Word Study for G1996 (ἐπισυνάγω)

episynágō /ep-ee-soon-ag'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom ἐπί and συνάγω

Meaningto collect upon the same place

KJV usagegather (together).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of episynágō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word episynágō, represented by G1996, means to collect upon the same place or to gather together. Derived from ἐπί and συνάγω, this term appears 9 times across 6 unique verses in the Bible, describing the act of bringing entities into a single location.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G1996 is used to describe several types of gatherings. It can refer to a physical assembly, such as when an entire city was gathered together at a door Mark 1:33 or when an innumerable multitude G3461 of people gathered together Luke 12:1. More poignantly, Jesus uses the word to express his longing to have gathered the children G5043 of Jerusalem G2419 together as a hen G3733 gathers her young (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34). It is also used in an eschatological sense, describing the future event when angels G32 will gather together His elect G1588 from the four winds (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context in which G1996 is used:

G1588 eklektós (select; by implication, favorite:--chosen, elect): This describes the specific group of people who are the object of the divine gathering at the end of the age Mark 13:27.
G32 ángelos (a messenger; especially an "angel"): These are the agents sent by God to perform the act of gathering His chosen people from across the earth and heaven Matthew 24:31.
G3733 órnis (a hen): This word is central to the metaphor of Christ's protective desire to gather the people of Jerusalem, illustrating a tender and sheltering care Matthew 23:37.
G2419 Hierousalḗm (Jerusalem): The city is personified as the recipient of Christ's desire to gather its children, but its people were unwilling Luke 13:34.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G1996 is significant, highlighting key divine actions and intentions.

Protective Longing: The image of a hen gathering her brood G3555 or chickens G3556 reveals God's deep, protective desire to bring His people into a place of safety and fellowship Matthew 23:37.
Eschatological Fulfillment: The term is crucial to understanding the end times, where it signifies the final, climactic event of God assembling His elect from all creation into His kingdom Mark 13:27.
Divine Initiative: In all its uses, the word implies an active agent performing the gathering, whether it is Jesus, a hen, or the angels, emphasizing that the gathering is an intentional act initiated by a higher power.

Summary

In summary, G1996 conveys more than a simple assembly. It encapsulates a spectrum of meaning, from the physical gathering of a crowd to the tender, protective longing of Christ for His people. Ultimately, it points to the sovereign and final act of God, who will one day gather together His elect from every part of heaven and earth.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 8 occurrences, inflected in 8 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

2nd Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
Aorist Passive Participle Genitive Plural Feminine 1×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Future Passive Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Singular Feminine 1×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 3 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (2 verses each); never once in the other 24.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.