πᾰρά G3844
beside, from beside; source (genitive), proximity (dative), motion/comparison (accusative)
Greek παρά carries three core spatial meanings governed by case: with genitive, it marks the source from which something comes—from beside, away from a person or place. With dative, it describes location beside or in the presence of someone. With accusative, it indicates motion alongside or comparison (more than, beyond). These physical senses extend naturally into relational and abstract domains: receiving something 'from' a person, being 'with' someone in their company, acting 'contrary to' a standard, or being valued 'more than' another.
2. with, in the presence of — When paired with dative, παρά locates someone in another's presence or company—'with' in relational rather than instrumental sense. Matthew 6:1 (reward with your Father) and 19:26 (with God all things are possible) illustrate the association. Spanish alternates between con and ante, while German bei captures both proximity and accompaniment. This overlaps with possession: having something 'with oneself.' 37×
AR["عِندَ","عِنْدَ"]·ben["-কাছে","কাছে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["With","by","from-","with","with-"]·FR["auprès-de"]·heb["אֵצֶל","אֵצֶל-","מִ-","מֵאֵת","עִם","עִמָּ-","עִמּוֹ","עַל-"]·HI["-के-पअस","-के-पास","के-पास","पास","में","साथ","से"]·ID["Bagi","bagi","dari","dekat","dengan","di-hadapan","di-sisi"]·IT["presso"]·jav["Kangge","celak","kagem","kaliyan","kangge","saking","tumrap","wonten","wonten-ing"]·KO["-에게","-에게서","-와-함께","~곁에","~곁에서","~에게서는","곁에","로-부터","에게서"]·PT["Para-","com","diante-de","junto","junto-a","junto-a-","para","para-","para-com"]·RU["Для","для","с","у","у-"]·ES["Para","ante","con","de","junto","junto-a","para"]·SW["karibu-na","kwa","kwake","kwenu","lakini","mbele-ya","nikiwa","pamoja-nawe","wanadamu"]·TR["-da","-dan","-de","-ile","-yanında","yanında"]·urd["-کے-پاس","اور","ساتھ-","لیے","نزدیک","پاس","پاس-"]
Matt 6:1, Matt 8:10, Matt 19:26, Matt 19:26, Matt 22:25, Mark 10:27, Mark 10:27, Mark 10:27, Luke 1:30, Luke 1:37, Luke 2:52, Luke 11:37 (+25 more)
▼ 8 more senses below
Senses
1. from, away from (source) — Marking the person or place from whom something originates or proceeds, this sense dominates with genitive objects. Spanish consistently renders de or de parte de, while French uses auprès de across contexts. English 'from' captures the source nuance seen in Matthew 2:4 (learning from the chief priests) and Matthew 21:42 (from the Lord's doing). The genitive signals not just physical origin but also authority or agency. 80×
AR["مِن","مِن-عِندِ","مِنَ","مِنْ","مِنْ-عِنْدِ"]·ben["-কাছে","-থেকে","কাছ-থেকে","কাছে","থেকে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["by","from","from-","than"]·FR["auprès-de"]·heb["מִ-","מֵ-","מֵ-אִתָּם","מֵ-אֵת","מֵאֵת","שֶׁ-מִ-"]·HI["-दवर","-से","से"]·ID["dari","dari-","kepada-orang"]·IT["presso"]·jav["saking"]·KO["-로부터","-에게서","로-부터","보다","에게서","에서"]·PT["da-casa","da-parte","da-parte-","da-parte-de","da-parte-do","de","deles","do-que","dos"]·RU["от","от-","сверх","у"]·ES["de","de-","de-parte-de"]·SW["kuliko","kutoka","kutoka-kwa","kutoka-kwake","kutoka-kwao","lilitokea"]·TR["-dan","-den","-tarafından","tarafından"]·urd["-سے","اُس","اُنہیں","سے","سے-","کے-پاس-سے"]
Matt 2:4, Matt 2:7, Matt 2:16, Matt 18:19, Matt 21:42, Mark 8:11, Mark 12:2, Mark 12:11, Mark 14:43, Mark 16:9, Luke 1:45, Luke 2:1 (+38 more)
3. beside, near, at — Physical adjacency—standing, sitting, walking beside something—uses dative case. Matthew 4:18 (walking beside the sea) and 13:1 (sitting beside the sea) show literal spatial use. Spanish junto a and German bei emphasize the nearness, while the French auprès de serves for all proximity contexts. This is the preposition's most concrete spatial sense. 34×
