3921. pareisduó
Lexical Summary
pareisduó: To slip in secretly, to infiltrate

Original Word: παρεισδύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: pareisduó
Pronunciation: pä-rā-ēs-dü'-ō
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ice-doo'-no)
KJV: creep in unawares
NASB: crept in unnoticed
Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and a compound of G1519 (εἰς - so) and G1416 (δύνω - set)]

1. to settle in alongside, i.e. lodge stealthily

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
creep in unawares.

From para and a compound of eis and duno; to settle in alongside, i.e. Lodge stealthily -- creep in unawares.

see GREEK para

see GREEK eis

see GREEK duno

HELPS Word-studies

3921 pareisdýnō (from 3844 /pará, "from close beside" and eisdyō, "enter") – properly, enter alongside, i.e. secretly or under pretense. 3921 /pareisdýnō ("enter by stealth") refers to people who appear to be true Christians, but in reality oppose the faith. 3921 (pareisdýnō) is only used in Jude 4 of those "posing to give help."

[3921 (pareisdýnō) means "to get in by the side, to slip in a side-door" (M. Vincent). This term can be spelled pareisdynō (from dynō) or pareisdyō (see J. Thayer).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from para and a comp. of eis and dunó
Definition
to settle in alongside
NASB Translation
crept in unnoticed (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3921: παρεισδύω

παρεισδύω or παρεισδύνω: 1 aorist παρεισεδυσα (according to classical usage trans., cf. δύνω; (see below)); to enter secretly, slip in stealthily; to steal in; (A. V. creep in unawares): Jude 1:4 (here WH παρεισεδυησαν, 3 person plural 2 aorist passive (with middle or intransitive force); see their Appendix, p. 170, and cf. Buttmann, 56 (49); Veitch, under the word δύω, at the end); cf. the expressions παρεισδυσιν πλάνης ποιεῖν, the Epistle of Barnabas 2, 10 [ET]; ἔχειν, ibid. 4, 9 [ET]. (Hippocrates, Herodian, 1, 6, 2; 7, 9, 18 (8 edition, Bekker; Philo de spec. legg. § 15); Plutarch, Galen, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Domain of Meaning

Strong’s Greek 3921 depicts a stealthy entrance into a community, the taking of a place that was neither invited nor observed. In Jude 1:4 the verb portrays false teachers slipping into the fellowship undetected, indicating secrecy, craft, and intent to alter the congregation from within.

Canonical Context

Jude writes as one who “was compelled to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3), and immediately exposes the danger: “For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed” (Jude 1:4). The single use of 3921 stands at the hinge between the epistle’s call to vigilance and its catalog of judgment on error. Everything that follows—moral license, denial of Christ, examples of apostate angels, Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain, Balaam, Korah—unfolds as evidence of what clandestine entrance can unleash when unchallenged.

Theological Themes

1. Spiritual Subterfuge. 3921 underscores that the threat to the church is often internal, not overt persecution but quiet distortion (Matthew 24:24; 2 Peter 2:1).
2. Preservation of Grace. Jude’s offenders “turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 1:4). The verb warns that misuse of grace usually arrives masked by Christian vocabulary.
3. Christological Fidelity. To “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4) reveals that undermining the person and work of Christ is the ultimate goal of such infiltration.

Historical Background

First-century congregations faced traveling teachers who blended early Gnostic ideas, antinomian practice, or Jewish legalism with apostolic preaching. Comparable infiltration troubled the churches of Galatia: “false brothers were brought in secretly” (Galatians 2:4). By the late first century, itinerant charlatans could exploit hospitality networks, prompting Jude and John (3 John 1:9-10) to set tests for authentic teaching.

Related Biblical Illustrations

Matthew 13:25 – Weeds sown among wheat while men sleep.
Acts 20:29-30 – “Savage wolves will come in among you… men will arise from your own body.”
Galatians 2:4 – Spies of legalism.
2 Peter 2:1 – Secret introduction of heresies.

All echo the stealth captured by 3921.

Pastoral Significance

1. Discernment. Leaders must cultivate theological clarity so that undercover error cannot root.
2. Accountability Structures. Regular confession of the apostolic gospel and mutual oversight expose hidden deviation.
3. Church Discipline. When stealthy teachers surface, Jude models a response that is firm, biblical, and warns the flock.
4. Encouragement. Jude closes with assurance that God “is able to keep you from stumbling” (Jude 1:24). Vigilance does not rest on human alertness alone but on divine preservation.

Application for Contemporary Ministry

• Review teaching platforms—conferences, online content, small-group curricula—for unvetted voices.
• Train the congregation in core doctrines so that novel distortions are recognized quickly.
• Foster a culture where questions are welcomed; secrecy thrives when believers fear examination.
• Remember the pattern: infiltration, licentiousness, denial of Christ. Measure modern trends accordingly.

Summary

Strong’s 3921 encapsulates the covert arrival of influences that oppose the gospel. Jude’s lone use of the verb becomes a clarion call across the ages: guard the entrusted faith, for threats usually enter softly before they speak loudly.

Forms and Transliterations
παρεισεδυησαν παρεισεδύησαν παρεισέδυσαν pareisedusan pareisedysan pareisédysan
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jude 1:4 V-AIP-3P
GRK: παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες
NAS: persons have crept in unnoticed, those
KJV: men crept in unawares, who
INT: came in stealthily indeed certain

Strong's Greek 3921
1 Occurrence


παρεισέδυσαν — 1 Occ.

3920
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