English · KJV
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 one rendering for this word. It is counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the number is how many of them use it. Select it 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. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

  • ἐπισυναγαγεῖν
  • ἐπισυνάξαι
  • ἐπισυναχθεισῶν
  • ἐπισυνάξουσιν
  • ἐπισυνάξει
  • ἐπισυναχθήσονται
  • ἐπισυνηγμένη
  • ἐπισυνάγει

Related Words

Related

Words formed from this one

1 entry in Strong’s name this word as its origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

G1997 ἐπισυναγωγή a complete collection

Also mentioned in the study

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.

G3461 μυριάς a ten-thousand G5043 τέκνον a child (as produced) G2419 Ἱερουσαλήμ Hierusalem (i.e. Jerushalem), the capitol of Palestine G3733 ὄρνις a bird (as rising in the air), i.e. (specially), a hen (or female domestic fowl) G32 ἄγγελος a messenger G1588 ἐκλεκτός select

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.

2
Matthew
2
Mark
2
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, by grammatical form, 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.