What is Parakypsas?

But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:25

Parakypsas is the English transliteration of παρακύψας, the Greek word translated as "looks intently" in James 1:25. This is an interesting word. It comes from the root words "para" (meaning beside) and "kuptó" (meaning stoop down). It literally means "stoop down beside" but is sometimes used metaphorically as if to look carefully into or inspect curiously.

The word appears 5 times in the New Testament. It was used by John and Luke to describe when Peter (Luke 24:12), John (John 20:5), and Mary (John 20:11) peered into Jesus's tomb to find it empty. It was used by Peter to describe how angels longed to look at and study the Gospel message taught by those who preach it (1 Peter 1:12).

James used it to describe how we should read scripture:

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

The posts on this site are meant to serve as resources to stoop down beside scripture and look intently into that perfect law of freedom.

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