verb
suniēkamō
Strong’sG4920
I consider, understand
stem suniēk-25 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books13 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Understand, in the sense of mentally grasping or perceiving the meaning of something — whether spoken words, a teaching, a parable, or a situation 1234. It is used of understanding language, of "getting" what has been said or written, and of general mental perception or comprehension 13. Strong's adds that this understanding can carry the further, implied sense of thereby acting piously — that is, living rightly as a result of what one has grasped 2. Abbott-Smith notes that the word is also used as a substantive for "one who understands," meaning a person of understanding in a moral and religious sense 1.
In classical Greek usage not found in the Bible, the word also has a more literal, physical sense: to bring or set together — for instance setting two parties against each other in hostile conflict, or, in the middle voice, coming together with someone to reach an agreement 3.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
συν-ίημι and συνίω (v. Bl., § 23, 7),
[in LXX chiefly for בּין hi., שׂכל hi.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4920 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidsoon-ee'-ay-mee
to put together, i.e. (mentally) to comprehend; by implication, to act piously
Fromfrom G4862 and ἵημι (to send);
King Jamesconsider, understand, be wise.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
also ξυν-, 2nd pers. singular ξυνίης [ῑ] Refs 5th c.BC+; 3rd.pers. singular and plural συνίει, συνίουσι, LXX; imperative ξυνίει Refs 8th c.BC+; 3rd.pers. singular subjunctive συνιῇ Refs 5th c.BC+; infinitive συνιέναι, Epic dialect -ῑέμενLXX+8th c.BC+; participle ξυνῑείς LXX+5th c.BC+: imperfect συνίην Refs 3rd c.AD+; συνίειν (assuming variant) Refs 2nd c.AD+; 3rd.pers. singular ξυνίει Refs 5th c.BC+; 3rd.pers. plural ξυνίεσαν Refs 5th c.BC+, Epic dialect ξύνιεν Refs 8th c.BC+: future συνήσω Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist 1 συνῆκα Refs 5th c.BC+; Epic dialect ξυνέηκα Refs 8th c.BC+; but aorist 2 imperative ξύνες, Refs 5th c.BC+; plural σύνετε variant in NT; participle συνείς Refs 5th c.BC+ and ; Aeolic dialect σύνεις Refs 7th c.BC+; Doric dialect infinitive συνέμεν Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect συνεῖκα Refs 2nd c.BC+; Doric dialectRefs 1st c.AD+; perfect participle συνεικώς probable reading in Refs 8th c.BC+ we find of present, only imperative ξυνίει Refs 8th c.BC+; ofimperfect, 3rd.pers. plural ξύνιεν for ξυνίεσαν, Refs 8th c.BC+; of aorist 1, Epic dialect 3rd.pers. singular ξυνέηκ; of aorist 2, imperative ξύνες Refs; of aorist 2 middle, 3rd.pers. singular ξύνετο Refs 8th c.BC+; subjunctive 1st pers. plural συνώμεθα Refs 8th c.BC+; all except the last form with ξυν-, though seldom required by the verse. [As in ἵημι, the 1st pers. syllable is short in Epic dialect, long in Trag. and Comedy texts: Refs 8th c.BC+ ξυνιημι in a dactylic verse, Refs 5th c.BC+ ξυνιημι in an iambic trimeter, Refs 4th c.BC+
I bring or set together, in hostile sense, τίς τ᾽ ἄρ σφωε.. ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθα; Refs 8th c.BC+; but ἀμφοτέρῃς.. ἕνα ξυνέηκεν ὀϊστόν shot one arrow at both together, Refs 5th c.AD+
I.2 middle, come together, come to an agreement, ὄφρα.. συνώμεθα.. ἀμφὶ γάμῳ Refs 8th c.BC+
I.3 send herewith, Refs 3rd c.BC+
II metaphorically, perceive, hear, frequently in Refs 8th c.BC+ (who also has middle in this sense, ἀγορεύοντος ξύνετο Refs 8th c.BC+; καὶ κωφοῦ συνίημι Orac cited in Refs 8th c.BC+
II.2 to be aware of, take notice of, observe, τοῖιν Refs 8th c.BC+: with accusative, Refs 5th c.BC+: followed by a relative, ξύνες δὲ τήνδ᾽, ὡς.. χωρεῖ Refs 6th c.BC+
II.3 understand, ξ. ἀλλήλων understand one another's language, Refs 5th c.BC+; εὖ λέγοντος.. τοῦ Δελφικοῦ γράμματος οὐ σ. Refs 5th c.BC+ to the intelligent, Refs 6th c.BC+; in Comedy texts dialogue, parenthetically, συνίη; like{μανθάνεις}; Latin tenes? Refs 4th c.BC+; οὐχὶ ξυνίη; Refs 5th c.BC+: also followed by a clause, οὐ ξυνιᾶσιν ὅκως.. Refs 5th c.BC+; σ. τὸ γράμμα ὃ βούλεται Refs 5th c.BC+: also, like other Verbs of perception, with participle, ξυνιᾶσι τιμώμενοι Refs 3rd c.AD+; οὐ συνίης καταναλίσκω; Refs 1st c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| suniēkavōσυνίετε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | understand | 2× |
| suniēkalōσυνίουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | wise | 2× |
| suniēkaliσυνήσουσιν | will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural | understand | 1× |
| suniēkavaΣυνήκατε | happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural | understood | 1× |
| suniēkalaσυνῆκαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | understood | 6× |
| suniēkaleiōσυνιῶσιν | happening now · theypresent active subjunctive 3rd person plural | understand | 2× |
| suniēkaveiaσυνῆτε | happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural | understand | 1× |
| suniēkaleiaσυνῶσιν | happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural | understand | 2× |
| suniēkavōrσυνίετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | understand | 2× |
| suniēkavarσύνετε | happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural | understand | 1× |
| suniēkarōσυνιέναι | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | understand | 2× |
| suniēkarōntosσυνιείς | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | understands | 2× |
| suniēkarōntouσυνιέντος | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine | understand | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 12 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | suniēkamō | suniēkame | suniēkami | suniēkama | suniēkamē | suniēkamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | suniēkasō | suniēkase | suniēkasi | suniēkasa | suniēkasē | suniēkaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | suniēkatō | suniēkate | suniēkati | suniēkata | suniēkatē | suniēkatelē |
| we 1st person plural | suniēkanō | suniēkane | suniēkani | suniēkana | suniēkanē | suniēkanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | suniēkavō2×συνίετε | suniēkave | suniēkavi | suniēkava1×Συνήκατε | suniēkavē | suniēkavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | suniēkalō2×συνίουσιν | suniēkale | suniēkali1×συνήσουσιν | suniēkala6×συνῆκαν | suniēkalē | suniēkalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 5 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | suniēkameiō | suniēkameia | suniēkameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | suniēkaseiō | suniēkaseia | suniēkaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | suniēkateiō | suniēkateia | suniēkateiē |
| we 1st person plural | suniēkaneiō | suniēkaneia | suniēkaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | suniēkaveiō | suniēkaveia1×συνῆτε | suniēkaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | suniēkaleiō2×συνιῶσιν | suniēkaleia2×συνῶσιν | suniēkaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 3 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | suniēkasōr | suniēkasar | suniēkasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | suniēkatōr | suniēkatar | suniēkatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | suniēkavōr2×συνίετε | suniēkavar1×σύνετε | suniēkavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | suniēkalōr | suniēkalar | suniēkalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | suniēkamoiō | suniēkamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | suniēkasoiō | suniēkasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | suniēkatoiō | suniēkatoia |
| we 1st person plural | suniēkanoiō | suniēkanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | suniēkavoiō | suniēkavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | suniēkaloiō | suniēkaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | suniēkarō2×συνιέναι | suniēkari | suniēkara | suniēkarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 3 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | suniēkarōntos3×συνιείς | suniēkarintos | suniēkarantos | suniēkarēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
suniēk is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
25 occurrences, every one of them listed
suniēkavō“understand”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural2×
Mark 8:17… artoin ouk echavō? oupō noavō oude suniēkavō? pōrorēntan echavō tan kardian vu?… Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts?
