What does συνεργός (synergós) mean in the Bible?
G4904 describes a fellow worker, someone joined with others in shared labor. Paul uses it for named ministry partners, for apostolic laborers, and for ordinary saints whose work matters in the Lord.
Greek · G4904
συνεργός
Co-worker
Reading a lexicon entry
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συνεργός G4904
Pronunciation synergós
What does συνεργός (synergós) mean in the Bible?
G4904 describes a fellow worker, someone joined with others in shared labor. Paul uses it for named ministry partners, for apostolic laborers, and for ordinary saints whose work matters in the Lord.
Reader summary
Full entry for συνεργός (G4904) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4904?
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include fellow workers (7), fellow worker (6).
Where does συνεργός (synergós) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Romans 16:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Romans (3), 2 Corinthians (2), Philemon (2), Philippians (2).
What This Word Actually Means
G4904 describes a fellow worker, someone joined with others in shared labor. Paul uses it for named ministry partners, for apostolic laborers, and for ordinary saints whose work matters in the Lord. The word is relational and task-oriented. It honors partnership without turning servants into owners of the field or rivals to Christ.
For preaching and teaching, this companion keeps the term tied to its cited Pauline settings before moving toward doctrine or application. The aim is not to turn a Greek gloss into a sermon by itself, but to help readers notice how the word functions inside Paul's argument, relationships, warnings, and gospel-centered exhortation with patient clarity.
How the Bible Uses It
G4904 gives Paul's letters a vocabulary for shared ministry labor. The word names real coworkers while keeping the work accountable to God.
- Rom.16.3
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
Paul greets Prisca and Aquila as fellow workers in Christ Jesus, showing that ministry labor is personal, relational, and Christ-governed.
- 1Cor.3.9
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
In 1 Corinthians 3, workers belong to God's field and building. The word should honor human service without making ministers the source of growth.
- Phlm.1.1
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,
Philemon is addressed as a beloved fellow worker, showing how the word can dignify local service and partnership beyond public office.
Passage context
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 fellow workers 7× Romans 16:3, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Philippians 4:3
fellow worker 6× Romans 16:9, Romans 16:21, 2 Corinthians 8:23, Philippians 2:25
Show sample aligned rows
Romans 16:3 συνεργούς to fellow workers Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural Romans 16:9 συνεργὸν to fellow worker Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular Romans 16:21 συνεργός to fellow worker Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 1 Corinthians 3:9 συνεργοί to fellow workers Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 2 Corinthians 1:24 συνεργοί to fellow workers Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 2 Corinthians 8:23 συνεργός to fellow worker Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Philippians 2:25 συνεργὸν to fellow worker Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular Philippians 4:3 συνεργῶν to fellow workers Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural Colossians 4:11 συνεργοὶ to fellow workers Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 1 Thessalonians 3:2 συνεργὸν* to fellow worker Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Romans 16:3
Aligned rows 13
Books represented 8
Romans 3 1 Corinthians 1 2 Corinthians 2 Philippians 2 Colossians 1 1 Thessalonians 1 Philemon 2 3 John 1
Source forms
συνεργοί 3x synergoi 1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Philemon 1:24
συνεργοὶ 2x synergoi Colossians 4:11, 3 John 1:8
συνεργὸν 2x synergon Romans 16:9, Philippians 2:25
συνεργός 2x synergos Romans 16:21, 2 Corinthians 8:23
συνεργὸν* 1x synergon 1 Thessalonians 3:2
συνεργούς 1x synergous Romans 16:3
συνεργῷ 1x synergō Philemon 1:1
συνεργῶν 1x synergōn Philippians 4:3
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 5x 1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Colossians 4:11, Philemon 1:24
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular 3x Romans 16:9, Philippians 2:25, 1 Thessalonians 3:2
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Romans 16:21, 2 Corinthians 8:23
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x Romans 16:3
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular 1x Philemon 1:1
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural 1x Philippians 4:3
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use G4904 to make human workers equal partners with God in authority or power. The field remains God's.
- Do not reserve the word only for public leaders. Paul applies coworker language across a wide network of named servants.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use G4904 to make human workers equal partners with God in authority or power. The field remains God's.
- Do not reserve the word only for public leaders. Paul applies coworker language across a wide network of named servants.
Passage contexttheological_synthesisBook contextPastoral application
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Active partnership in shared labor, emphasizing mutual cooperation toward a common goal or ministry.
Strong's G4904
Lexical occurrences 13 verses Greek text appearances 13 times Word forms 6 forms 13 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Romans 16:1-16 Source Gloss
co-worker
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
13 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Romans 16:3 Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
συνεργούς sunergouv
a fellow worker
Read verse Romans 16:9 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
συνεργὸν sunergon
a fellow worker
Read verse Romans 16:21 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
συνεργός sunergov
a fellow worker
Read verse 1 Corinthians 3:9 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
συνεργοί· sunergoi
a fellow worker
Read verse 2 Corinthians 1:24 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
συνεργοί sunergoi
a fellow worker
Read verse 2 Corinthians 8:23 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
συνεργός· sunergov
a fellow worker
Read verse Philippians 2:25 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
συνεργὸν sunergon
a fellow worker
Read verse Philippians 4:3 Adjective Genitive Plural Masculine
συνεργῶν sunergwn
a fellow worker
Read verse Colossians 4:11 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
συνεργοὶ sunergoi
a fellow worker
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 3:2 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
συνεργὸν sunergon
a fellow worker
Read verse Philemon 1:1 Adjective Dative Singular Masculine
συνεργῷ sunergw
a fellow worker
Read verse Philemon 1:24 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
συνεργοί sunergoi
a fellow worker
Read verse 3 John 1:8 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
συνεργοὶ sunergoi
a fellow worker
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 6 Aligned forms 13 Case pattern Nominative (7) Number pattern Plural (7)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 3:9 · 2 Cor 1:24 · Col 4:11 · Phlm 1:24 · 3 John 1:8 5×
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Rom 16:21 · 2 Cor 8:23 2×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Phil 4:3 1×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Phlm 1:1 1×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Rom 16:9 · Phil 2:25 · 1 Thess 3:2 3×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Rom 16:3 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Co-worker, fellow laborer.
Showing 1 selected witness from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
Why This Word Matters
Highlights shared participation in gospel mission. Romans 16:1-16
For the Preacher and Teacher
G4904 helps churches value the shared nature of gospel work. Paul does not present ministry as a solitary heroic act. He names coworkers, thanks them, and recognizes their labor. Yet the same word must be read under 1 Corinthians 3: God gives the growth, and workers serve His field. Healthy partnership honors servants without confusing their role with God's authority.
Anchor passage
Rom.16.3
Doctrinal connections
- Rom.16.3 - Paul greets Prisca and Aquila as fellow workers in Christ Jesus, showing that ministry labor is personal, relational, and Christ-governed.
- 1Cor.3.9 - In 1 Corinthians 3, workers belong to God's field and building. The word should honor human service without making ministers the source of growth.
- Phlm.1.1 - Philemon is addressed as a beloved fellow worker, showing how the word can dignify local service and partnership beyond public office.
Fellow worker or coworker is the reviewed display gloss for G4904. In this Pauline-focused companion, local STEP TAGNT evidence shows about 12 Pauline use(s), with common forms including A-NPM 4, A-ASM 3, A-NSM 2. Treat these form signals as support for reading the passage, not as a replacement for context.
From Old to New Testament
Paul's coworker language turns ministry from private achievement into shared stewardship. The worker is honored because the Lord owns the work.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain