Word Study for G4823 (συμβουλεύω)

symbouleúō /soom-bool-yoo'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom σύν and βουλεύω

Meaningto give (or take) advice jointly, i.e. recommend, deliberate or determine

KJV usageconsult, (give, take) counsel (together).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of symbouleúō — 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 symbouleúō, represented by G4823, means to give or take advice jointly, to deliberate, or to determine a course of action. It appears 5 times across 5 unique verses in the Bible, highlighting its use in pivotal moments of recommendation and conspiracy.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The use of G4823 in scripture reveals a sharp contrast between human and divine counsel. On one hand, it describes malicious plotting. Leaders consulted together to capture Jesus by subtilty G1388 and kill him Matthew 26:4. This deliberation to kill Jesus is also seen in John 11:53. Later, the Jews took counsel with the same intent against Saul Acts 9:23. On the other hand, the word is used for divine guidance, as when Jesus gives life-giving advice to the church in Laodicea, saying "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire" Revelation 3:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the nature of the counsel being given:

G1388 dólos (craft, deceit, guile, subtilty): This term specifies the deceptive nature of the counsel taken against Jesus, as they consulted in order to take him by subtilty Matthew 26:4.
G4851 symphérō (be expedient (for)): This word reveals the rationale behind the destructive counsel of Caiaphas, who advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die for the people John 18:14.
G59 agorázō (to purchase; specially, to redeem): This action is the focus of Christ's counsel. He advises the church to buy spiritual treasures from him, contrasting the life-giving nature of his counsel with the deadly plots of men Revelation 3:18.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G4823 is found in its contrasting applications.

Malicious Conspiracy: A majority of the uses show how joint human deliberation can be directed toward evil ends. This is evident when leaders consulted to kill Jesus Matthew 26:4 and when the Jews took counsel to kill Saul Acts 9:23.
Perverted Justification: The counsel given by Caiaphas demonstrates how human logic can frame a wicked act as necessary. He argued that it was expedient G4851 that one G1520 man G444 should die G622 on behalf of the people G2992, twisting a divine principle for a murderous purpose John 18:14.
Divine Recommendation: In stark contrast, the one positive use is a direct counsel from Jesus to the church. His advice is not to destroy but to restore, urging believers to buy G59 from him true spiritual wealth in order to cover their shame G152 and nakedness G1132 Revelation 3:18.

Summary

In summary, G4823 is a powerful word that encapsulates the concept of joint deliberation. Its usage in scripture highlights a critical distinction between the counsel of men, which is often a conspiracy rooted in subtilty G1388 and leads to death, and the counsel of God, which is a gracious recommendation that leads to redemption and eternal life. The word serves as a reminder of the profound difference in outcome depending on the source of the counsel one follows.

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 5 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Middle Indicative 3rd Plural 2×
Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×
Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Active Indicative 1st Singular 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Middle: The subject acts on or for itself.
Middle Deponent: Middle in form but active in meaning.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
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 5 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in John (2 verses); never once in the other 23.

Matthew

John

Acts

Revelation

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.