Lexical Summary pararreó: To drift away, to slip away, to flow past Original Word: παραρρέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drift awayFrom para and the alternate of rheo; to flow by, i.e. (figuratively) carelessly pass (miss) -- let slip. see GREEK para see GREEK rheo HELPS Word-studies 3901 pararrhyéō (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 4483 /rhéō, "to flow, drift") – properly, to float (flow) alongside, drifting past a destination because pushed along by current. 3901 /pararrhyéō ("drift away from") only occurs in Heb 2:1 where it refers to going spiritually adrift – "sinning by slipping away" (from God's anchor). 3901 /pararrhyéō ("gradually drift away") means to "lapse" into spiritual defeat, describing how we slowly move away from our moorings in Christ. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom para and rheó Definition to flow by, hence slip away NASB Translation drift away (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3901: παραρρέωπαραρρέω; (παρά and ῤέω); from Sophocles, Xenophon, and Plato down; to flow past (παραρρέον ὕδωρ, Isaiah 44:4), to glide by: μήποτε παραρρυῶμεν (2 aorist passive subjunctive; cf. Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. ii., p. 287; (Veitch, under the word ῤέω; WHs Appendix, p. 170); but L T Tr WH παραρυῶμεν; see Rho), lest we be carried past, pass by (R. V. drift away from them) (missing the thing), i. e. lest the salvation which the things heard show us how to obtain slip away from us, Hebrews 2:1. In Greek authors παρραρει μοι τί, a thing escapes me, Sophocles Philoct. 653; tropically, slips from my mind, Plato, legg. 6, p. 781 a.; in the sense of neglect, μή παρραρυης, τήρησον δέ ἐμήν βουλήν, Proverbs 3:21. Topical Lexicon Root Meaning and Imagery The verb conveys the picture of a boat whose moorings have loosened so that it glides past a safe harbor. In Hebrews 2:1 the writer adopts this nautical image to warn believers that, without intentional heed, their lives may silently and progressively move away from the secure anchorage of gospel truth. Contextual Setting in Hebrews Hebrews unfolds in a series of five major warning passages. The first (Hebrews 2:1-4) stands as the gateway to the epistle’s unfolding argument for the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ. By selecting this single, vivid term, the author alerts Jewish believers—tempted to relapse under social and religious pressure—that spiritual decline usually begins not with open rebellion but with quiet neglect. Berean Standard Bible: “For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). The warning is grounded in chapter 1’s exaltation of the Son above angels. If even messages mediated by angels carried binding authority under the Old Covenant (Hebrews 2:2), how much greater accountability rests on those who enjoy direct revelation through the Son? Thematic Links in Scripture 1. The call to “hold fast” (Hebrews 3:6; Revelation 2:25) opposes the drift. Pastoral Applications • Neglect of Scripture, prayer, and gathered worship is the most common avenue of drift. Historical Usage in Early Church Patristic writers such as Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom drew on Hebrews 2:1 to exhort congregations against cultural assimilation. Chrysostom’s Homilies on Hebrews likened inattentive believers to men lounging in a boat while currents sweep them away. Throughout monastic and later Reformation literature, the verse remained a staple text warning that mere orthodoxy on paper cannot compensate for daily vigilance. Contemporary Ministry Implications • Preachers: Frame exposition around the contrast between passive drift and active discipleship. Forms and Transliterations παραρρέον παραρριπτείσθαι παράρριψόν παραρρυής παραρρυώμεν παραρύματα παραρυωμεν παραρυῶμεν pararuomen pararuōmen pararyomen pararyômen pararyōmen pararyō̂menLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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