What does συμβάλλω (symbállō) mean in the Bible?
συμβάλλω (symbállō): Literally "throw together": either words (discuss/debate) or thoughts (ponder), or hostile forces (encounter in battle).
Greek · G4820
συμβάλλω
To ponder/confer
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συμβάλλωG4820
Pronunciationsymbállō
What does συμβάλλω (symbállō) mean in the Bible?
συμβάλλω (symbállō): Literally "throw together": either words (discuss/debate) or thoughts (ponder), or hostile forces (encounter in battle).
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).
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
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.