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G4022 · Greek · New Testament
περιέρχομαι
perierchomai
Verb
to wander / go around

Definition

Perierchomai (G4022) combines peri (around) and erchomai (to go/come) to mean 'to go around,' 'to wander,' or 'to travel about.' Used of the seven sons of Sceva who wandered as exorcists (Acts 19:13), of disreputable widows who gad about (1 Tim 5:13), and of those who wandered in sheepskins (Heb 11:37-38).

Usage & Theological Significance

The three uses of perierchomai in the NT form a remarkable contrast. Acts 19:13 describes the sons of Sceva wandering as exorcists without divine authority — and being overcome by the very demon they tried to cast out. 1 Timothy 5:13 warns of idleness leading to gadding about and saying what they should not. But Hebrews 11:38 transforms the word: those who wandered in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground — 'of whom the world was not worthy' — were not vagrants but heroes of faith. The same word, perierchomai, covers both purposeless wandering and Spirit-directed pilgrimage. The difference is not the path but the One who called you to it.

Key Bible Verses

Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant (perierchomai) Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus.
1 Timothy 5:13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about (perierchomai) from house to house.
Hebrews 11:37 They went about (perierchomai) in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated.
Hebrews 11:38 Of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
Acts 28:13 And from there we made a circuit (perielthontes) and arrived at Rhegium.

Related Words

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