Lexical Summary Pharisaios: Pharisee Original Word: Φαρισαῖος
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Pharisaios
Pronunciation: far-is-ah'-yos
Phonetic Spelling: (far-is-ah'-yos)
KJV: Pharisee
NASB: Pharisees, Pharisee, Pharisee's, Pharisaic
Word Origin: [of Hebrew origin]
1. a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious
2. a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Pharisee. Of Hebrew origin (compare parash); a separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary -- Pharisee. see HEBREW parash HELPS Word-studies 5330 Pharisaíos – properly, "a separatist, a purist"; a Pharisee." ["Pharisee" is derived from the Aramaic term, peras ("to divide and separate"). This literally refers to a "separatist"; hence, a Pharisee was someone "separated from sin."] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof Hebrew origin, cf. parashDefinitiona Pharisee, member of a Jewish religious sect NASB TranslationPharisaic (1), Pharisee (10), Pharisee's (2), Pharisees (86).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5330: ΦαρισαῖοςΦαρισαῖος, Φαρισαίου, ὁ, a Pharisee, a member of the sect or party of the Pharisees (Syriac )SYrP [ ], rabbinic writings פְּרוּשִׁין, from פָּרַשׁ, 'to separate', because deviating in their life from the general usage; Suidas, under the word, quotes Cedrenus as follows, Φαρισαῖοι, οἱ ἐρμηνευόμενοι ἀφωρισμένοι. παρά τό μερίζειν καί ἀφορίζειν ἑαυτούς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εἰς τέ τό καθαρωτατον τοῦ βίου καί ἀκριβεστατον, καί εἰς τά τοῦ νόμου ἐντάλματα). The first and feeble beginnings of this sect seem to be traceable to the age immediately succeeding the return from exile. In addition to the books of the O. T. the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition (see παράδοσις, 2) a standard of belief and life (Josephus, Antiquities 13, 10, 6; Matthew 15:1; Mark 7:3). They sought for distinction and praise by the observance of external rites and by the outward forms of piety, such as ablutions, fastings, prayers, and alms-giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good and evil angels, and to the expectation of a Messiah; and they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him and be requited each according to his individual deeds. In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods and the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy and their country's cause, and possessed great influence with the common people. According to Josephus (Antiquities 17, 2, 4) they numbered more than 6,000. They were bitter enemies of Jesus and his cause; and were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, and affectation of piety in order to gain notoriety: Matthew 3:7; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 7:29 Lachmann; Lachmann omits; ; (); ; Mark 2:16, 18, 24; Mark 3:6; Mark 7:1, 3, 5; Mark 8:11, 15; ( L in brackets T); : Luke 5:17, 21, 30, 33; Luke 6:2, 7; Luke 7:30, 36f, 39; Luke 11:37-39, 42-44 (but in G T Tr WH omit; L brackets the clause),; 1; John 1:24; John 3:1; John 4:1; John 7:32, 45, 47; John 8:3, 13 (9:(),; ; Acts 5:34; Acts 15:5; Acts 23:6-9; Acts 26:5; Philippians 3:5. Cf. Winers RWB, under the word, Pharisäer; Reuss in Herzog xi., p. 496, and the works referred to above under the word Σαδδουκαῖος, at the end (especially Sieffert's dissertation in Herzog edition 2 (vol. xiii., p. 210ff) and the copious references at its close). An admirable idea of the opinions and practices of the Pharisees may be gathered also from Paret, Ueber d. Pharisäismus des Josephus, in the Theol. Studien und Kritiken for 1856, No. 4, p. 809ff.
Topical Lexicon Identity and Historical Background The Φαρισαῖος were a leading religious party in Second-Temple Judaism, emerging in the second century BC after the Maccabean revolt. They championed rigorous fidelity to the written Law of Moses while also embracing a developing corpus of oral tradition later codified in the Mishnah. Unlike the priestly Sadducees, they were lay-led, enjoyed popular support, believed in angels and the bodily resurrection (Acts 23:8), and anticipated the coming Messiah. Their influence reached beyond Jerusalem into every village and synagogue, making them the most visible molders of Jewish piety in the first century AD. Core Beliefs and Practices • Full canon: Law, Prophets, and Writings were all authoritative.
• Divine sovereignty and human responsibility were held in tension.
• Future resurrection, final judgment, and reward.
• Meticulous tithing and dietary scruples (Matthew 23:23; Mark 7:3-4).
