παραπλησίως (paraplēsiōs)
paraplēsiōs
similarly
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adverb paraplēsiōs means "similarly" or "in like manner," serving as a straightforward connector that establishes a parallel between two situations. It appears only once in the New Testament, in Hebrews 2:14, where it links the shared humanity of Christ and believers to their common victory over death.
Derived from the root for "near" or "close," the word emphasizes likeness rather than identity. In its single biblical usage, it clarifies that Jesus partook in flesh and blood specifically so that He could destroy the power of death through His own experience, mirroring the condition of those He came to save.
Translators typically render this term as "similarly" or "in like manner," preserving the logical bridge between Christ’s incarnation and the believers’ shared nature. Its rarity in Scripture highlights the precision with which Hebrews describes the high priest’s identification with His people, ensuring the comparison remains clear without overstating the equivalence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word similarly connects our human experience with Jesus’ own life on earth. In Hebrews, this single adverb shows that Christ did not stand apart from us in weakness or mortality. He entered into flesh and blood just as we have, so His victory over death is shared with those who belong to Him.
This connection brings deep comfort. You are not saved by a distant figure who never understood struggle. Instead, the Savior partook of your nature to break the power of fear and death. Because He lived similarly to you, His triumph becomes your hope. This nearness invites trust rather than anxiety about your own fragility.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- likewise1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- παραπλησίως1×
Key Verses
-
Hebrews 2:14
Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
The term links Christ's physical incarnation to our shared humanity, showing He entered the same mortal condition to defeat death.