Bible Word Study
παράσημος
parasēmos · marked with
παράσημος
marked with
Definition
The adjective παράσημος (parasēmos) literally means 'marked with' or 'bearing a sign.' In its only New Testament occurrence in Acts 28:11, it describes the ship on which Paul sailed from Malta to Italy as having the 'twin brothers' as its figurehead. This refers to a carved emblem or insignia on the ship's prow, identifying it. The term can broadly denote anything that is conspicuously marked or distinguished by a specific symbol.
Biblical Usage
παράσημος is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 28:11. It is used in a nautical context to describe the identifying emblem or figurehead of the Alexandrian ship that carried Paul. The usage is purely descriptive, providing a specific detail about the vessel's appearance without deeper narrative symbolism.
Etymology
Derived from the preposition παρά (para), meaning 'beside' or 'alongside,' combined with the root σῆμα (sēma), meaning 'sign' or 'mark.' Thus, it literally means 'having a sign beside it' or 'marked alongside,' which evolved to describe something bearing a distinguishing emblem, like a ship's figurehead.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, ships often bore figureheads (parasēmoi) depicting gods, heroes, or symbols believed to offer protection, indicate origin, or show allegiance. The 'twin brothers' (Dioscuri—Castor and Pollux) mentioned in Acts 28:11 were patron gods of sailors. This detail culturally anchors the narrative in historical maritime practice, showing Luke's attention to factual detail. σύσσημον (syssēmon, G4953) — a sign or signal agreed upon; a concerted mark (used in military/secret contexts).
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]