Lexical Summary parautika: Immediately, for the moment, temporarily Original Word: παραυτίκα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance immediately, but for a moment. From para and a derivative of autos; at the very instant, i.e. Momentary -- but for a moment. see GREEK para see GREEK autos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom parauta (immediately) Definition immediately, for a moment NASB Translation momentary (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3910: παραυτίκαπαραυτίκα (cf. Buttmann, § 146, 4), adverb, for the moment: 2 Corinthians 4:17. (Tragg., Xenophon, Plato, and following.) Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Nuance παραυτίκα stresses an interval so brief that it scarcely registers on the scale of time—a “moment” set in deliberate contrast to what is enduring. Within Koine usage the adverb can describe an instantaneous action (as in documentary papyri) or, as in Paul, the fleeting character of an experience when measured against eternity. Location in Scripture 2 Corinthians 4:17 is the sole New Testament occurrence: “For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison”. Placed near the beginning of the clause, παραυτίκα intensifies the antithesis between present hardship and future glory that dominates the surrounding context (2 Corinthians 4:7–18). Paul’s Temporal–Eternal Dialectic 1. Visible versus invisible (4:18). In each pair the apostle employs παραυτίκα as the linchpin that relegates earthly suffering to the realm of the transient. The term carries pastoral weight: believers look at affliction through an eschatological lens, judging time not by the clock but by the coming kingdom. Old Testament Echoes Psalm 30:5—“weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”—anticipates the same rhythm of brevity and permanence. Isaiah 54:7–8 likewise frames divine discipline as “a brief moment” followed by everlasting compassion, providing a covenantal backdrop to Paul’s wording. Comparative New Testament Texts While παραυτίκα itself is unique to 2 Corinthians, the motif of temporary suffering appears elsewhere: These passages reinforce the same theological calculus: present distress, though real, is momentary in light of eternity. Historical Background Second-temple Jewish writings often frame persecution as brief in view of eschatological reward (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon 3:1–5). In Greco-Roman rhetoric, contrasting the instantaneous with the permanent heightened persuasion; Paul adapts that device for gospel proclamation. Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Perseverance: παραυτίκα invites believers to interpret adversity through the promise of future glory, sustaining endurance under trial (James 1:2–4). Homiletical Themes 1. “Momentary affliction, eternal glory”: teaching the economics of grace. Eschatological Horizon παραυτίκα looks beyond earthly chronology to the parousia. Paul’s argument presumes the bodily resurrection (2 Corinthians 4:14), so the term undergirds Christian hope: suffering is not denied but re-scaled. Summary Strong’s Greek 3910 polarizes the transient and the everlasting. By labeling trials “momentary,” Paul reframes every hardship as an instrument forging an incomparable, eternal weight of glory. The word challenges the church to live with eyes fixed on the unseen realities promised in Christ. Forms and Transliterations παραυτικα παραυτίκα parautika parautíkaLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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