πάρεσις (G3929) — Greek Lexicon

πάρεσις

páresis

G3929 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἰη-/εσι- to let go, to allow to pass, to forbear

Definition

Act of letting go, disregard, or overlooking (of an offense, obligation, or debt); in certain contexts, the act of passing over or not implementing a penalty or obligation. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, often refers to the forbearance or postponement of reckoning, rather than full and complete cancellation.

Semantic Range

forbearance, passing over, overlooking, intentional disregard, suspension of penalty, toleration; rarely, remission in the sense of postponement rather than cancellation

Root / Etymology

Formed from the preposition παρά (beside, beyond) + ἴημι (to send, let go). Thus, πάρεσις literally denotes 'letting pass' or 'passing by.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

πάρεσις occurs very rarely in Greek literature and only once in the New Testament (Romans 3:25). In this context, it refers to the forbearance or passing over of previously committed wrongs, not their final or complete cancellation. The typical term for 'forgiveness' or 'release' in Koine Greek is ἄφεσις, which implies full release or pardon. By contrast, πάρεσις emphasizes temporary suspension or forbearance—postponement of penalty, not a legal dissolution of guilt. In broader Greco-Roman language, it carried a sense of tolerance, allowance, or neglect (deliberate non-action) with respect to faults, debts, or obligations. Later Christian theological terminology would distinguish between πάρεσις (remission, as in postponement or overlooking) and ἄφεσις (forgiveness, release) to articulate different aspects of atonement. English translations often render πάρεσις as 'remission' or 'passing over,' which can obscure the temporary and forbearant aspect of the word's meaning in its original context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κτήτωρ; praetermission, i.e. toleration:--remission.

Root Family

πάρεσις (paresis) — letting go, passing over, forbearance, toleration

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`G3929-01`	πάρεσιν	paresin	`N ACC F SG`		a passing-over	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`G3929-01`	Romans 3:25	πάρεσιν	paresin	`N ACC F SG`		a passing-over

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