2452. Ioudaikós
Lexical Summary
Ioudaikós: Jewish, Judean

Original Word: Ἰουδαϊκός
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: Ioudaikós
Pronunciation: ee-oo-dah-ee-KOS
Phonetic Spelling: (ee-oo-dah-ee-koce')
KJV: as do the Jews
NASB: like the Jews
Word Origin: [adverb from G2451 (Ἰουδαϊκός - Jewish)]

1. Judaically or in a manner resembling a Judaean

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
as do the Jews.

Adverb from Ioudaikos; Judaically or in a manner resembling a Judaean -- as do the Jews.

see GREEK Ioudaikos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
adverb from Ioudaikos
Definition
in Jewish fashion
NASB Translation
like the Jews (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2452: Ἰουδαϊκῶς

Ἰουδαϊκῶς, adverb, Jewishly, after the manner of the Jews: Galatians 2:14. ((Josephus, b. j. 6, 1, 3.))

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Occurrence

Galatians 2:14 records the single New Testament appearance of the adverb Ἰουδαϊκῶς: “When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”

Historical Setting

• Location: Syrian Antioch, a mixed congregation where Jewish and Gentile believers regularly shared table fellowship (Acts 11:19–26).
• Occasion: Certain men “from James” arrived, and Peter withdrew from eating with Gentiles, fearing criticism from the circumcision party (Galatians 2:12).
• Conflict: Paul perceived that Peter’s withdrawal suggested Gentiles needed to adopt Jewish customs to gain full standing, undermining the gospel.

Paul’s Use of the Term

• Contrast of Lifestyles: Paul juxtaposes Peter’s earlier freedom (“live like a Gentile”) with his present retreat to a distinctly Jewish mode of life (“live like a Jew”).
• Public Rebuke: The adverb sharpens Paul’s charge of hypocrisy; Peter’s behavior contradicted the truth he preached (Galatians 2:15–16).
• Defense of Gospel Unity: By challenging the idea of “living Jewishly” as a requirement for Gentiles, Paul upholds justification by faith apart from works of the Law.

Jew–Gentile Relations in the Early Church

• Table Fellowship: Shared meals symbolized spiritual equality (Acts 10:28; 11:3). Reintroducing ritual separation threatened gospel-centered unity.
• Circumcision Controversy: Galatians 2 anticipates the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), where the apostles concluded that Gentiles were not obligated to become Jews to be saved.
• Apostolic Agreement: Though Paul rebuked Peter’s conduct, both apostles later affirmed the same gospel (Galatians 2:7–9; 2 Peter 3:15–16).

Theological Significance

• Justification: Galatians 2:16 insists, “A man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” The adverb marks the law-keeping lifestyle that cannot justify.
• Freedom in Christ: Believers are free from ceremonial obligations that once distinguished Israel (Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 2:14–16).
• Ethnic Equality: In Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28). The gospel creates one new people without erasing cultural identity but without elevating one above another.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Consistency with the Gospel: Leaders must ensure that personal choices—dietary, cultural, or otherwise—do not imply a two-tiered church.
• Guarding Fellowship: Congregations should resist pressures that fracture unity along ethnic, cultural, or traditional lines (Romans 14:1–4).
• Public Correction: Paul’s example shows that open divergence from gospel truth warrants direct, yet loving, confrontation for the health of the body.

Related Biblical Themes

• “Living under the Law” versus “walking by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16–18).
• Paul’s missionary flexibility without compromise (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).
• The abolition of the dividing wall (Ephesians 2:11–22).

Strong’s Greek 2452 therefore serves as a linguistic pivot in Galatians, spotlighting the early church’s defining struggle over the place of Jewish customs in the multi-ethnic body of Christ and affirming the unchanging gospel of grace for every believer.

Forms and Transliterations
Ιουδαικως Ἰουδαϊκῶς Ioudaikos Ioudaikōs Ioudaïkôs Ioudaïkō̂s
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Galatians 2:14 Adv
GRK: καὶ οὐχὶ Ἰουδαϊκῶς ζῇς πῶς
NAS: like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how
KJV: not as do the Jews, why
INT: and not like a Jew live why

Strong's Greek 2452
1 Occurrence


Ἰουδαϊκῶς — 1 Occ.

2451
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