• Elaborate purity codes extended priestly standards to daily life (Luke 11:38).
• Fast days beyond those prescribed in Torah (Luke 18:12).
• Zeal for proselytizing (Matthew 23:15). Distribution in the New Testament Ninety-nine occurrences span every Gospel and Acts, with a single retrospective reference in Philippians. Matthew emphasizes their hypocrisy (thirty mentions), Mark their hardened unbelief, Luke their social prominence, and John their role in escalating opposition to Jesus. Acts depicts both the salvation of individual Pharisees and their resistance to the gospel. Encounters with John the Baptist John denounced them as a “brood of vipers” and demanded “fruit worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). This opening clash foreshadows their later confrontations with Jesus. Encounters with Jesus 1. Questions of association: They balked when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11).
2. Sabbath controversies: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8) answered their charge of unlawful grain plucking.
3. Traditions of the elders: Jesus exposed their elevation of human tradition over God’s command (Mark 7:6-13).
4. Signs and leaven: He warned, “Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees” (Matthew 16:6).
5. Seven woes: Matthew 23 delivers the most severe public rebuke, climaxing with, “You are like whitewashed tombs” (verse 27).
6. Participation in plots: Together with the Herodians they schemed to destroy Him (Mark 3:6). Parables Featuring Pharisees • The Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14) illustrates self-righteousness versus justified humility.
• The great banquet (Luke 14:15-24) indicts their refusal to enter the kingdom while blocking others.
• The prodigal son’s elder brother (Luke 15) reflects their resentment at God’s grace to repentant sinners. Role in the Passion Narrative Though the chief priests take the lead, Pharisees provide counsel and delegations (John 11:47; 18:3), request the guard at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66), and mock the triumphal entry (Luke 19:39). Pharisees in Acts • Some believe: Nicodemus (John 3) and Joseph of Arimathea (inferred) prepare the way for later converts.
• Gamaliel’s moderating counsel spares the apostles (Acts 5:34-40).
• “Some believers from the party of the Pharisees” press circumcision at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:5), prompting clarification of salvation by grace.
• Paul leverages Pharisaic resurrection doctrine to divide the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:6-10). Paul’s Testimony “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries” (Galatians 1:14). Yet he counts that heritage “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:5-8). His account demonstrates that even the most ardent legalist may be transformed by grace. Key Theological Lessons 1. Outward religiosity without inward renewal breeds hypocrisy.
2. Tradition must remain servant, never master, of God’s written Word.
3. True righteousness is imputed through faith in Christ, not accrued by works of law.
4. Zeal for doctrinal precision must be matched by love of neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). Warning and Application for the Church The “leaven of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1) is hypocrisy: professing orthodoxy while cherishing sin. Churches must guard against adding human regulations to the gospel and against despising repentant sinners. At the same time, their positive commitments—defense of Scripture, belief in resurrection, missionary impulse—are worthy when purified by gospel humility. Representative Scriptures Matthew 23:27: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones.” Luke 18:11: “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men…’” John 9:40: “Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this and asked, ‘Are we blind too?’” Acts 23:8: “For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.” Philippians 3:5-6: “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel… as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.” Summary The Pharisees stand as a sobering mirror: zealous for Scripture yet often blind to its fulfillment in Christ. Their account urges continual heart examination, fidelity to divine revelation over human tradition, and humble receptivity to the Messiah who alone imparts true righteousness. Forms and Transliterations Φαρισαιε Φαρισαῖε Φαρισαιοι Φαρισαῖοι Φαρισαιοις Φαρισαίοις Φαρισαιος Φαρισαῖος Φαρισαῖός Φαρισαιου Φαρισαίου Φαρισαιους Φαρισαίους Φαρισαιων Φαρισαίων Pharisaie Pharisaîe Pharisaioi Pharisaîoi Pharisaiois Pharisaíois Pharisaion Pharisaiōn Pharisaíon Pharisaíōn Pharisaios Pharisaîos Pharisaîós Pharisaiou Pharisaíou Pharisaious PharisaíousLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 3:7 N-GMPGRK: πολλοὺς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ ΣαδδουκαίωνNAS: many of the Pharisees and Sadducees KJV: many of the Pharisees and INT: many of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 5:20 N-GMP
GRK: γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων οὐ μὴ
NAS: [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter
KJV: and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
INT: scribes and Pharisees no not Matthew 9:11 N-NMP
