παράλιος (paralios)
paralios
seaside
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective paralios describes something situated by the sea or located on the coastline. Derived from a prefix meaning "beside" and a root for "shore," it functions as a straightforward geographical marker in the New Testament, distinguishing coastal regions from inland areas.
Its usage is quite limited, appearing only once in the canonical Greek Scriptures at Luke 6:17. There, it modifies the land to indicate that people came from Judea and Jerusalem to hear Jesus specifically because they gathered on the sea coast near Capernaum. This single instance highlights how the word anchors a narrative scene in a specific, accessible physical setting.
While the term appears more frequently in the Septuagint to translate Hebrew words for sea or shore, its New Testament presence is sparse. Translators typically render it simply as "seaside" or "coastal," preserving the clear spatial distinction without adding theological nuance beyond the physical location itself.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word paralios simply means seaside or coastal. In Luke 6:17, it describes the location where Jesus stood on a level place near the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon. This geographical detail grounds the narrative in a real, accessible setting where people gathered to hear Him.
For your faith, this reminds us that God meets us in ordinary places. The seaside was not a temple or a synagogue, yet it became a center for teaching and healing. It shows that Jesus brings His presence into everyday environments, making the divine accessible to all who come with open hearts.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sea coast1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- παραλίου1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 6:17
He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,
This verse uses paralios to specify that the crowd included people from the coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon, highlighting Jesus' outreach beyond Jewish borders.