Original Word: παρέρχομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: parerchomai
Pronunciation: pah-rehr'-khom-ahee
Phonetic Spelling: (par-er'-khom-ahee)
KJV: come (forth), go, pass (away, by, over), past, transgress
NASB: pass away, pass, come, passing, came along, disregard, late
Word Origin: [from G3844 (παρά - than) and G2064 (ἔρχομαι - came)]

1. to come near or aside
2. to approach (arrive)
3. to go by (or away)
4. (figuratively) perish or neglect
5. (causative) avert

to pass by, pass away; to arrive

From para and erchomai; to come near or aside, i.e. To approach (arrive), go by (or away), (figuratively) perish or neglect, (causative) avert -- come (forth), go, pass (away, by, over), past, transgress.

see GREEK para

see GREEK erchomai

Word Origin
from para and erchomai
Definition
to pass by, to come to
NASB Translation
came along (1), come (2), disregard (1), late (1), neglected (1), over (1), pass (5), pass away (14), passed away (1), passing (2), past (1).

STRONGS NT 3928: παρέρχομαι

παρέρχομαι; future παρελεύσομαι; perfect παρεληλυθα; 2 aorist παρῆλθον, 3 person imperative παρελθάτω (Matthew 26:39 L T Tr WH; see ἀπέρχομαι, at the beginning); from Homer down; the Sept. mostly for עָבַר;

1. (παρά past (cf. παρά, IV. 1)) to go past, pass by;

a. properly, α. of persons moving forward: to pass by, absolutely, Luke 18:37; τινα, to go past one, Mark 6:48; with an accusative of place, Acts 16:8 (Homer Iliad 8, 239; Xenophon, an. 4, 2, 12; Plato, Alc. 1, p. 123 b.); διά τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐκείνης, Matthew 8:28. β. of time: Matthew 14:15; ὁ παρεληλυθώς χρόνος (A. V. the time past), 1 Peter 4:3 (Sophocles, Isocrates, Xenophon, Plato, Demosthenes, others); of an act continuing for a time (viz. the Fast), Acts 27:9. (τά παρελθοντα and τά ἐπιόντα are distinguished in Aelian v. h. 14, 6.)

b. metaphorically, α. to pass away, perish: ὡς ἄνθος, James 1:10 ὁ οὐρανός, Matthew 5:18; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; Luke 21:33; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:1 Rec.; ἡ γενεά αὕτη, Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32; οἱ λόγοι μου, Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; τά ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Psalm 36:36 (); Daniel 7:14 Theod.; Wis. 2:4 Wis. 5:9; Demosthenes, p. 291, 12; Theocritus, 27, 8). Here belongs also Matthew 5:18 (`not even the smallest part shall pass away from the law,' i. e. so as no longer to belong to it). β. to pass by (pass over), i. e. to neglect, omit (transgress): with an accusative of the thing, Luke 11:42; Luke 15:29, (Deuteronomy 17:2; Jeremiah 41:18 (); Judith 11:10; 1 Macc. 2:22; Διός νῷν, Hesiod theog. 613; νόμον, Lysias, p. 107, 52; Demosthenes, p. 977, 14). γ. to be led by, to be carried past, be averted: ἀπό τίνος, from one i. e. so as not to hit, not to appear to (2 Chronicles 9:2); παρελθάτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τό ποτήριον, Matthew 26:39; παρελθεῖν, 42 (here G T Tr WH omit; L brackets ἀπ' ἐμοῦ); ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα, Mark 14:35.

2. (παρά to (cf. παρά, IV. 1)) to come near, come forward, arrive: Luke 12:37; Luke 17:7; Acts 24:7 Rec. (and in Greek authors from Aeschylus and Herodotus down). (Synonym: see παραβαίνω, at the end. Compare: ἀντιπαρέρχομαι.)

Scope and Significance

Strong’s Greek 3928 gathers two interconnected strands of meaning: (1) the literal motion of passing by, and (2) the temporal idea of passing away, lapse or expiration. Both strands serve the biblical writers as vivid theological tools—highlighting the transience of the present world, the permanence of God’s purposes, and the decisive movement of salvation history.

