Word Study for G4873 (συνανάκειμαι)

synanákeimai /soon-an-ak'-i-mahee/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom σύν and ἀνακεῖμαι

Meaningto recline in company with (at a meal)

KJV usagesit (down, at the table, together) with (at meat).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of synanákeimai — 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 synanákeimai, represented by G4873, means to recline in company with at a meal. It is formed from the words σύν and ἀνακεῖμαι, explicitly denoting a shared or joint reclining. This term appears 10 times across 9 unique verses, consistently depicting the act of sharing a meal with others.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, G4873 highlights the social and relational significance of meals. Jesus is often shown sitting down with his disciples as well as with many publicans and sinners who came to join them (Matthew 9:10, Mark 2:15). This act of shared dining was a powerful statement of fellowship. The word is also used to describe the guests at Herod's feast, whose presence influenced his decision to grant Herodias's daughter's request, as he considered "them which sat with him at meat" (Matthew 14:9, Mark 6:26). At a supper made for Jesus, Lazarus was noted as "one of them that sat at the table with him" John 12:2.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the act of dining together:

G345 anakeîmai (to recline): This word signifies the basic act of reclining for a meal. G4873 adds the prefix "syn-" (with) to this action, emphasizing the "togetherness." Jesus is said to have sat at meat G345 in the house when the sinners came to sit down G4873 with him Matthew 9:10.
G1173 deîpnon (supper): This term defines the meal itself, often an evening feast. It provides the setting where people would sit at the table G4873 together, as when they made Jesus a supper and Martha served John 12:2.
G5057 telṓnēs (publican): This identifies a specific group with whom Jesus often shared meals. The Gospels record that publicans came and sat down G4873 with Jesus, demonstrating His willingness to associate with social outcasts Mark 2:15.

Theological Significance

The use of G4873 carries significant social and theological weight, often illustrating key aspects of Jesus's ministry.

Inclusive Fellowship: By sitting together with publicans and sinners, Jesus demonstrated a radical inclusivity that challenged the social norms of his day Matthew 9:10. The shared meal was a symbol of acceptance.
Social Obligation and Witness: The presence of fellow diners created a powerful social context. King Herod felt bound by his oath partly due to "them which sat with him at meat" Matthew 14:9, showing the public nature of such gatherings.
A Setting for Revelation: Important questions and statements arose from those sitting at meat with Jesus. They began to question among themselves who Jesus was when He forgave sins Luke 7:49, and it was a fellow diner who proclaimed, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God" Luke 14:15.

Summary

In summary, G4873 does more than describe a physical posture; it paints a picture of community, acceptance, and social interaction. Whether depicting the controversial company Jesus kept, the peer pressure felt by a king, or the intimate fellowship of friends like Lazarus, synanákeimai underscores that the act of eating together in the biblical narrative is a deeply meaningful event, rich with relational and theological importance.

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 and a preposition across 9 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Imperfect Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 3rd Plural 2×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Participle Accusative Plural Masculine 2×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Participle Genitive Plural Masculine 2×
Preposition 1×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Participle Dative Plural Masculine 1×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Dative: The indirect object — often "to" or "for".
Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Middle: The subject acts on or for itself.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Passive Deponent: Passive in form but active in meaning.
Middle Or Passive: Can be read as middle or passive; context decides.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

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 9 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Mark and Luke (3 verses each); never once in the other 23.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

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.