G3807 — παιδαγωγός (paidagōgos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3807
Original: παιδαγωγός
Transliteration: paidagōgos
Pronunciation: pahee-dag-o-gos
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Compound of παῖς (pais, G3816 — child/boy) + ἄγω (agō, G71 — to lead)
Occurrences: 3 in NT (3 unique verses across 2 books)
First Occurrence: 1Co 4:15 — "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From παῖς (G3816) and a reduplicated form of ἄγω (G71); a boy-leader, i.e. a servant whose office it was to take children to school and supervise their conduct — a child-conductor, a tutor or guardian.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 36 — Guide, Discipline, Follow
Subdomain: 36.001 — Guide, Lead
Other words in subdomain: ἄγω (agō G71), ἀρχηγός (archēgos G747), ἐπίτροπος (epitropos G2012), ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai G2233), κατευθύνω (kateuthynō G2720), ὁδηγός (hodēgos G3595), πατήρ (patēr G3962), ποιμαίνω (poimainō G4165), πρόδρομος (prodromos G4274), προΐστημι (proistēmi G4291)

Domain Neighbors (36.001 — Guide, Lead)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G71	ἄγω (agō)	17	brought
G747	ἀρχηγός (archēgos)	3	Prince
G2012	ἐπίτροπος (epitropos)	3	steward, tutors
G2233	ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai)	8	count, have the rule
G2720	κατευθύνω (kateuthynō)	3	direct, guide
G2941	κυβέρνησις (kybernēsis)	1	governments
G3595	ὁδηγός (hodēgos)	4	guides, a guide
G3962	πατήρ (patēr)	315	Father, father
G4165	ποιμαίνω (poimainō)	5	Feed, shall rule
G4274	πρόδρομος (prodromos)	1	the forerunner
G4291	προΐστημι (proistēmi)	4	to maintain, one that ruleth

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
schoolmaster	1	33.3%
a schoolmaster	1	33.3%
instructors	1	33.3%

All three occurrences use forms of "schoolmaster" (Galatians) or "instructors" (1 Corinthians).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Galatians	2	1.3
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Exclusively Pauline usage. The word appears nowhere else in the NT. Both contexts involve the relationship between authority figures and those under their care, with a temporal or developmental arc.

Grammatical Forms¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
1Co 4:15	παιδαγωγοὺς	Acc Pl M — direct object ("ten thousand instructors")
Gal 3:24	παιδαγωγὸς	Nom Sg M — predicate nominative ("the law was our schoolmaster")
Gal 3:25	παιδαγωγόν	Acc Sg M — complement of preposition ("under a schoolmaster")

Semantic Categories¶

1. Temporary Guardian Leading to Maturity (Galatians)¶

Gal 3:24 — "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Gal 3:25 — "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

The law functions as a paidagōgos: a supervisory guide whose authority terminates when the child reaches maturity (= the coming of faith in Christ). The role is protective and regulatory, not instructional in the modern sense.

2. Contrasted with Fatherhood (1 Corinthians)¶

1Co 4:15 — "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

The paidagōgos is explicitly set against the patēr. Many can function as supervisors; Paul claims the unique relational role of spiritual father through the gospel. The contrast highlights the paidagōgos as secondary and replaceable versus the singular bond of parentage.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	1x	"the law was our paidagōgos" — law-as-guardian metaphor
πατήρ (patēr)	G3962	1x	"ten thousand paidagōgoi... not many fathers" — guardian vs. father contrast
δικαιόω (dikaioō)	G1344	1x	"schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified" — guardian leads to justification
πίστις (pistis)	G4102	1x	"justified by faith... no longer under a schoolmaster" — faith supersedes guardian
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	1x	"in Christ Jesus I have begotten you" — paidagōgos contrasted with Christ relationship
εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion)	G2098	1x	"begotten you through the gospel" — gospel produces what the guardian cannot
μύριοι (myrioi)	G3463	1x	"ten thousand instructors" — numerousness emphasizes replaceability

With only 3 verses, collocations cannot demonstrate statistical significance but do reveal the two core semantic frames: law-as-guardian (Galatians) and supervisor-vs.-father (1 Corinthians).

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3816 παῖς (pais) — child, boy, servant (24 occ.) — root component
G71 ἄγω (agō) — to lead, bring (17 occ.) — root component
G3811 παιδεύω (paideuō) — to train, discipline, educate (13 occ.)
G3809 παιδεία (paideia) — training, discipline, instruction (6 occ.)
G3810 παιδευτής (paideutēs) — trainer, instructor, corrector (2 occ.)
G3808 παιδάριον (paidarion) — little boy (2 occ.)
G3813 παιδίον (paidion) — young child (51 occ.)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἐπίτροπος (epitropos)	G2012	"tutors" (Gal 4:2)	epitropos = legal guardian/steward with authority over estate; paidagōgos = household servant who escorts and supervises the child
διδάσκαλος (didaskalos)	G1320	"master/teacher"	didaskalos = academic instructor who imparts knowledge; paidagōgos = custodial guardian who leads and disciplines, not primarily a teacher
παιδευτής (paideutēs)	G3810	"instructor" (Rom 2:20)	paideutēs = one who disciplines or corrects; paidagōgos = one who leads and supervises daily conduct

Antonyms¶

G3962 πατήρ (patēr) — father; explicitly contrasted in 1Co 4:15 (temporary hired guardian vs. permanent parental bond)

Semantic Domain¶

[036] Guide, Discipline, Follow — groups paidagōgos with words for leading, guiding, and supervising; the word occupies the "custodial guide" role within this domain