Word Study for G3820 (παλαιός)

palaiós /pal-ah-yos'/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom πάλαι

Meaningantique, i.e. not recent, worn out

KJV usageold.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of palaiós — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word palaiós, represented by G3820, refers to that which is antique, not recent, or worn out. It appears 19 times across 15 unique verses in the Bible. The term is used to describe things that are old in a sense of being obsolete, corrupt, or belonging to a former, superseded state.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G3820 is frequently used metaphorically to contrast a former way of life with the new reality in Christ. It describes the "old man," representing the corrupt, sinful nature that believers are to put off (Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9). It is also used in parables to illustrate incompatibility, such as putting new wine into old bottles Mark 2:22 or a new patch on an old garment Matthew 9:16, which results in a worse tear. The term also refers to the old testament 2 Corinthians 3:14 and the old commandment which was the word heard from the beginning 1 John 2:7.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide contrast and context to the concept of being old or worn out:

G2537 kainós (new): This word denotes newness in freshness. It is often used in contrast to G3820, such as with the old commandment which is not a new commandment 1 John 2:7 or the incompatibility of new wine and old bottles Mark 2:22.
G3501 néos (new, young): Referring to newness in terms of age, this word stands in opposition to what is old, like the new wine that bursts old bottles Mark 2:22 or the new lump that replaces the old leaven 1 Corinthians 5:7.
G444 ánthrōpos (man): As a human being, this word is used with G3820 to form the theological concept of the "old man," representing the former sinful nature Romans 6:6.
G2219 zýmē (leaven): This word describes the "old leaven" of malice and wickedness that believers are instructed to purge out 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G3820 is significant, often representing that which has been superseded by Christ's work.

The Old Self: The concept of the "old man" refers to the unregenerate, sinful nature that is crucified with Christ Romans 6:6 and must be put off by believers as part of their former conversation (Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9).
Incompatibility of Systems: Parables of the old garment and old wineskins illustrate that the new life in Christ cannot be merely added to former ways; the old structures are unable to contain the new reality, leading to ruin (Matthew 9:16, Mark 2:22).
Spiritual Corruption: G3820 is linked to spiritual impurity, as seen in the command to purge out the "old leaven" of malice and wickedness 1 Corinthians 5:8, contrasting it with the unleavened sincerity and truth of the new life.

Summary

In summary, G3820 palaiós is a term rich with theological meaning, extending beyond simple age. It typically denotes what is worn out, obsolete, or belongs to a superseded spiritual state. Through its use in describing the "old man," "old leaven," and "old wineskins," the word serves as a powerful biblical illustration of the corrupt former life that is replaced by the newness found in Christ.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as an adjective across 19 occurrences, inflected in 11 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Accusative Plural Masculine 3×
Accusative Singular Masculine 3×
Accusative Singular Feminine 2×
Accusative Singular Neuter 2×
Dative Singular Neuter 2×
Nominative Singular Masculine 2×
Accusative Plural Neuter 1×
Dative Singular Feminine 1×
Genitive Singular Feminine 1×
Genitive Singular Neuter 1×
Nominative Singular Feminine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Dative: The indirect object — often "to" or "for".
Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
Neuter: Neuter grammatical gender.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 15 verses across 9 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew and Luke (3 verses each); never once in the other 18.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Ephesians

Colossians

1 John

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.