2452. Ioudaikós

Lexical Summary

Ioudaikós: Jewish, Judean

Original Word: Ἰουδαϊκός
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: Ioudaikós
Pronunciation: ee-oo-dah-ee-KOS
Phonetic Spelling: (ee-oo-dah-ee-koce')
KJV: as do the Jews
NASB: like the Jews
Word Origin: [adverb from G2451 (Ἰουδαϊκός - Jewish)]

1. Judaically or in a manner resembling a Judaean

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

as do the Jews.

Adverb from Ioudaikos; Judaically or in a manner resembling a Judaean -- as do the Jews.

see GREEK Ioudaikos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
adverb from Ioudaikos
Definition
in Jewish fashion
NASB Translation
like the Jews (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2452: Ἰουδαϊκῶς

Ἰουδαϊκῶς, adverb, Jewishly, after the manner of the Jews: Galatians 2:14. ((Josephus, b. j. 6, 1, 3.))

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

Galatians 2:14 records the single New Testament appearance of the adverb Ἰουδαϊκῶς: “When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”

Historical Setting

• Location: Syrian Antioch, a mixed congregation where Jewish and Gentile believers regularly shared table fellowship (Acts 11:19–26).
• Occasion: Certain men “from James” arrived, and Peter withdrew from eating with Gentiles, fearing criticism from the circumcision party (Galatians 2:12).
• Conflict: Paul perceived that Peter’s withdrawal suggested Gentiles needed to adopt Jewish customs to gain full standing, undermining the gospel.

Paul’s Use of the Term

• Contrast of Lifestyles: Paul juxtaposes Peter’s earlier freedom (“live like a Gentile”) with his present retreat to a distinctly Jewish mode of life (“live like a Jew”).
• Public Rebuke: The adverb sharpens Paul’s charge of hypocrisy; Peter’s behavior contradicted the truth he preached (Galatians 2:15–16).
• Defense of Gospel Unity: By challenging the idea of “living Jewishly” as a requirement for Gentiles, Paul upholds justification by faith apart from works of the Law.

Jew–Gentile Relations in the Early Church

• Table Fellowship: Shared meals symbolized spiritual equality (Acts 10:28; 11:3). Reintroducing ritual separation threatened gospel-centered unity.
• Circumcision Controversy: Galatians 2 anticipates the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), where the apostles concluded that Gentiles were not obligated to become Jews to be saved.
• Apostolic Agreement: Though Paul rebuked Peter’s conduct, both apostles later affirmed the same gospel (Galatians 2:7–9; 2 Peter 3:15–16).

Theological Significance

• Justification: Galatians 2:16 insists, “A man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” The adverb marks the law-keeping lifestyle that cannot justify.
• Freedom in Christ: Believers are free from ceremonial obligations that once distinguished Israel (Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 2:14–16).
• Ethnic Equality: In Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28). The gospel creates one new people without erasing cultural identity but without elevating one above another.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Consistency with the Gospel: Leaders must ensure that personal choices—dietary, cultural, or otherwise—do not imply a two-tiered church.
• Guarding Fellowship: Congregations should resist pressures that fracture unity along ethnic, cultural, or traditional lines (Romans 14:1–4).
• Public Correction: Paul’s example shows that open divergence from gospel truth warrants direct, yet loving, confrontation for the health of the body.

Related Biblical Themes

• “Living under the Law” versus “walking by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16–18).
• Paul’s missionary flexibility without compromise (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).
• The abolition of the dividing wall (Ephesians 2:11–22).

Strong’s Greek 2452 therefore serves as a linguistic pivot in Galatians, spotlighting the early church’s defining struggle over the place of Jewish customs in the multi-ethnic body of Christ and affirming the unchanging gospel of grace for every believer.

Forms and Transliterations

Ιουδαικως Ἰουδαϊκῶς Ioudaikos Ioudaikōs Ioudaïkôs Ioudaïkō̂s

Englishman's Concordance

Galatians 2:14 Adv
GRK: καὶ οὐχὶ Ἰουδαϊκῶς ζῇς πῶς
NAS: like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how
KJV: not as do the Jews, why
INT: and not like a Jew live why

Strong's Greek 2452
1 Occurrence

Ἰουδαϊκῶς — 1 Occ.