What does σύνεσις (sýnesis) mean in the Bible?
Σύνεσις is understanding or insight, especially the capacity to bring matters together and grasp their relation. Paul refuses to treat such understanding as intellectual self-sufficiency.
Greek · G4907
σύνεσις
Understanding
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σύνεσις G4907
Pronunciation sýnesis
What does σύνεσις (sýnesis) mean in the Bible?
Σύνεσις is understanding or insight, especially the capacity to bring matters together and grasp their relation. Paul refuses to treat such understanding as intellectual self-sufficiency.
Reader summary
Full entry for σύνεσις (G4907) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4907?
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include understanding (4), insight (2), intelligence (1).
Where does σύνεσις (sýnesis) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 12:33. Its strongest book concentrations include Colossians (2), 1 Corinthians (1), 2 Timothy (1), Ephesians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Σύνεσις is understanding or insight, especially the capacity to bring matters together and grasp their relation. Paul refuses to treat such understanding as intellectual self-sufficiency. In 1 Corinthians 1:19, he cites Scripture to announce God's judgment on proud human intelligence that rejects the wisdom of the cross. In 2 Timothy 2:7, Timothy must actively consider Paul's instruction while trusting the Lord to give understanding.
Colossians 1:9 places spiritual understanding within prayer for knowledge of God's will that bears fruit in a worthy walk. The noun therefore joins thought, revelation, prayer, and obedience. It is not anti-intellectual, and it does not authorize private impressions that ignore Scripture. Christian understanding receives God's truth, reflects carefully, and matures into faithful life.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul presents σύνεσις as understanding that God gives through attentive engagement with His revealed truth. Proud intelligence is frustrated, while spiritual understanding produces obedience and endurance.
- 1Cor.1.19
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
The quotation from Isaiah confronts an intelligence that exalts itself against God's saving wisdom displayed in the crucified Christ.
- 2Tim.2.7
Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.
Timothy is commanded to think carefully, and the Lord's gift of understanding works through rather than against that responsible consideration.
- Col.1.9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Spiritual understanding belongs to Paul's prayer for knowledge that leads to a worthy, fruitful, patient, and thankful life.
Book contextPassage 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 understanding 4× Mark 12:33, Luke 2:47, Colossians 1:9, Colossians 2:2
insight 2× Ephesians 3:4, 2 Timothy 2:7
intelligence 1× 1 Corinthians 1:19
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 12:33 συνέσεως to understanding Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Luke 2:47 συνέσει to understanding Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 1:19 σύνεσιν to intelligence Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Ephesians 3:4 σύνεσίν to insight Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Colossians 1:9 συνέσει to understanding Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Colossians 2:2 συνέσεως to understanding Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 2 Timothy 2:7 σύνεσιν to insight Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 12:33
Aligned rows 7
Books represented 6
Mark 1 Luke 1 1 Corinthians 1 Ephesians 1 Colossians 2 2 Timothy 1
Source forms
συνέσει 2x synesei Luke 2:47, Colossians 1:9
συνέσεως 2x syneseōs Mark 12:33, Colossians 2:2
σύνεσιν 2x synesin 1 Corinthians 1:19, 2 Timothy 2:7
σύνεσίν 1x synesin Ephesians 3:4
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 3x 1 Corinthians 1:19, Ephesians 3:4, 2 Timothy 2:7
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 2x Luke 2:47, Colossians 1:9
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 2x Mark 12:33, Colossians 2:2
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Evaluate understanding by its submission to Scripture and its fruit in a worthy walk, not by verbal sophistication alone.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not read God's destruction of proud intelligence as a rejection of learning, reasoning, or careful biblical study.
- Do not claim that the Lord's gift of understanding makes disciplined consideration unnecessary; 2 Timothy 2:7 commands both dependence and thought.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Understanding as active comprehension combining perception and mental grasp, distinct from wisdom's broader knowledge
Strong's G4907
Lexical occurrences 7 verses Greek text appearances 7 times Word forms 3 forms 7 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
understanding
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Understanding as active comprehension combining perception and mental grasp, distinct from wisdom's broader knowledge
(συνίημι), [in LXX for בִּינָה and cogn. forms, מַשְׂכִּית, דַּעַת, חׇכְמָה, etc. ;]
1a running or flowing together (Hom.).
bthe understanding, the mind or intelligence: Mrk.12:33.
Synonymssee: σοφία
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
7 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 12:33 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
συνέσεως, sunesewv
understanding
Read verse Luke 2:47 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
συνέσει sunesei
understanding
Read verse 1 Corinthians 1:19 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σύνεσιν sunesin
understanding
Read verse Ephesians 3:4 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σύνεσίν sunesin
understanding
Read verse Colossians 1:9 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
συνέσει sunesei
understanding
Read verse Colossians 2:2 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
συνέσεως, sunesewv
understanding
Read verse 2 Timothy 2:7 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
σύνεσιν sunesin
understanding
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 3 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 3 Aligned forms 7 Case pattern Accusative (3) Number pattern Singular (7)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Mark 12:33 · Col 2:2 2×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Luke 2:47 · Col 1:9 2×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 1:19 · Eph 3:4 · 2 Tim 2:7 3×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Luke 2:41–52 συνίεσιν sýnesis
Understanding, insight
Showing 1 selected witness from 7 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
σύνεσις is built from this root:
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
Paul's vision of understanding is neither autonomous reason nor passive reception. First Corinthians 1 humbles the mind at the cross, where God's wisdom overturns the standards by which the world congratulates itself. Second Timothy 2 commands consideration and promises that the Lord will give insight. Colossians 1 places understanding inside sustained prayer and measures its maturity by a life worthy of the Lord.
These passages allow teachers to honor study, reasoning, and careful comparison without treating intelligence as a savior. They also forbid an anti-intellectual appeal to the Spirit that neglects the words He inspired. Christian understanding is dependent, active, moral, and communal. It grows as believers receive revelation, think under Christ's lordship, ask God for light, and practice what they know.
The result is not merely a sharper argument but fruitful obedience, endurance, gratitude, and deeper knowledge of God.
Anchor passage
1Cor.1.19
Doctrinal connections
- Isaiah 29:13-16, human wisdom overturned by the Holy One
- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, the wisdom of God in the crucified Christ
- 2 Timothy 2:1-13, attentive reflection within faithful gospel endurance
- Colossians 1:9-14, understanding that leads to a worthy and fruitful walk
- Proverbs 2:1-11, seeking wisdom that the Lord gives
- Luke 24:44-49, the risen Christ opening minds to understand the Scriptures
Σύνεσις is related to συνίημι, to bring together or comprehend. The noun can describe intelligence or insight, but its moral and theological quality comes from what is understood and how that understanding responds to God. In Colossians, the adjective spiritual locates it within the Spirit-shaped knowledge of God's will.
From Old to New Testament
Wisdom literature calls hearers to seek understanding while confessing that the Lord gives wisdom. The prophets expose cleverness that resists God. Jesus opens His disciples' minds to understand Scripture, and Paul prays for insight that centers on Christ and bears obedient fruit.
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