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G3935 · Greek · New Testament
παρίημι
Pariēmi
Verb
To Let Pass; To Relax; To Allow; To Neglect

Definition

To let something pass by or drop — used for the drooping hands that need strengthening and for God's patient 'passing over' of former sins.

Usage & Theological Significance

The Greek pariēmi (from para, beside + hiēmi, to send/let go) means to let pass, to relax, or to drop. In Hebrews 12:12 it is used for 'drooping hands' (tas pareimenas cheiras) that need strengthening — a call to spiritual renewal amid suffering. In Luke 11:42 it appears for 'neglecting' justice and the love of God. The related concept of God's paresis (passing over/overlooking) in Romans 3:25 describes how God 'left the sins committed beforehand unpunished' in his divine forbearance before Christ.

The pariēmi of Hebrews 12:12 draws on Isaiah 35:3 ('Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way') and applies it to Christian perseverance under discipline. The drooping hands and weak knees are not sinful — they are exhausted. Hebrews' response is not rebuke but encouragement: God's discipline is evidence of sonship (Hebrews 12:7-8), and the path through it leads to 'the peaceful fruit of righteousness' (12:11). Hands that pariēmi (droop and let go) need to be strengthened, not condemned — a pastoral theology of compassionate perseverance.

Key Bible Verses

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees (pareimenas cheiras kai paralelymena gonata).
Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.
Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way.
Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

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