3818

Lexical Summary

pais: Child, servant, boy, girl

Original Word: παῖς
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: pais
Pronunciation: pah-ece'
Phonetic Spelling: (pak-at-ee-an-ay')
KJV: Pacatiana
Word Origin: [feminine of an adjective of uncertain derivation]

1. Pacatianian, a section of Phrygia

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Pacatiana.

Feminine of an adjective of uncertain derivation; Pacatianian, a section of Phrygia -- Pacatiana.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3818: Πακατιανη

Πακατιανη, Πακατιανῆς, ἡ, Pacatiana (Phrygia). In the fourth century after Christ, Phrygia was divided into Phrygia Salutaris and Phrygia Pacatiana (later, Capatiana); Laodicea was the metropolis of the latter: (in the spurious subscription). (Cf. Forbiger, Hndbch. d. alt. Geogr. 2te Ausg. ii., 338, 347f; Lightfoot's Commentary on Colossians, Introduction, (especially, pp. 19, 69f).)

Topical Lexicon

Etymology and Semantic Range

παῖς embraces both the idea of youthful son or daughter and that of servant or attendant. The Septuagint uses the term for freeborn children (Genesis 21:8), household servants (Exodus 11:5), and covenant servants of the LORD (Isaiah 42:1). The versatility of the word allows a seamless movement from family intimacy to dedicated service—a movement that undergirds biblical theology of sonship and servanthood.

Usage in the Septuagint

1. Familial child: Genesis 21:8; 1 Kings 3:7.
2. Domestic slave: Exodus 11:5; Job 1:15.
3. Vassal or officer: 2 Samuel 9:11.
4. The Servant of the LORD: Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 52:13; Zechariah 3:8.

These texts frame παῖς as the standard Greek rendering for Hebrew נַעַר (naʿar, youth) and עֶבֶד (ʿeḇed, servant), revealing how the same individual can be both a beloved child and a devoted servant before God.

Covenantal and Christological Significance

Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isaiah 42:1; 49:6; 52:13–53:12) employ παῖς to announce the Messiah who would embody perfect obedience. “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). The choice of παῖς signals both filial intimacy with the Father and sacrificial submission to His will. In post-apostolic preaching, believers recognized Jesus Christ as this promised παῖς, fulfilling the dual identity of Son and Servant.

Historical and Cultural Background

In Greco-Roman society a παῖς could be a son under paternal authority or a household slave. Status was fluid until formal adoption or emancipation. Scripture redeems the term: even when referring to Israel or the Messiah, παῖς retains dignity because service to the LORD confers honor greater than earthly freedom (Psalm 113:1).

Related Hebrew Concepts

• נַעַר highlights youthful potential (Jeremiah 1:6).
• עֶבֶד underscores covenant loyalty (Exodus 14:31).

By translating both with παῖς, the Septuagint presents youthful dependence and devoted obedience as inseparable traits of true discipleship.

Ministry Application

1. Identity—Believers are simultaneously God’s children and His servants. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26) and “Serve the LORD with reverence” (Psalm 2:11).
2. Leadership—Spiritual authority grows out of humble service, echoing the Messianic παῖς who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).
3. Missions—The Servant’s mandate to “bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1) charges the church to combine compassion with proclamation.
4. Suffering—Isaiah’s suffering Servant teaches that hardship refines, not negates, divine sonship (Isaiah 53:10).

Theological Summary

παῖς stands at the intersection of childhood and servanthood, illuminating the way God forms His people: adopted into His family, assigned to His work, and assured of His favor. Though 3818 itself is absent from the Greek New Testament, its Old Testament witness lays the foundation for the New Testament revelation of believers as “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17), who now live as willing servants for the glory of their Father.

Forms and Transliterations

παλάθαι παλάθας παλάθην παλάθης

Englishman's Concordance

παιδίσκης — 4 Occ.
παιδισκῶν — 1 Occ.
παίζειν — 1 Occ.
παῖδα — 5 Occ.
παῖδας — 3 Occ.
παίδων — 1 Occ.
παιδὸς — 5 Occ.
παῖς — 9 Occ.
παισὶν — 1 Occ.
ἔπαισεν — 2 Occ.
παίσῃ — 1 Occ.
πάλαι — 7 Occ.
παλαιά — 3 Occ.
παλαιὰν — 2 Occ.
παλαιᾶς — 1 Occ.
παλαιῷ — 2 Occ.
παλαιόν — 5 Occ.
παλαιὸς — 2 Occ.
παλαιοῦ — 1 Occ.
παλαιούς — 3 Occ.