παῤῥησιάζομαι (G3955) — Greek Lexicon

παῤῥησιάζομαι

parrhēsiázomai

G3955 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To speak or act with openness, confidence, or frankness; to express oneself openly and publicly, especially with courage or without fear. In various contexts, the term implies both free, unreserved speech and the courage or audacity to speak openly, particularly in settings where such outspokenness might involve risk or opposition. It does not inherently mean to preach but focuses on the manner and quality of speech or action.

Semantic Range

to speak openly, to speak confidently, to express oneself fearlessly, to act boldly, to testify or declare with confidence, to express opinions publicly without fear

Root / Etymology

Derived from παρρησία (parrhēsía, 'freedom of speech, confidence, openness'), which comes from πᾶς (pas, 'all') + ῥῆσις (rhēsis, 'speech'). The verb form παρρησιάζομαι is a denominative formed in the middle voice, indicating one acts with παρρησία.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, παρρησιάζομαι is primarily attested from the Hellenistic period onward and is especially common in Jewish and early Christian texts written in Greek (such as the Septuagint, Philo, Josephus, and the New Testament). In these contexts, it expresses not only uninhibited speech but often a bold or courageous manner of speaking, especially in the face of authority, potential hostility, or danger. In Second Temple and early Christian literature, the term increasingly describes public testimony and fearless proclamation, but always with the nuance of openness, confidence, or frank courage rather than mere loquacity. English translations like 'speak boldly,' 'preach boldly,' and 'be confident' capture only facets of its meaning; the sense of public openness and risk is often stronger in the original. In secular Greek, similar ideas attach to public speech in civic or judicial settings, contrasting reserved or cautious speech. Not inherently specialized to religious discourse, pastoral preaching, or solely Christian proclamation.

Translation Consistency

primary "speak" 7 occurrences

παῤῥησιάζομαι primarily denotes the act of speaking with openness, confidence, or boldness. Choosing the neutral, natural verb “speak” lets all inflected forms be rendered consistently while allowing context or adverbs (openly, boldly, confidently) to supply the specific tone. “Speak” is the common, idiomatic English equivalent for the typical usage in the SILEX range and fits the corpus occurrences (spoke, speaking, openly).

Alternatives (2 occurrences):

"openly expressing" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

middle voice from παῤῥησία; to be frank in utterance, or confident in spirit and demeanor:--be (wax) bold, (preach, speak) boldly.

Root Family

παρρησι- (parrhēsiázomai) — to speak openly, to be confident, to act with boldness

Root παρρησι- to speak openly, to be confident, to act with boldness

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G3955-08`	παρρησιαζόμενος	parresiazomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	speaking boldly	openly speaking with boldness	openly speaking with boldness	2
`G3955-01`	ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα	eparresiasametha	`V AOR MID IND 1P PL`	we had boldness	we spoke openly and boldly	we spoke openly and boldly	1
`G3955-02`	ἐπαρρησιάσατο	eparresiasato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	he had preached boldly	he spoke openly and boldly	he spoke openly and boldly	1
`G3955-03`	ἐπαρρησιάζετο	eparresiazeto	`V IMPF MID IND 3P SG`	continued speaking boldly	was openly expressing himself	was openly expressing himself	1
`G3955-04`	παρρησιασάμενοί	parresiasamenoi	`V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL`	having spoken boldly	having spoken openly for themselves	having spoken boldly	1
`G3955-05`	παρρησιάσωμαι	parresiasomai	`V AOR MID SUBJ 1P SG`	I may speak boldly	I might speak openly	I might speak openly	1
`G3955-06`	παρρησιάζεσθαι	parresiazesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to speak boldly	to speak openly and confidently	to speak openly and confidently	1
`G3955-07`	παρρησιαζόμενοι	parresiazomenoi	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL`	speaking boldly	openly expressing themselves	openly expressing themselves	1

Occurrences in Scripture

9 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G3955-02`	Acts 9:27	ἐπαρρησιάσατο	eparresiasato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	he had preached boldly	he spoke openly and boldly	he spoke openly and boldly
`G3955-08`	Acts 9:28	παρρησιαζόμενος	parresiazomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	speaking boldly	openly speaking with boldness	openly speaking with boldness
`G3955-04`	Acts 13:46	παρρησιασάμενοί	parresiasamenoi	`V AOR MID PTCP NOM M PL`	having spoken boldly	having spoken openly for themselves	having spoken boldly
`G3955-07`	Acts 14:3	παρρησιαζόμενοι	parresiazomenoi	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL`	speaking boldly	openly expressing themselves	openly expressing themselves
`G3955-06`	Acts 18:26	παρρησιάζεσθαι	parresiazesthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to speak boldly	to speak openly and confidently	to speak openly and confidently
`G3955-03`	Acts 19:8	ἐπαρρησιάζετο	eparresiazeto	`V IMPF MID IND 3P SG`	continued speaking boldly	was openly expressing himself	was openly expressing himself
`G3955-08`	Acts 26:26	παρρησιαζόμενος	parresiazomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	speaking freely	openly speaking with boldness	openly speaking with boldness
`G3955-05`	Ephesians 6:20	παρρησιάσωμαι	parresiasomai	`V AOR MID SUBJ 1P SG`	I may speak boldly	I might speak openly	I might speak openly
`G3955-01`	1 Thessalonians 2:2	ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα	eparresiasametha	`V AOR MID IND 1P PL`	we had boldness	we spoke openly and boldly	we spoke openly and boldly

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