"pr. to throw together; absol. to meet and join, Acts 20:14; to meet in war, to encounter, engage with, Lk. 14:31; to encounter in discourse or dispute, Acts 17:18; to consult together, Acts 4:15; mid. to contribute, be of service to, to aid, Acts 18:27; συμβάλλειν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, t..."
Definition and meaning
pr. to throw together; absol. to meet and join, Acts 20:14; to meet in war, to encounter, engage with, Lk. 14:31; to encounter in discourse or dispute, Acts 17:18; to consult together, Acts 4:15; mid. to contribute, be of service to, to aid, Acts 18:27; συμβάλλειν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, to revolve in mind, ponder upon, Lk. 2:19*
In the original Greek the word is written: συμβάλλω
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of symballo (G4820) across the King James Bible.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.
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Common questions
Strong's G4820 (symballo) is a Greek word that means: pr. to throw together; absol. to meet and join, Acts 20:14; to meet in war, to encounter, engage with, Lk. 14:31; to encounter in discourse or dispute, Acts 17:18; to consult together, Acts 4:15; mid.... It appears 6 times in the King James Bible.
The word symballo (G4820) appears 6 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4820 is symballo, a Greek word defined as: pr. to throw together; absol. to meet and join, Acts 20:14; to meet in war, to encounter, engage with, Lk. 14:31; to encounter in discourse or dispute. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
symballo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.