πάροικος (paroikos)
paroikos
foreigner
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective paroikos describes someone who lives in a place without holding citizenship there, effectively a resident alien or sojourner. In classical Greek it originally meant "dwelling near," but by the time of the New Testament, it carried the weight of foreignness. It captures the status of a person who resides among others yet lacks the legal rights and permanent belonging of a native.
This term appears in key passages that define the Christian identity. In Ephesians 2:19, believers are contrasted with citizens, described instead as members of God’s household who are also paroikoi, highlighting their current earthly status. Similarly, 1 Peter 2:11 uses it alongside another word for "temporary resident" to remind Christians that their true home is not on earth. The word underscores a tension between physical presence and spiritual belonging.
Its usage reflects a broader biblical theme where God’s people are often depicted as strangers in the land, looking forward to a promised inheritance. This perspective encourages humility and hope, reminding readers that their ultimate citizenship lies elsewhere, even while they live faithfully in the world today.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word paroikos describes a resident alien, someone who lives in a place without holding citizenship there. In the New Testament, this term captures the experience of believers who reside in the world yet lack its permanent belonging. It reminds us that our current earthly status is temporary, even as we live faithfully among others.
Ephesians 2:19 uses this concept to show that while we are no longer strangers and foreigners, we still carry a sense of sojourning. We are fellow citizens with the saints, yet our true home is in God’s household. This tension between physical presence and spiritual belonging encourages humility and hope.
1 Peter 2:11 applies this identity to daily life, urging believers to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul. By recognizing ourselves as foreigners and pilgrims, we find freedom from the world’s demands. Our ultimate citizenship lies elsewhere, giving us peace and purpose in every season.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- exiled1×
- aliens,1×
- aliens1×
- a sojourner1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πάροικος1×
- πάροικον1×
- πάροικοι,1×
- παροίκους1×
Key Verses
-
Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,
This verse contrasts the former status of foreigners with the new identity of fellow citizens, showing how belonging to God’s household changes our earthly standing.
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I Peter 2:11
Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
Peter uses this term alongside 'pilgrims' to remind believers that their true allegiance is not to the world, encouraging moral purity in a foreign land.
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Acts 7:6
God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.
Stephen cites this prophecy to show that God’s people have historically lived as aliens, linking their earthly suffering to a larger divine plan.