To look (3879) (parakupto from pará = beside, aside + kúpto = bend forward, stoop) means to stoop or bend beside or sideways in order to look into. It means to look at with head bent forward, to look into with the body bent, to stoop and look into and figuratively to look carefully into, to inspect curiously or with a focus on satisfying one's curiosity. The idea was to down and look into in order to see something exactly. Parakupto is used 5 times in the NT: (Luke 24:12; John 20:5, 11; Jas 1:25; 1 Pet 1:12) and is translated in the NAS as: look, 1; looks intently, 1; stooped and looked, 1; stooping and looking, 2. Parakupto - 6x in the Septuagint - Gen 26:8; Judg 5:28; 1 Kgs 6:4; 1 Chr 15:29; Prov 7:6; Song 2:9 Parakupto in some uses meant "to lean over the railing". For example it n the Septuagint in the context of the return of "the ark of the covenant of the Lord...to the city of David" Scripture records that "Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of (parakupto) the window, and saw King David leaping and making merry; and she despised him in her heart." (1Chr 15:29). Parakupto pictures the angels gazing carefully by the side of these great truths of salvation, "stooping" over in order to look, looking even with their heads bowed forward. Wuest adds that "the angels peer into the mysteries of Church truth from beside it, like the cherubim bending over the Mercy Seat where man has access to God through a substitutionary sacrifice that cleanses him from sin. They are not participants in the salvation but spectators of it." (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos) Parakupto describes John when he came to the empty tomb of His Lord, "stooping" in order to get a better view (Jn 20:5) and Mary who "stooped and looked into the tomb" (Jn 20:11 ). These uses of parakupto imply a willingness to exert or inconvenience oneself to obtain a better perspective. James used parakupto to describe the "one who looks intently (contemplative, meditative gazing) at the perfect law, the law of liberty..." (Jas 1:25-note) So on one hand, the verb literally describes the bodily posture (at the empty tomb) and on the other, is used figuratively of a man "stooping over" the Word of God. Vincent says that parakupto "Used by Aristophanes to picture the attitude of a bad harp-player. Here it portrays one stooping and stretching the neck to gaze on some wonderful sight." It is amazing to realize that even God's holy angels are (present tense) continually observing with great interest, the unfolding of the drama of human redemption. Perhaps this picture helps one understand Jesus' teaching that "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Lk 15:10) Stop and think for a moment that here we find the angels with all their associated glory and yet Peter says that their eyes are continually fixed on the earth. There is a greater glory yet to be fulfilled, and the angels cannot wait to witness it. They, like the prophets of old, do not seem to understand in advance just how these things will come to pass. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/1_peter_110-121.htm#To%20look%20(3879)%20parakupto