Original Word: παῖς
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine; Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: pais
Pronunciation: pah-ece
Phonetic Spelling: (paheece)
Definition: Child, servant, boy, girl
Meaning: (a) a male child, boy, (b) a male slave, servant; thus: a servant of God, especially as a title of the Messiah, (c) a female child, girl.

child, maiden, servant, young man.

Perhaps from paio; a boy (as often beaten with impunity), or (by analogy), a girl, and (genitive case) a child; specially, a slave or servant (especially a minister to a king; and by eminence to God) -- child, maid(-en), (man) servant, son, young man.

see GREEK paio

Cognate: 3816 país – a child under training (strict oversight), emphasizing their ongoing development necessary to reach their highest (eternal) destiny. See 3813 (paidon).

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
a child, boy, youth
NASB Translation
boy (4), child (1), children (1), girl's (1), male children (1), men (1), servant (12), servants (2), slaves* (1), son (1).

STRONGS NT 3816: παῖς

παῖς, genitive παιδός, ὁ, ἡ, from Homer down; in the N. T. only in the Gospels and Acts;

1. a child, boy or girl; the Sept. for נַעַר and נַעֲרָה (Genesis 24:28; Deuteronomy 22:15, etc.): ὁ παῖς, Matthew 17:18; Luke 2:43; Luke 9:42; Acts 20:12; ἡ παῖς, Luke 8:51, 54; plural infants, children, Matthew 2:16; Matthew 21:15; ὁ παῖς τίνος, the son of one, John 4:51.

2. (Like the Latinpuer, equivalent to) servant, slave (Aeschylus choëph. 652; Aristophanes nub. 18, 132; Xenophon, mem. 3, 13, 6; symp. 1, 11; 2, 23; Plato, Charm., p. 155 a.; Protag., p. 310{c}. and often; Diodorus 17, 76; others; so the Sept. times without number for עֶבֶד (cf. Winers Grammar, p. 30, no. 3); cf. the similar use of German Bursch (Frenchgarcon, English boy)): Matthew 8:6, 8, 13; Luke 7:7 cf. Luke 7:10; Luke 12:45; Luke 15:26. an attendant, servant, specifically, a king's attendant, minister: Matthew 14:2 (Diodorus 17:36; hardly so in the earlier Greek writings; Genesis 41:37; 1 Samuel 16:15-17; 1 Samuel 18:22, 26; Daniel 2:7; 1 Macc. 1:6, 8; 1 Esdr. 2:16 1 Esdr. 5:33, 35); hence, in imitation of the Hebrew יְהוָה עֶבֶד, παῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ is used of a devout worshipper of God, one who fulfils God's will (Psalm 68:18 (); Psalm 112:1 (); Wis. 2:13, etc.) thus, the people of Israel, Luke 1:54 (Isaiah 41:8; Isaiah 42:19; Isaiah 44:1f, 21, etc.); David, Luke 1:69; Acts 4:25 (Psalm 17:1 (); () (Ald., Complutensian), etc.); likewise any upright and godly man whose agency God employs in executing his purposes; thus in the N. T. Jesus the Messiah: Matthew 12:18 (from Isaiah 42:1); Acts 3:13, 26; Acts 4:27, 30 (cf. Harnack on the Epistle of Barnabas 6, 1 [ET] and Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 59, 2 [ET]); in the O. T. also Moses, Nehemiah 1:7f; the prophets, 1 Esdr. 8:79(81); Baruch 2:20, 24; and others. [SYNONYMS: παῖς, παιδάριον, παιδον, παιδίσκη, τέκνον: The grammarian Aristophanes is quoted by Ammonius (under the word, γέρων) as defining thus: παιδίον, τό τρεφόμενον ὑπό τιθηνου. παιδάριον δέ, τό ἤδη περιπατουν καί τῆς λέξεως ἀντεχόμενον. παιδίσκος δ', ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐχομένῃ ἡλικία. παῖς δ' ὁ διά τῶν ἐγκυκλιων μαθηματων δυνάμενος ἰέναι. Philo (de mund. opif. § 36) quotes the physician Hippocrates as follows: ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει ἑπτά εἰσιν ὧραι κτλ.. παιδίον μέν ἐστιν ἄχρις ἑπτά ἐτῶν, ὀδόντων ἐκβολης. παῖς δέ ἄχρι γονης ἐκφυσεως, τά δίς ἑπτά. μειράκιον δέ ἄχρι γενειου λαχνωσεως, ἐς τά τρίς ἑπτά, etc. According to Schmidt, παιδίον denotes exclusively a little child; παιδάριον child up to its first school years; παῖς a child of any age; (παιδίσκος and) παιδίσκη, in which reference to descent quite disappears, cover the years of late childhood and early youth. But usage is untrammelled from a child is expressed either by ἐκ παιδός (most frequently), or ἐκ παιδίου, or ἐκ (ἀπό) παιδαρίου. παῖς and τέκνον denote a child alike as respects descent and age, reference to the latter being more prominent in the former word, to descent in τέκνον; but the period παῖς covers is not sharply defined; and, in classic usage as in modern, youthful designations cleave to the female sex longer than to the male. See Schmidt, chapter 69; Höhne in Luthardt's Zeitschrift as above with for 1882, p. 57ff.]

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb παίζω (paizō), meaning "to play" or "to sport."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • H5288 נַעַר (na'ar): Often translated as "boy," "youth," or "servant," this Hebrew term shares a similar range of meanings with παῖς, encompassing both young individuals and servants.
• H5650 עֶבֶד ('ebed): This term is commonly translated as "servant" or "slave" and corresponds to the servitude aspect of παῖς, highlighting the role of individuals in service to others or to God.

In summary, παῖς is a multifaceted term that captures the essence of youth, servitude, and honor within the New Testament, reflecting the cultural and theological nuances of the early Christian community.

Usage: In the New Testament, παῖς is used to describe both children and servants. It appears in various contexts, highlighting familial relationships, servitude, and sometimes indicating a position of honor or affection.

Context: The Greek word παῖς is a versatile term found in the New Testament, reflecting the cultural and social dynamics of the time. It is used to describe children in a familial context, as seen in passages where Jesus interacts with or refers to children, emphasizing their importance in the Kingdom of God. For example, in Matthew 18:2-4, Jesus places a child (παῖς) in the midst of the disciples to illustrate humility and greatness in the Kingdom.

Additionally, παῖς is used to denote servants or attendants, often in a household setting. This usage reflects the social structure of the ancient world, where servants played integral roles in daily life. In Matthew 8:6, a centurion approaches Jesus, pleading for the healing of his paralyzed servant (παῖς), demonstrating the term's application to those in servitude.

The term also carries a connotation of endearment and respect, as seen in its use to describe Jesus as the "servant" of God in Acts 3:13, where Peter refers to Jesus as God's "servant" (παῖς) whom He glorified. This usage underscores the dual role of Jesus as both the Son and Servant of God, fulfilling His divine mission.

παιδα παίδα παίδά παῖδα παῖδά παιδας παιδάς παίδας παίδάς παῖδας παιδές παίδες παίδές παιδί παιδος παιδός παιδὸς παιδων παίδων παις παίς παῖς παισί παισιν παισίν παισὶν paida paîda paîdá paidas paîdas paidon paidōn paídon paídōn paidos paidós paidòs pais paîs paisin paisìnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts