Bible Dictionaries
Privily

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

"secretly, covertly" (from a root lath---, indicating "unnoticed, unknown," seen in lanthano, "to escape notice," lethe, "forgetfulness"), is translated "privily" in Matthew 1:19; 2:7; Acts 16:37; "secretly" in John 11:28 (in some mss., Mark 5:33 ). See SECRETLY.

Note: In Galatians 2:4 , pareisaktos, an adjective (akin to pareisago, lit., "to bring in beside," i.e., "secretly," from para, "by the side," eis, "into," ago, "to bring"), is used, "privily brought in," RV (AV, "unawares, etc."), i.e., as spies or traitors. Strabo, a Greek historian contemporary with Paul, uses the word of enemies introduced secretly into a city by traitors within. In the same verse the verb pareiserchomai (see COME , No. 8) is translated "came in privily," of the same Judaizers, brought in by the circumcision party to fulfill the design of establishing the ceremonial law, and thus to accomplish the overthrow of the faith; cp. in Jude 1:4 the verb pareisduo (or, duno), "to slip in secretly, steal in," RV, "crept in privily" (AV, "... unawares"). See CREEP , No. 2.