παρακαταθήκη
parakatathḗkē
G3872
SILEX Entry
Definition
A deposit entrusted for safekeeping, especially something valuable or important given into another's care for protection or custody; by extension, a trust or charge for which one is responsible to preserve or transmit. In legal or financial contexts, refers to property or valuables placed in the hands of another for safekeeping; metaphorically, refers to a doctrine, message, or responsibility committed to a person to hold and faithfully transmit or safeguard.
Semantic Range
deposit entrusted for safekeeping, property in trust, something committed to another's care, charge, responsibility, doctrine or message entrusted for preservation or transmission
Root / Etymology
Compound of παρά ('beside, alongside') and κατατίθημι ('to place, to lay down'), meaning literally 'a thing placed down beside (someone)' for their care; parallels exist in legal and financial language for deposits or trusts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, παρακαταθήκη is commonly used in legal and financial contexts for valuables, money, or property left with another as a trust, to be returned or managed on behalf of the depositor; it represents a formal and binding arrangement. In Hellenistic and Roman-period usage, including the New Testament (e.g., 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:12, 14), the term moves into metaphorical usage: what is 'entrusted' is not tangible goods but rather a message, teaching, or duty committed to a person for faithful preservation and transmission. Common English translations ('deposit,' 'trust,' 'that which is committed') often miss the strong sense of legal/ethical obligation inherent in the term. In non-biblical papyri and inscriptions, the word retains its legal resonance as something formally consigned and under duty of return. There is no religious or ethnic nuance to the term itself; its meaning is determined by the context of what is entrusted. While the sense of 'deposit' continues in post-biblical literature, the metaphorical sense of entrusted doctrine or responsibility is especially characteristic of early Christian usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a compound of παρά and κατατίθημι; something put down alongside, i.e. a deposit (sacred trust):--that (thing) which is committed (un-)to (trust).
Root Family
καταθήκ- (parakatathḗkē) — to place down, to entrust, to deposit
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.