συγκυρία
synkyría
G4795 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Coincidence, concurrence of circumstances, an event or occurrence understood as happening by chance; an unexpected or unplanned event resulting from the coming together of factors outside deliberate intention. In Hellenistic Greek, especially, it denotes the convergence of events in a way that appears random or accidental.
Semantic Range
concurrence, coincidence, chance occurrence, unexpected event, accident, happening
Root / Etymology
Compound from συν- ('with, together') and a stem related to κυρέω or τυγχάνω ('to happen, to occur, to meet with'), with possible distant relation to κύριος ('lord, master') as suggested in Strong's, though this is not the commonly accepted derivation. Best understood as 'coming together by chance or occurrence.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
συγκυρία is a rare term in Koine Greek, found chiefly in later Greek writings (e.g., Polybius, Plutarch) to denote chance events or coincidences, particularly where various circumstances come together unexpectedly. In the New Testament (Luke 10:31), it is used to describe the arrival of someone 'by chance.' Unlike τύχη or τύχημα (associated with fortune or luck as nearly personified concepts), συγκυρία stresses the occurrence as a concurrence of factors rather than a fate or divine will. English translations often render it as 'chance,' but the term does not imply a worldview of randomness or meaninglessness; rather, it articulates the human perception of unforeseen or unplanned events, sometimes with a neutral, sometimes with a mildly positive or negative connotation in Hellenistic texts. συγκερασμός is a more general term for mixing or fusion, not specifically for coincidental events.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a comparative of σύν and (to light or happen; from the base of κύριος); concurrence, i.e. accident:--chance.
Root Family
συγκυρ- (synkyría) — to come together, to coincide, to occur together
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4795-01 |
συνκυρίαν | sunkurian | N ACC F SG |
chance | a coincidence | a coincidence | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4795-01 |
Luke 10:31 | συνκυρίαν | sunkurian | N ACC F SG |
chance | a coincidence | a coincidence |