AR["إِلى","بِجَانِبِ","عِندَ","عِنْدَ"]·ben["-ধরে","-ধারে","কাছে","পাশে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["alongside","at","beside","beside-","by"]·FR["auprès-de"]·heb["לִ-","עַל","עַל-יַד","עַל־","עַל־יַד"]·HI["-के-किनारे","-के-पअस","किनारे","के-पास","पास","पास-से","रास्ते"]·ID["dekat","di","di-pinggir","di-samping","di-tepi"]·IT["presso"]·jav["cedhak","ing-ngajeng","ing-pinggir","ing-pinggiring","pinggir","wonten-ing-pinggir"]·KO["-곁에","-옆에","-옆을","~옆에","곁-에","곁에"]·PT["ao-lado","aos","junto","junto-","junto-a","junto-a-","junto-ao","junto-aos","para-junto-de"]·RU["вдоль","к","при","у"]·ES["a","junto-a"]·SW["-","kando-ya","kando-ya-","karibu-na","kwenye"]·TR["-de","-e","-yanında","boyunca","yanına","yanında"]·urd["-کنارے","-کے","پاس","کنارے"]
Matt 4:18, Matt 13:1, Matt 13:4, Matt 13:19, Matt 15:29, Matt 15:30, Matt 20:30, Mark 1:16, Mark 2:13, Mark 4:1, Mark 4:4, Mark 4:15 (+22 more)
4. than, beyond, more than — In comparative constructions with accusative, παρά functions as 'than' or 'beyond,' marking the standard of comparison. Luke 13:2 (worse than other Galileans) and Romans 1:25 (more than the Creator) demonstrate the comparative force. Spanish más allá de and English 'beyond' capture the sense of exceeding or surpassing a benchmark. This extends the spatial 'beside' into evaluative space. 16×
AR["أَكْثَرَ-مِنْ","بِدَلًا-مِنْ","دونَ","عَنْ","فَوقَ","فَوْقَ","مِنْ"]·ben["-থেকে","-পরিবর্তে","অতিরিক্ত-","অধিক","চেয়ে","থেকে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["beside","beyond","beyond-","rather-than-","than","than-"]·FR["auprès-de","auprès-de-"]·heb["בִּמְקוֹם","יוֹתֵר-מִ-","מִ-","מֵ-","מֵעֵבֶר","מֵעֵבֶר-לְ-","מֵעַל-"]·HI["-से","-से-परे","अधिक","अपेक्षा","उससे-बढ़कर","परे","से","से-अधिक","से-बढ़कर"]·ID["dari","daripada","daripada-","di-bawah","lebih-dari","melebihi","melewati"]·IT["presso","presso-"]·jav["katimbang","langkung","langkung-saking","nglangkungi","ngluwihi","ngungkuli","saking","tinimbang"]·KO["-보다","~보다","보다","보다-","을-넘어서","지나-"]·PT["acima-de","além","além-de","do-que","em-vez-de","mais-que","que"]·RU["более-","более-чем","вместо-","кто","но","пред","пред-","сверх-","чем-"]·ES["de","en-lugar-de","más-allá-de","más-que","que","que'"]·SW["badala-ya","kuliko","kuliko-","kupita-","zaidi-ya","zaidi-ya-"]·TR["-den","-den-öte","-e-karşı","onlardan-","yanında-","yerine","ötesinde-"]·urd["-سے","باوجود","بجائے","سے","سے-بڑھ-کر"]
5. before, in the sight of — Appearing before someone in judgment or evaluation—'in the sight of'—this sense retains the spatial proximity of being before someone's face but adds the notion of scrutiny. Romans 2:11 (no partiality with God), 2:13 (righteous before God), and 1 Corinthians 3:19 (foolish in God's sight) exemplify this usage. Spanish ante and English 'before' preserve the positional metaphor for moral or legal standing. 9×
AR["أمامَ","عِندَ","عِنْدَ","فِي"]·ben["-কাছে","-সামনে","কাছে"]·DE["bei-"]·EN["before","before-","in","with-"]·FR["auprès-de-"]·heb["אֵצֶל","בְּ-","לִפְנֵי"]·HI["के-पअस","के-पास","के-सामने","पास","में"]·ID["dalam","di-hadapan"]·IT["presso","presso-"]·jav["ing","ing-ngarsaning","ing-ngarsanipun","kaliyan","saking","wonten-ing","wonten-ngarsaning"]·KO["-앞에서","~앞에서","~에","~에게서","앞-에서","앞에서"]·PT["diante","diante-","diante-de","em","para","perante"]·RU["перед","перед-","пред","пред-","у-"]·ES["ante","ante-","delante-de"]·SW["kwa","machoni","mbele-ya"]·TR["-de","-nın-önünde","yaninda-","yanında-"]·urd["-میں","سامنے","پاس","کے-پاس"]
6. contrary to, against — With accusative, παρά can signal opposition or deviation from a norm—'against' or 'contrary to.' Acts 18:13 (contrary to the law) and Romans 1:26 (contrary to nature) show this oppositional force. Spanish contra and English 'against' are standard renderings. The spatial sense of 'beside' shifts to 'alongside but deviating from,' highlighting departure from an expected path or standard. 5×