Temporal Transience versus Divine Permanence

• Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” By pairing cosmic dissolution with the unshakeable durability of Christ’s words, the Gospels set a fixed contrast: everything seen is provisional, but divine revelation is eternally reliable.
• James 1:10 presents human prosperity in the same light: “the rich man will pass away like a flower of the field.” Wealth, status and even life itself lie under the same impermanence that overtakes the heavens.
• 2 Peter 3:10 projects the idea onto the Day of the Lord: the visible universe “will pass away with a roar,” a cataclysm that clears the stage for “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13), underscoring not annihilation but purifying renewal.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 celebrates the same verb from the believer’s viewpoint: “The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” The decisive break caused by union with Christ illustrates that only what is founded in Him endures.

Spatial Passage and Narrative Movement

• Acts 16:8, Acts 24:7 and Acts 27:9 use the term for journeys or elapsed time, mapping the unstoppable forward motion of the missionary enterprise and God’s providential timetable.
• Mark 6:48: Jesus “intended to pass by them” on the sea, mirroring Old Testament theophanies where the LORD “passed by” Moses and Elijah. The verb thus helps portray Jesus as Yahweh in action.
• Luke 18:37 captures immediate eyewitness testimony: “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” The crowd’s remark highlights opportunity—salvation is near, but one must seize the moment before it moves on.
• Matthew 8:28 notes that no one could “pass that way” because of demonic violence until Jesus arrived, dramatizing His power to open blocked pathways.

Eschatological Fulfillment

Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32 apply the verb to a “generation” that will not pass away until prophetic signs are complete. The assured sequence affirms that redemptive history follows a set program: predicted events occur before epochs expire. Because the speaker is the incarnate Word, the promise carries the same solidity as His words in verse 35.

Prayer, Suffering and Divine Will

In Gethsemane, Jesus prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39; cf. 26:42; Mark 14:35). The plea ties the verb to substitutionary atonement. By surrendering His desire for the cup to pass, the Savior ensures that condemnation will indeed pass over all who trust Him, echoing Passover imagery of Exodus 12.

Ethics and Discipleship

Luke 11:42 puts the verb in the imperative: “you pass by justice and the love of God.” The contrast between religious punctiliousness and neglected essentials warns believers not to allow true righteousness to slip past. Likewise, Luke 15:29 (“all these years I have been serving you”) and Luke 17:7 (“when he has come in from the field”) use the term for routine movement, reminding servants of God that daily faithfulness underlies spectacular acts.

Missionary Momentum in Acts

Acts 27:9 records that “much time had passed,” and the voyage became hazardous; Paul’s counsel was ignored, yet the narrative shows God overruling human shortsightedness. Acts 16:8—Paul and companions “passed by Mysia” en route to Troas—precedes the Macedonian call. Apparent detours prove instrumental in spreading the gospel to Europe, demonstrating that divine strategy governs seemingly incidental passages.

Old Testament Resonance

The Septuagint often employs the same verb for swift divine judgment or merciful pass-over (e.g., Exodus 12:12-23; Psalm 78:19 LXX). New Testament writers tap this heritage to show continuity: just as judgment and deliverance “passed by” Israel, so final judgment will pass over all who shelter under Christ’s blood, whereas the present heavens will pass away in purifying fire.

Historical Theological Reflection

Early church fathers cited Matthew 24:35 to defend the inerrancy and perpetuity of Scripture. Medieval liturgy used the verse in Advent readings to turn hearts from temporal attachments toward eternal hope. Reformers found in the same text a bulwark against shifting ecclesiastical opinions. Contemporary preaching employs 2 Corinthians 5:17 to stress regeneration, while eschatological studies rely on 2 Peter 3:10 to balance cosmic dissolution with new-creation expectancy.

Pastoral and Devotional Implications

1. Encourage believers to evaluate priorities in light of what will “pass away.”
2. Offer comfort: trials are transient; God’s Word and promises remain.
3. Sustain evangelistic urgency: Christ “passes by” in the gospel today; the opportunity may not linger.
4. Fortify trust in Scripture: though heaven and earth depart, no syllable of the Lord’s utterance can fail.

Related Words and Ideas

• Diérchomai (1330) – to go through
• Parago (3855) – to lead or bring past
• Meno (3306) – to remain, abide

In sum, Strong’s 3928 weaves through salvation history as a twin reminder: God moves and history moves with Him; yet everything that truly matters—His character, His word, His kingdom—never passes away.

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