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Φαρισαῖος

Pharisaîos

G5330 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Member of the Pharisees, a distinct socio-religious group in Judea during the late Second Temple period known for rigorous adherence to specific interpretations of Torah, oral traditions, and observance of ritual purity. In context, the term designates those who were recognized as adherents or sympathizers of this movement, often set apart from other Judean groups such as the Sadducees or Essenes. While primarily identifying a group with particular legal and ritual emphases, in Koine Greek, Φαρισαῖος could also serve in polemical or honorific contexts to describe individuals as especially scrupulous or observant of traditional customs.

Semantic Range

member of the Pharisees, adherent to distinct Judean legal and ritual practices, expert in interpretation of Torah and tradition, person regarded as especially scrupulous or set apart in observance

Root / Etymology

Derived from Aramaic פְּרִישָׁא (perīšā’), itself from the Semitic root פרשׁ (p-r-sh), meaning 'to separate.' The term originally referred to 'the separated ones'—that is, those who maintained distinct practices within Judean society. Borrowed into Greek as Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos).

Historical & Contextual Notes

The designation Φαρισαῖος does not appear in classical Greek sources prior to the Hellenistic period, emerging in direct connection to Judean society and its intra-group distinctions. In the New Testament, the term predominantly refers to a well-known group characterized by their expertise in the Torah, ritual purity laws, and certain traditions interpreted as 'the traditions of the elders.' In Philo and Josephus, as well as later rabbinic literature, the Pharisees are distinguished from other Judean groups, such as the Sadducees (Σαδδουκαῖος) and Essenes (Ἐσσηνοί). English translations often render Φαρισαῖος as 'Pharisee,' associating the group with subsequent Christian polemics that may color perception beyond original usage. In historical context, Φαρισαῖοι were not initially a sect in the modern sense but an acknowledged faction within Judean society, often influential in synagogal and popular religion. Their identity involved specific ritual and legal interpretations, not necessarily complete social separation. The word reflects both intra-Judean diversity and broader Mediterranean understandings of religious differentiation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (compare פָּרָשׁ); a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary:--Pharisee.

Root Family

Φαρισ- (Pharisaîos) — to separate, to distinguish, to set apart

Root Φαρισ- to separate, to distinguish, to set apart

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5330-02 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios 51
G5330-04 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios 29
G5330-05 Φαρισαῖος pharisaios N NOM M SG a Pharisee Separated One Pharisaios 9
G5330-07 Φαρισαίους pharisaious N ACC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios 5
G5330-03 Φαρισαίοις pharisaiois N DAT M PL Pharisees to the separated ones Pharisaios 2
G5330-06 Φαρισαίου pharisaiou N GEN M SG Pharisee of a separated one Pharisaios 2
G5330-01 Φαρισαῖε pharisaie N VOC M SG Pharisee O Separated One Pharisaios 1

Occurrences in Scripture

99 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5330-04 Matthew 3:7 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 5:20 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 9:11 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 9:14 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 9:34 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 12:2 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 12:14 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 12:24 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 12:38 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 15:1 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 15:12 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 16:1 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 16:6 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 16:11 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 16:12 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL of Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 19:3 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 21:45 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 22:15 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 22:34 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Matthew 22:41 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees' of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:2 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:13 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:14 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:15 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:23 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:25 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-01 Matthew 23:26 Φαρισαῖε pharisaie N VOC M SG Pharisee O Separated One Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:27 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 23:29 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N VOC M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Matthew 27:62 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Mark 2:16 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 2:18 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Mark 2:18 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 2:24 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 3:6 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 7:1 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 7:3 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 7:5 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 8:11 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Mark 8:15 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Mark 10:2 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Mark 12:13 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Luke 5:17 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Luke 5:21 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Luke 5:30 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Luke 5:33 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Luke 6:2 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Luke 6:7 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-02 Luke 7:30 Φαρισαῖοι pharisaioi N NOM M PL Pharisees Separated Ones Pharisaios
G5330-04 Luke 7:36 Φαρισαίων pharisaion N GEN M PL Pharisees of the Separated Ones Pharisaios
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