What does συμβάλλω (symbállō) mean in the Bible?
This verb describes different actions according to its setting, including pondering, conferring, meeting and helping. Luke says Mary treasures and ponders what she has heard about the child's birth.
Greek · G4820
συμβάλλω
This verb describes different actions according to its setting, including pondering, conferring, meeting and helping. Luke says Mary treasures and ponders what she has heard about the child's birth.
Reading a lexicon entry
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συμβάλλωG4820
Pronunciationsymbállō
What does συμβάλλω (symbállō) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for συμβάλλω (G4820) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4820?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] pondered [them] (1), [and] then conferred (1), began to debate (1), he met (1), help (1).
Where does συμβάλλω (symbállō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (4), Luke (2).
What This Word Actually Means
This verb describes different actions according to its setting, including pondering, conferring, meeting and helping. Luke says Mary treasures and ponders what she has heard about the child's birth. Acts describes the council conferring after Peter and John are sent outside, with the following discussion seeking to stop their message. Another Acts passage says Apollos greatly helps those who have believed by grace.
Thoughtful attention, a group's discussion and helpful contribution therefore need different explanations. The word does not make every discussion wise or every inward thought a divine message. Readers should identify the person, the action and its purpose before evaluating it. The surrounding account can honor Mary's reflection and Apollos' help while exposing the council's restrictive intention.
How the Bible Uses It
Mary's pondering, the council's conference and Apollos' help display distinct uses. Their purposes and outcomes supply the evaluation rather than a single spiritual meaning attached to the verb.
- Luke.2.19
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Mary treasures and ponders the reported things in her heart while the surrounding account records the shepherds' testimony and praise.
- Acts.4.15
So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
The council confers after dismissing the apostles, and its next statements acknowledge the miracle while seeking to stop the message spreading.
- Acts.18.27
When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
Apollos' arrival brings great help to those who have believed by grace, following encouragement, welcome letters and further explanation from Priscilla and Aquila.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It[and] pondered [them]1×Luke 2:19
[and] then conferred1×Acts 4:15
began to debate1×Acts 17:18
he met1×Acts 20:14
help1×Acts 18:27
vvv1×Luke 14:31
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:19συμβάλλουσα*to[and] pondered [them]Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine SingularLuke 14:31συμβαλεῖνtovvvVerb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveActs 4:15συνέβαλλονto[and] then conferredVerb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralActs 17:18συνέβαλλονtobegan to debateVerb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralActs 18:27συνεβάλετοtohelpVerb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person SingularActs 20:14συνέβαλλενtohe metVerb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 2:19
Aligned rows6
Books represented2
Luke2Acts4
Source forms
συνέβαλλον2xsyneballonActs 4:15, Acts 17:18
συμβαλεῖν1xsymbaleinLuke 14:31
συμβάλλουσα*1xsymballousaLuke 2:19
συνεβάλετο1xsynebaletoActs 18:27
συνέβαλλεν1xsyneballenActs 20:14
Parsing patterns
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural2xActs 4:15, Acts 17:18
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular1xActs 18:27
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active1xLuke 14:31
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xActs 20:14
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular1xLuke 2:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Encourage careful consideration while testing purposes, evidence and effects on other people.
- Value helpful contribution without replacing the grace explicitly named in the account.
Avoid claiming...
- The verb does not declare every inward thought or group decision to be divine guidance.
- Apollos' help does not make human assistance the stated source of saving grace.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Literally "throw together": either words (discuss/debate) or thoughts (ponder), or hostile forces (encounter in battle).
Strong'sG4820
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms3 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 14:31Source Gloss
to ponder/confer
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:19Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
συμβάλλουσαsumballousa
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseLuke 14:31Verb Second Aorist Active Infinitive
συμβαλεῖνsumbalein
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseActs 4:15Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
συνέβαλονsunebalon
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseActs 17:18Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
συνέβαλλονsuneballon
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseActs 18:27Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Indicative
συνεβάλετοsunebaleto
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseActs 20:14Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
συνέβαλενsunebalen
I ponder, encounter, confer or dispute with
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups3Aligned forms6TensesImperfect, Present, AoristVoicesActive, Middle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality4×
Imperfect ActiveActs 4:15 · Acts 17:18 · Acts 20:143×
Aorist MiddleActs 18:271×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Present ActiveLuke 2:191×
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract1×
Aorist ActiveLuke 14:311×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect3aorist2present1
Voice
active5middle1
Mood
indicative4participle1infinitive1
NT Occurrences
Luke 2:19συμβάλλουσαpresent active participleparticipleLuke 14:31συμβαλεῖνaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveActs 4:15συνέβαλλονimperfect active indicativebackgroundActs 17:18συνέβαλλονimperfect active indicativebackgroundActs 18:27συνεβάλετοaorist middle indicativecompletedActs 20:14συνέβαλλενimperfect active indicativebackground
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
to meet in hostile confrontation, to engage in battle or war
Showing 1 selected witness from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
συμβάλλω is built from these roots:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Acts places two very different group actions beside this verb's range. The council confers after an undeniable healing, yet discusses preventing the message from spreading. The brothers encourage Apollos and write to welcome him, and he then helps people who have already believed by grace. The first discussion is not made faithful by agreement, and the second assistance does not replace grace as the stated basis of belief.
Mary's pondering adds inward attention to received testimony, without making inwardness alone a source of revelation. Teaching can therefore distinguish thoughtful reception, hostile planning and helpful contribution. A broad contextual range becomes useful when it directs readers to the action and purpose, rather than when it is flattened into a slogan about everything being brought together.
Anchor passage
Acts.18.27
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 2:17-20 connects Mary's pondering with received testimony and the shepherds' praise.
- Acts 4:15-17 contrasts acknowledged evidence with the council's plan to suppress the message.
- Acts 18:26-28 connects fuller explanation, welcome and help to believers already described by grace.
- Acts 17:18 describes philosophical debate in response to Paul's message about Jesus and resurrection.
- Acts 20:14 describes Paul's meeting with the traveling party and being taken aboard.
- Luke 14:31-33 uses a king's consideration within Jesus' teaching about discipleship's cost.
The licensed Greek comparator records contextual pondering, discussion, meeting and contribution. The surrounding clause identifies each action; a literal reconstruction from word parts should not be imposed as one hidden meaning across all occurrences.
From Old to New Testament
Proverbs 15:22 commends counsel in planning, which can be compared thematically with discussion and consideration in these accounts. That wisdom statement does not make the council's suppressive conference good or turn every group's agreement into divine guidance. Each purpose still needs evaluation.