Study
Word study

Word study

Greek

Of old

πάλαιStrong’s G3819

palai

Appears in 7 verses of the New Testament

In short

Palai is the Greek word usually translated “long ago”, “old” and “previously”. It appears in 7 verses of the New Testament.

“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
2 Peter 1:9 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “long ago”, “old” and “previously”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • long ago 4
  • of old 1
  • previously 1
  • former 1

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Matthew 1
  • Mark 1
  • Luke 1
  • 2 Corinthians 1
  • Hebrews 1
  • 2 Peter 1

7 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
Greek dictionary

πάλαι palai · of old

πάλαι adv. of time, [in LXX: Isa.48:5, 7 (אָז), etc. ;] long ago, of old, in time past (denoting past time absolutely, as πρότερον relatively) : Mat.11:21, Luk.10:13, Heb.1:1, Ju 4; as adj., with art., 2Pe.1:9; of time just past, Mrk.6:47 (WH, mg.), Mrk.15:44 (WH, mg., R, txt.); with durst. praes. (RV, all this time), 2Co.12:19.† (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “old” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

OLD, adjective

  1. Advanced far in years or life; having lived beyond the middle period, or rather towards the end of life, or towards the end of the ordinary term of living; applied to animals or plants; as an old man; an old age; an old camel or horse; an old tree.“Abraham was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran” Genesis 12:4
  2. Having been long made or used; decayed by time; as an old garment; an old house.
  3. Being of long continuance; begun long ago; as an old acquaintance.
  4. Having been long made; not new or fresh; as old wine.
All definitions
  1. Being of a former year's growth; not of the last crop; as old wheat; old hay.
  2. Ancient; that existed in former ages; as the old inhabitants of Britain; the old Romans.
  3. Of any duration whatever; as a year old; seven years old How old art thou?
  4. subsisting before something else.
  5. Long practiced. he is grown old in vice.
  6. That has been long cultivated; as old land; an old farm; opposed to new land, land lately cleared and cultivated.
  7. More than enough; great.
  8. In vulgar language, crafty; cunning.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.