Original Word: παρακοή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: parakoé
Pronunciation: pah-rah-ko-AY
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ak-o-ay')
KJV: disobedience
NASB: disobedience
Word Origin: [from G3878 (παρακούω - refuses to listen)]

1. inattention
2. (by implication) disobedience

disobedience.

From parakouo; inattention, i.e. (by implication) disobedience -- disobedience.

see GREEK parakouo

3876 parakoḗ (from 3844 /pará, "contrary by close comparison" and 191 /akoúō, "hear") – properly, contrary-hearing, i.e. disobedience which springs from a negative (opposing) attitude, i.e. the refusal to listen properly.

This "hearing" has the attitude of refusing to take heed and therefore is inattentive ("hearing" that will not comply). 3876 /parakoḗ reflects the attitude that chooses to disobey because of disinterest.

Word Origin
from parakouó
Definition
a hearing amiss, by impl. disobedience
NASB Translation
disobedience (3).

STRONGS NT 3876: παρακοή

παρακοή, παρακοῆς, ἡ (παρά Latinpraeter (see παρά, IV. 2));

1. properly, a hearing amiss (Plato, epistles 7, p. 341 b.).

2. (unwillingness to hear i. e.) disobedience: Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 10:6; Hebrews 2:2. (Cf. Trench, § lxvi.)

Biblical Usage

Hebrews 2:2 presents παρακοή as the counterpart to “every transgression,” underscoring the gravity of neglecting God’s revelation: “For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, …”. Here the term marks a willful failure to heed the divinely delivered Law, establishing the principle that revelation carries accountability.

2 Corinthians 10:6 employs the word in an ecclesial setting: “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete”. Paul contrasts the church’s present obedience with pockets of παρακοή that would, if uncorrected, undermine apostolic authority and corporate holiness.

Romans 5:19 sets παρακοή at the heart of redemptive history: “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one Man the many will be made righteous”. Adam’s refusal to heed God’s command introduces sin and death, while Christ’s perfect obedience reverses the curse, highlighting the two representative heads of humanity.

Old Testament Background

Although the exact Greek term is absent from the Hebrew canon, its concept is rooted in Israel’s persistent refusal to listen (for example, Deuteronomy 28:15; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Ezekiel 3:7). The Septuagint often translates such rebellion with cognate verbs that share the same para- prefix, preparing readers for the New Testament’s concentrated use of παρακοή.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Accountability: παρακοή calls attention to the legal aspect of divine covenants. Disobedience is not merely moral failure but breach of a binding relationship established by God’s word.
2. Federal Headship: Romans 5:19 teaches that humanity’s standing before God pivots on the obedience or disobedience of its covenant heads—Adam and Christ—thus grounding doctrines of original sin and justification.
3. Eschatological Judgment: Hebrews 2:2 links disobedience with “just punishment,” anticipating the final reckoning when every refusal to heed Christ’s gospel will be assessed.

Contrast with Obedience (ὑπακοή)

Παρακοή and ὑπακοή stand as moral antipodes. The New Testament regularly juxtaposes them (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 10:6) to sharpen the call to active, listening obedience. The shift from one to the other marks conversion (Romans 1:5) and maturation (1 Peter 1:14).

Christological Dimension

Christ’s life exemplifies obedient listening (John 5:30), culminating in the cross where “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death” (Philippians 2:8). His obedience not only provides the atoning sacrifice but also sets the pattern for believers, transforming παρακοή into ὑπακοή by the Spirit’s power.

Ecclesial and Discipleship Implications

Paul’s readiness to discipline disobedience (2 Corinthians 10:6) validates church authority and pastoral oversight. Healthy congregations cultivate an environment where Scripture is heard and obeyed, and where persistent παρακοή is lovingly confronted for the sake of purity and witness.

Pastoral Application

• Preaching must expose root causes of disobedience—unbelief, pride, inattentiveness—and direct hearers to the sufficiency of Christ’s obedience.
• Discipleship involves training believers to recognize the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), replacing the hardness of heart evident in παρακοή with responsive faith.
• Church discipline, when necessary, imitates apostolic practice, aiming not at retribution but restoration, “so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Historical Perspective

Early Christian writers, such as Irenaeus and Tertullian, cited Romans 5:19 to defend the doctrine of recapitulation—Christ reliving and rectifying Adam’s history. Reformation theologians seized upon the same text to affirm justification by Christ’s imputed righteousness, contrasting it with humanity’s inherited disobedience.

Summary

Παρακοή (Strong’s 3876) functions as a strategic term that lays bare humanity’s refusal to listen to God, magnifies the obedient work of Christ, and summons the church to vigilant faithfulness. Wherever Scripture is heard but not heeded, παρακοή persists; wherever the gospel is embraced, it is conquered.

παρακοη παρακοή παρακοὴ παρακοην παρακοήν παρακοης παρακοής παρακοῆς παράκοιτοι παράκοιτοί parakoe parakoē parakoḕ parakoen parakoēn parakoḗn parakoes parakoês parakoēs parakoē̂sInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts