resident) -- foreigner, sojourn, stranger.

see GREEK para

see GREEK oikos

παροικοι πάροικοι παροικον πάροικον παροικος πάροικος πάροικός παροίκου παροικους παροίκους παροίκω παροίκων paroikoi pároikoi paroikon pároikon paroikos pároikos paroikous paroíkousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts