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παιδαγωγός

paidagōgós

G3807 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Servant overseeing and guiding a child, particularly one responsible for supervising, protecting, and escorting a young person (often a son of a household) primarily to and from school; by extension, a guide or guardian with limited authority responsible for the discipline and conduct of those under their charge. In figurative or metaphorical contexts, someone or something acting as a guide, guardian, or disciplinarian, rather than a formal teacher or instructor.

Semantic Range

household servant guiding a child, child guardian or attendant, supervisor or disciplinarian of minors, escort to school or public places, metaphorical guide or formative influence, figurative guardian (esp. of law or custom)

Root / Etymology

From παῖς (child, boy) and ἄγω (to lead); literally, 'child-leader.' The term combines the noun for child (παιδ-) with the verb for leading (ἀγω), reflecting the function of leading or accompanying a child.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, παιδαγωγός referred specifically to a trusted household servant (often a slave) who was responsible for supervising, accompanying, and disciplining a young boy, especially when escorting him to teachers or public places. The παιδαγωγός was not typically the formal instructor (διδάσκαλος) but served as a guardian or overseer, in charge of the child's behavior and safety. By the Roman period and in the Greek of the New Testament, the term could take on metaphorical uses for something or someone exercising supervisory or formative guidance (as in Galatians 3:24–25, where the law is described figuratively as a παιδαγωγός). English translations have often rendered the word as 'schoolmaster' or 'tutor,' but these do not fully reflect the actual social role or limited educational function—primarily guardian or disciplinarian rather than instructor—of the original Greek term. The semantic distinction between παιδαγωγός and διδάσκαλος ('teacher') is significant, with the former indicating supervision and discipline, not direct instruction. The term appears in Hellenistic Jewish and Greco-Roman literature with similar household connotations but is rare outside such discussions. Later, the English term 'pedagogue' derives from this Greek word, but in modern usage it often means 'teacher,' which can be misleading in ancient contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from παῖς and a reduplicated form of ἄγω; a boy-leader, i.e. a servant whose office it was to take the children to school; (by implication, (figuratively) a tutor ("pædagogue")):-- instructor, schoolmaster.

Root Family

παιδ-, ἀγ- (paidagōgós) — to lead, to guide, to supervise

Root παιδ-, ἀγ- to lead, to guide, to supervise

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3807-01 παιδαγωγόν paidagogon N ACC M SG a schoolmaster a child-guardian a child-guardian 1
G3807-02 παιδαγωγὸς paidagogos N NOM M SG tutor child-guardian child-guardian 1
G3807-03 παιδαγωγοὺς paidagogous N ACC M PL instructors child-guiding guardians child-guiding guardians 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3807-03 1 Corinthians 4:15 παιδαγωγοὺς paidagogous N ACC M PL instructors child-guiding guardians child-guiding guardians
G3807-02 Galatians 3:24 παιδαγωγὸς paidagogos N NOM M SG tutor child-guardian child-guardian
G3807-01 Galatians 3:25 παιδαγωγόν paidagogon N ACC M SG a schoolmaster a child-guardian a child-guardian
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