Greek word · G3930
παρέχω
parechō
to furnish occasion
To hold out, offer, provide, grant, cause, show. In the middle voice it means "to supply from oneself, show on one's part, grant."
Appears 16 times in 16 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
παρ-έχω
[in LXX: Psalms 30:7 (עָמַד hi.), etc. ;]
I. Active voice.,
1. to furnish, provide, supply; with ref. to incorporeal things, to afford, show, give, cause: with accusative, Acts 22:2, 1 Timothy 1:4; with accusative and dative, Matthew 26:10, Mark 14:6, Luke 11:7 18:5, Acts 16:16 17:31 28:2, Galatians 6:17, 1 Timothy 6:17.
2. to present, offer: with accusative and dative, Luke 6:29; with prop. reflex. and accusative pred., to show or present oneself (see infr., and cf. B1., § 55, 1).
II. Middle voice.,
1. to supply, furnish or display of one's own part: with accusative and dative, Luke 7:4, Acts 19:24, Colossians 4:1.
2. In late writers, with prop. reflex. and accusative pred. (= act. ut supr.), to show or present oneself (Xen., FlJ, al.; cf. M, Pr., 248; Deiss., BS, 254) : Titus 2:7.†
(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 Colossians 4:1
- Range of meaning
To hold out, offer, provide, grant, cause, show. In the middle voice it means "to supply from oneself, show on one's part, grant."
- Against the English
"Give" (KJV, WEB), "supply" (BSB), "provide" (NIV), "grant" (NASB). ESV and NLT turn it into an adverb ("treat… justly"). Most lose the ongoing present tense.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The middle voice with this sense appears in Luke 7:4 and Acts 19:24, and in the papyri for granting favours or supplying goods.
- Range of meaning
To hold out, present, offer, provide, grant, or cause (trouble or work, as in Luke 11:7, 18:5). In the middle voice it means to show yourself as something (Titus 2:7).
- Against the English
BSB says "turn to him", borrowing Matthew's verb (strepson, "turn"). KJV, WEB, ESV and NASB say "offer", which is closer to Luke. YLT says "give".
- How it drifted
"Turn the other cheek" comes from Matthew 5:39. It has become an English idiom for passive tolerance. Luke's verb points to a deliberate act of presenting, an act of will rather than limp acceptance.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Common in papyri and literary Greek for supplying or presenting something (e.g. providing goods or services). Luke uses it again in Acts 17:31 (God "has provided" assurance) and Acts 28:2 (the islanders "showed" unusual kindness).
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 26:10 παρέχετε do you cause
Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
Here: 'Are you furnishing': a present tense for something happening now. They are still pestering her as Jesus speaks. 'Furnish troubles' means to make someone's life difficult.
Mark · 1
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Mark 14:6 παρέχετε; do you cause?
But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
Here: Present tense, 'you keep causing'. The scolding is still going on as Jesus speaks.
Luke · 4
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Luke 6:29 πάρεχε do offer
If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well.
Here: "Hold out, present". Matthew has "turn". The present-tense command describes a standing habit, not a single act: make this your settled way of responding.
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Luke 7:4 παρέξῃ You will grant
They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
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Luke 11:7 πάρεχε. do cause.
And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’
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Luke 18:5 παρέχειν occasioning
yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’”
Acts · 5
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Acts 16:16 παρεῖχεν was bringing
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.
Here: Imperfect tense: she 'kept bringing in' money. It was a steady, continuing income, not a single payment.
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Acts 17:31 παρασχὼν having provided
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
Here: 'Having furnished.' Together with 'pistin' this was a standard Greek expression for 'giving proof' or 'giving a pledge.' The proof has already been supplied.
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Acts 19:24 παρείχετο was bringing
It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen.
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Acts 22:2 παρέσχον they became
When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then Paul declared,
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Acts 28:2 παρεῖχον were showing
The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.
Here: The imperfect tense describes ongoing action: they 'kept providing' kindness. That fits the next three days and more (vv. 7–10). The verb is used for offering something to someone, often a service or a favor.
Galatians · 1
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Galatians 6:17 παρεχέτω· should give;
From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Here: A third-person command, "let no one cause". The present tense points to an ongoing activity: "let no one keep on making trouble for me". Paul is not asking politely; he is ruling something out.
Colossians · 1
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Colossians 4:1 παρέχεσθε do give
Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Here: A present-tense command in the middle voice: "keep granting, on your part." It describes an ongoing way of treating people, not a single act, and the middle voice puts the stress on what the master himself supplies.
1 Timothy · 2
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1 Timothy 1:4 παρέχουσιν bring
or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.
Here: "They supply" or "they generate." This is what such teaching yields. It is the opposite of what Christian instruction is supposed to produce (v. 5).
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1 Timothy 6:17 παρέχοντι is providing
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
Here: A present participle: God is the one who keeps supplying. It shows that even what the rich hold is God's ongoing provision, not something they produced themselves.
Titus · 1
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Titus 2:7 παρεχόμενος be holding forth
In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,
Here: A present middle participle, so the action is ongoing: 'presenting yourself, holding yourself out as'. It hangs on 'urge' in v.6 ('urge them … while you show yourself…') but works like a command, as nearly all translations take it. It also governs the nouns that follow ('integrity, dignity', and 'sound speech' in v.8).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.