παρομοιάζω

paromoiázō

G3945 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To resemble or to be made like (someone/something); to become similar to, often used in contexts where an analogy or likeness is drawn, whether literal or figurative. In literary or rhetorical contexts, can indicate the act of representing something as analogous to another.

Semantic Range

to resemble, to become like, to compare, to be as, to represent by analogy, to liken

Root / Etymology

From παρόμοιος (paromoios, 'like, similar, resembling'), itself formed from πάρα (para, 'beside, near') + ὅμοιος (homoios, 'similar, like'). The ending -ίζω (-izō) forms verbal derivatives indicating the act of producing or becoming like.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested rarely in extant Greek literature, with most appearances in post-classical and Hellenistic Greek. The verb appears only in later Greek, including the Septuagint (LXX) and a few non-biblical Koine sources. In the LXX, παρομοιάζω is sometimes used to render Hebrew verbs for 'to liken' or 'to compare,' often in poetic or proverbial settings (e.g., Psalms, Proverbs), expressing analogy or metaphor. In these contexts it describes either the drawing of analogies by a speaker or the actual likeness between entities. The word is uncommon in the New Testament. Its range overlaps with similar terms like ὁμοιόω (homoioō, 'to make like'), but παρομοιάζω emphasizes the idea of comparison, analogy, or being rendered like. English translations often use 'liken,' 'compare,' or 'resemble,' but these may fail to convey the rhetorical or literary function of the term in Greek. The term does not carry a strong theological nuance and is primarily descriptive or analogical in function.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from παρόμοιος; to resemble:--be like unto.

Root Family

ὁμοι- (homoiázō) — to make like, to resemble, to liken

Root ὁμοι- to be like, to make similar, to compare, to resemble
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G3662 ὁμοιάζω
G3665 ὁμοιότης likeness
G3667 ὁμοίωμα likenesses
G3668 ὁμοίως in like manner
G871 ἀφομοιόω having been fully assimilated

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3945-01 παρομοιάζετε paromoiazete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL you are like you liken you liken 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3945-01 Matthew 23:27 παρομοιάζετε paromoiazete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL you are like you liken you liken