AR["الَّذي-ضِدَّ","خِلَافَ","ضِدَّ"]·ben["-বিপরীতে","-বিরুদ্ধে","বিপরীতে","বিরুদ্ধে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["Contrary-to","against-","beyond-","contrary-to"]·FR["auprès-de-"]·heb["לְעֻמַּת","נֶגֶד","שֶׁלֹא-לְפִי"]·HI["-के-विरुद्ध","के-विरुद्ध","विरुद्ध"]·ID["Melawan","berlawanan-dengan","melampaui","melawan"]·IT["presso-"]·jav["Nglawan","nglanggar","nglangkungi","nglawan"]·KO["-에-어긋나게","-와-달리","~에-반하는","~에-반하여"]·PT["além-de","contra","contra-","contrário-a"]·RU["Против-","которому","привился","противо-","сверх-"]·ES["Contra","contra"]·SW["Kinyume-na","dhidi-ya","kinyume-cha","kinyume-na"]·TR["-e-karşı","-karşı","karşı"]·urd["-کے-خلاف","خلاف"]
7. among, in the midst of — Being 'among' a group or community uses παρά with dative or accusative depending on motion. Matthew 28:15 (reported among the Jews) and Colossians 4:16 (read among the Laodiceans) illustrate communal presence. Spanish entre and German bei capture the sense of being situated within a collective. This extends proximity from one-to-one to one-to-many relational settings. 5×
AR["عِندَ","عِنْدَ","عِنْدَكُمْ"]·ben["-মধ্যে","কাছে","কাছে-","নিকটে"]·DE["bei","bei-"]·EN["among","among-","with"]·FR["auprès-de","auprès-de-"]·heb["אֵצֶל","אֶצְלְכֶם","אֶצְלָם","בְּעֵינֵי","בֵּין"]·HI["-के-पास","-के-बीच","-में","के-पस","में"]·ID["di antara","di-antara"]·IT["presso","presso-"]·jav["déning","ing-antawis","wonten"]·KO["-에서","~에게서","곁-에","앞에서"]·PT["entre","junto-a"]·RU["среди","у-"]·ES["con","entre"]·SW["kati","kati-ya-","kwenu","miongoni-mwa","na-"]·TR["-de-","arasında","yanlarında","yanında","yanınızda"]·urd["-میں","-کے-پاس","میں","پاس"]
8. apart from, besides, except — Exclusion or exception—'apart from,' 'except,' 'besides'—appears with accusative. 1 Corinthians 3:11 (no foundation besides Jesus), 2 Corinthians 11:24 (forty lashes minus one), and Galatians 1:8-9 (gospel other than what we preached) show this restrictive sense. Spanish aparte de and English 'besides' mark the boundary of what is included versus excluded. 4×
AR["إِلّا","بِغَيرِ","سِوى"]·ben["ছাড়া","পাশে-","বিয়োগ"]·DE["bei-"]·EN["beside","minus"]·FR["auprès-de-"]·heb["חָסֵר-","חוּץ-מִן","שׁוֹנֶה-מִמַּה"]·HI["अलावा","कम","से-अलग"]·ID["berbeda-dari","kurang","selain-dari"]·IT["presso","presso-"]·jav["kejawi","kirang","saliyaning"]·KO["-외에","에서","외에"]·PT["além-do","além-do-","menos"]·RU["без-","вопреки","кроме"]·ES["aparte-de","aparte-de-","menos"]·SW["ila-","kinyume-na","zaidi-ya"]·TR["-den-başka","dışında-","eksiği-"]·urd["سوا","سوائے","کے-سوا-"]
9. sense 9 — Two occurrences in 1 Corinthians 12:15-16 resist easy classification—possibly causal or related to evaluation ('for this reason'). English renders 'for,' Spanish por, suggesting a loose causal or explanatory link. The sense remains underdetermined by the immediate syntactic and semantic context, awaiting further corpus evidence or refinement. 2×
AR["بِسَبَبِ"]·ben["কারণে"]·DE["bei-"]·EN["for"]·FR["auprès-de-"]·heb["בִּ-גְלַל-"]·HI["-के-कारण"]·ID["karena"]·IT["presso-"]·jav["amargi"]·KO["-때문에"]·PT["por"]·RU["от-"]·ES["por"]·SW["kwa-sababu-ya"]·TR["o-"]·urd["سے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πᾰρά [ρᾰ], Epic dialect and Lyric poetry also παραί: shortened πάρ, in Refs 8th c.BC+, Lyric poetry (but rarely in Trag., in Lyric poetry passages, Refs 5th c.BC+, and in all dial ects except Attic dialect, Refs 4th c.BC+, etc.:—preposition with genitive, dative, and accusative, properly beside: hence, __A WITH GEN. properly denoting motion from the side of, from beside, from: __A.I of Place, πὰρ…