Mark 8:21kai legate autoi; Oupō suniēkavō?… asked them, “Do you still not understand?”
suniēkalō“wise”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural2×
Matthew 13:13… blepalō kai akouarōntois ouk akoualō oude suniēkalō;… hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
2 Corinthians 10:12“wise”… metrarōntois kai sunkrinarōntois heautoin heautoi ouk suniēkalō.… When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show …
suniēkali“understand”will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Romans 15:21… autou horeli, kai hois ouk akoualē suniēkali.… those who have not heard will understand.”
suniēkava“understood”happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural1×
Matthew 13:51Suniēkava houteim panteim? legalō auto; Nai.Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.
suniēkala“understood”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural6×
Matthew 16:12tote suniēkala hoti ouk legata prosecharō apo tau …Then they understood that He was not telling them …
Matthew 17:13tote suniēkala tois mathētois hoti peri Iōannou tou …Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them …
Mark 6:52ouk gar suniēkala epi toi artoi, alla ate autoiu …for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts …
Luke 2:50kai autois ouk suniēkala tem rēmem hem lalata autoi.But they did not understand the statement He was making to …
Luke 18:34“understood”kai autois oudenem houteiu suniēkala, kai ate tem rēmem houtem kruptorēntem …But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.
Acts 7:25“understand”… dōatō sōtērēan autoi, tois de ouk suniēkala.… to deliver them, but they did not.
suniēkaleiō“understand”happening now · theypresent active subjunctive 3rd person plural2×
Mark 4:12“understand”… horaleia, kai akouarōntois akoualeiō kai mē suniēkaleiō, mēpote epistrefaleia kai afiēkiteia autoi.… never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
Luke 8:10… bleparōntois mē blepaleiō kai akouarōntois mē suniēkaleiō.… see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
suniēkaveia“understand”happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural1×
Matthew 13:14“understand”… legarōntas; Akoa akouavi kai ouk mē suniēkaveia, kai bleparōntois blepavi kai ouk mē …… be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
suniēkaleia“understand”happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural2×
Matthew 13:15… tei ouei akoualeia kai ta kardia suniēkaleia kai epistrefaleia, kai iemi autoin.… their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and …
Acts 28:27… tei ouei akoualeia kai ta kardia suniēkaleia kai epistrefaleia, kai iemi autoin.… their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and …
suniēkavōr“understand”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural2×
Matthew 15:10… ton ochlon legata autoi; Akouavōr kai suniēkavōr;… to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
Ephesians 5:17dia houtem mē genovōr afronois, alla suniēkavōr tinem tem thelēmem tou kuriou;Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
suniēkavar“understand”happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural1×
Mark 7:14… legate autoi; Akouavar mu pantois kai suniēkavar.… of you, listen to Me and understand:
suniēkarō“understand”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive2×
Luke 24:45tote dianoigata autoiu ton nouon teu suniēkarō tain grafain,Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
Acts 7:25nomizate de suniēkarō toin adelfoin hoti tos theos dia …He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to …
suniēkarōntos“understands”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Matthew 13:23… atō tos ton logon akouarōntos kai suniēkarōntos, hos dē karpoforatō kai poiatō hem …… one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and …
Romans 3:11ouk atō tos suniēkarōntos, ouk atō tos ekzētarōntos ton theon;There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
suniēkarōntou“understand”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine1×
Matthew 13:19… ton logon tau basileiau kai mē suniēkarōntou, erchotō tos ponēros kai harpazatō tem …… of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and …