παραῤῥυέω

ἐκπίπτω ekpíptō · G1601 · to fall, to fall from, to fall off

Both verbs describe losing one's position or commitment, but ἐκπίπτω emphasizes the fall/dropping out while παραῤῥυέω emphasizes the drift/slip past; both are used metaphorically for spiritual lapse

παραπίπτω parapíptō · G3895 · to fall away, to forsake, to turn away

Both describe falling away from faith or commitment, but παραπίπτω (used in Heb 6:6) suggests a more deliberate falling while παραῤῥυέω suggests an inadvertent drifting

ἀμελέω ameléō · G272 · to neglect, to disregard, to pay no attention to

Both convey careless inattention to something important; ἀμελέω emphasizes the neglect while παραῤῥυέω emphasizes the resultant drift, but both describe failure through inattention

κατέχω katéchō · G2722 · to prevent, to hinder, to restrain

κατέχω (to hold fast, retain firmly) is the opposite of παραῤῥυέω (to drift away, slip past); one describes firm retention while the other describes careless loss

προσέχω proséchō · G4337 · to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for

προσέχω (to pay careful attention) stands opposite to the careless drift implied in παραῤῥυέω; active attentiveness versus passive neglectful drift

נָשַׁל nâshal · H5394 · to fall off, to take off (sandals)

This Hebrew verb conveys the physical and metaphorical sense of slipping away or falling off, matching the drift-away/carelessly-pass imagery of παραῤῥυέω

To give up a belief, to drift away from a belief31.69

παραρρυέω names a gradual loss of grip on what one has been taught, as the writer of Hebrews urges careful attention to the gospel message: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1)

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.