GRK: ἰδόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον τοῖς
NAS: When the Pharisees saw
KJV: And when the Pharisees saw
INT: having seen [it] the Pharisees said to Matthew 9:14 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι νηστεύομεν πολλά
NAS: Why do we and the Pharisees fast,
KJV: do we and the Pharisees fast oft,
INT: and the Pharisees do fast often Matthew 9:34 N-NMP
GRK: οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον Ἐν
NAS: But the Pharisees were saying,
KJV: But the Pharisees said, He casteth out
INT: moreover Pharisees said By Matthew 12:2 N-NMP
GRK: οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἰδόντες εἶπαν
NAS: But when the Pharisees saw
KJV: But when the Pharisees saw
INT: and [the] Pharisees having seen said Matthew 12:14 N-NMP
GRK: δὲ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι συμβούλιον ἔλαβον
NAS: But the Pharisees went
KJV: Then the Pharisees went out, and held
INT: moreover the Pharisees a counsel held Matthew 12:24 N-NMP
GRK: οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες εἶπον
NAS: But when the Pharisees heard
KJV: But when the Pharisees heard
INT: and [the] Pharisees having heard said Matthew 12:38 N-GMP
GRK: γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων λέγοντες Διδάσκαλε
NAS: of the scribes and Pharisees said
KJV: and of the Pharisees answered,
INT: scribes and Pharisees saying Teacher Matthew 15:1 N-NMP
GRK: ἀπὸ Ἰεροσολύμων Φαρισαῖοι καὶ γραμματεῖς
NAS: Then some Pharisees and scribes came
KJV: and Pharisees, which were of
INT: from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes Matthew 15:12 N-NMP
GRK: ὅτι οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες τὸν
NAS: to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended
KJV: that the Pharisees were offended,
INT: that the Pharisees having heard the Matthew 16:1 N-NMP
GRK: προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι
NAS: The Pharisees and Sadducees came
KJV: The Pharisees also with the Sadducees
INT: having come to [him] the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 16:6 N-GMP
GRK: ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων
NAS: of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
KJV: the leaven of the Pharisees and
INT: leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 16:11 N-GMP
GRK: ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων
NAS: of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
KJV: the leaven of the Pharisees and
INT: leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 16:12 N-GMP
GRK: διδαχῆς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων
NAS: but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
KJV: the doctrine of the Pharisees and
INT: teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 19:3 N-NMP
GRK: προσῆλθον αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι πειράζοντες αὐτὸν
NAS: [Some] Pharisees came
KJV: The Pharisees also came
INT: came to him Pharisees testing him Matthew 21:45 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὰς παραβολὰς
NAS: When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard
KJV: and Pharisees had heard
INT: and the Pharisees the parables Matthew 22:15 N-NMP
GRK: πορευθέντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι συμβούλιον ἔλαβον
NAS: Then the Pharisees went
KJV: went the Pharisees, and took
INT: having gone the Pharisees counsel took Matthew 22:34 N-NMP
GRK: Οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι
NAS: But when the Pharisees heard
KJV: But when the Pharisees had heard that
INT: moreover [the] Pharisees having heard that Matthew 22:41 N-GMP
GRK: δὲ τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς
NAS: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together,
KJV: While the Pharisees were gathered together,
INT: moreover the Pharisees questioned them Matthew 23:2 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι
NAS: The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves
KJV: The scribes and the Pharisees sit in
INT: and the Pharisees Matthew 23:13 N-VMP
GRK: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί ὅτι
NAS: to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
KJV: scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
INT: scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for Matthew 23:14 Noun-VMP
GRK: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί ὅτι
KJV: scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
INT: scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for Matthew 23:15 N-VMP
GRK: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί ὅτι
NAS: to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
KJV: scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
INT: scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for Matthew 23:23 N-VMP
GRK: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί ὅτι
NAS: to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
KJV: scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
INT: scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for Strong's Greek 5330
99 Occurrences
Φαρισαῖε — 1 Occ.
Φαρισαίων — 29 Occ.
Φαρισαῖοι — 51 Occ.
Φαρισαίοις — 2 Occ.
Φαρισαῖος — 9 Occ.
Φαρισαίου — 2 Occ.
Φαρισαίους — 5 Occ.
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