παραδειγματίζω
paradeigmatízō
G3856 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To expose, display, or make an example of someone, especially by subjecting them to public disgrace or humiliation. The core meaning involves an overt display intended to serve as a warning or deterrent to others. In legal, moral, or social contexts, it often implies a publicized censure or punishment to demonstrate the consequences of a particular action. In extended senses, it can involve treating someone in a way that is instructive to observers because of its negative exemplary value.
Semantic Range
to expose to public disgrace, to make a public example of, to shame openly, to display for warning or deterrence, to subject to public condemnation
Root / Etymology
From παρά (beside, alongside) and δειγματίζω (to make a display of, show as an example, derived from δεῖγμα 'something shown as evidence or example'). The combination suggests exposing something or someone in a demonstrative manner, with the implication of negative evaluation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb παραδειγματίζω is attested primarily in Koine Greek and is rare in pre-Koine texts. It occurs notably in the Septuagint (e.g., Numbers 25:4) and in the New Testament (Matthew 1:19; Hebrews 6:6), where it refers to public disgrace or the act of shaming by openly exposing wrongdoing. In classical contexts, related nouns (παράδειγμα) refer to an example or model, often but not always with positive connotations, while παραδειγματίζω is mainly pejorative, focused on censure or punishment. In the New Testament, it does not merely denote shaming but implies a deliberately publicized rebuke, sometimes via punishment, with the aim of communal deterrence. English translations such as 'make a public example' or 'put to open shame' approximate the force but sometimes obscure the didactic or deterrent intent implicit in the Greek. The word contrasts with ἐλεγχω ('to convict') and ἐπιτιμάω ('to rebuke'), which may not imply public spectacle. The concept of warning by example (whether punitive or not) is especially significant in ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish social-legal practice, where deterrence through public display played a major role.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from παρά and δειγματίζω; to show alongside (the public), i.e. expose to infamy:--make a public example, put to an open shame.
Root Family
παραδειγματίζω (paradeigmatizō) — to display, to show as an example, to make an example, to expose to public disgrace
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3856-01 |
παραδειγματίζοντας | paradeigmatizontas | V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL |
putting to open shame | making public examples of | making public examples of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3856-01 |
Hebrews 6:6 | παραδειγματίζοντας | paradeigmatizontas | V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL |
putting to open shame | making public examples of | making public examples of |