Greek word · G3886

παραλύω

paralyō

to paralyze

'Loosen at the side, undo, detach.' Hence 'disable, weaken, paralyse.' The perfect passive participle paralelymenos is the ordinary Gospel word for a 'paralysed man' (Luke 5:18, 24; Acts 8:7; 9:33). In military Greek it can mean to relieve someone of duty or render them unfit for action.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

παρα-λύω

[in LXX: Jeremiah 6:24, Jer 27:43, Ezekiel 21:7 (רָפָה), etc. ;]

1. to loose from the side, set free.

2. to weaken, enfeeble; pass., to be en­feebled, esp. by a paralytic stroke: Luke 5:18, 24, Acts 8:7 9:33, Hebrews 12:12" (LXX) .†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 12:12

Range of meaning

'Loosen at the side, undo, detach.' Hence 'disable, weaken, paralyse.' The perfect passive participle paralelymenos is the ordinary Gospel word for a 'paralysed man' (Luke 5:18, 24; Acts 8:7; 9:33). In military Greek it can mean to relieve someone of duty or render them unfit for action.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'feeble' and BSB/ESV 'weak' are milder than the Greek. YLT 'loosened' is the most literal. The word suggests knees that have actually given way, not knees that are merely a little tired.

How it drifted

'Feeble' in modern English suggests frailty from age or illness, a constitutional weakness. The Greek describes a collapse brought on by strain, which can be reversed. That is why the verse can command that it be reversed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 35:3 LXX: 'gonata paralelymena' (the exact phrase in Hebrews). Sirach 25:23 (same pair). Deuteronomy 32:36 LXX uses paralelymenous of a people whose strength is gone. In the Hebrew of Isaiah 35:3 the knees are kōshlôt, 'stumbling, tottering'.

From the study of Acts 8:7

Range of meaning

Literally "to loosen alongside, undo." In the passive it means to be weakened, enfeebled or paralyzed in the body. Medical writers used it for paralysis of limbs.

Against the English

The KJV's "taken with palsies" was accurate in 1611, when "palsy" meant paralysis in general. Today "palsy" suggests tremor ("shaking palsy") or cerebral palsy specifically.

How it drifted

"Palsy" is a shortened form of "paralysis" (from French), but in modern English its meaning has narrowed to particular conditions.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke prefers this participle to the Synoptic word παραλυτικός (Luke 5:18, 24; Acts 9:33). Its use by Greek medical writers is one reason some scholars once argued Luke had medical training, though that argument is now considered weak.

Similar words

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 5:18 παραλελυμένος, paralyzed,

    Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

  2. Luke 5:24 παραλελυμένῳ· paralyzed;

    But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

    Here: Literally 'loosened at the side, undone'. The perfect passive participle describes a lasting condition: 'the man who had been (and still was) paralysed'. Luke uses this participle where Mark has the noun 'paralytic'.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 8:7 παραλελυμένοι paralyzed

    With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.

    Here: A perfect passive participle, describing a settled state: people whose limbs had been "loosened" or disabled and stayed that way. These were long-term conditions, not passing illnesses. Luke uses the same form for the paralyzed man in Luke 5:18, 24 and for Aeneas in Acts 9:33.

  2. Acts 9:33 παραλελυμένος. paralyzed.

    There he found a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:12 παραλελυμένα enfeebled

    Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.

    Here: 'Knees that have come undone.' This is the verb behind the Gospels' 'paralytic' (Luke 5:18, 24). Again the perfect tense describes a lasting condition: the knees have buckled and will not hold the person up.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.