συμφώνησις
symphṓnēsis
G4857 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Basic sense: agreement, harmony, concord. Used to denote a state or act of coming to a shared understanding, consensus, or accord between parties. In some contexts, specifically refers to harmonious sound or musical concord, though in the New Testament, the figurative sense of agreement or being in harmony predominates.
Semantic Range
agreement, concord, accord, harmonious relationship, musical harmony, pact or contract
Root / Etymology
From the root συμφων-, related to the verb συμφωνέω ('to sound together', 'to agree'). σύν ('with, together') + φωνή ('sound, voice'). Denotes the result or state of 'sounding together'—hence, agreement or concord.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Earliest attestations appear in classical Greek, often used in musical and rhetorical contexts to describe harmonious arrangement of sounds or voices. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, broadens to mean general accord or agreement between persons, including legal or relational contracts. In the Septuagint, rare or absent. In the New Testament (e.g., 2 Corinthians 6:15), employed figuratively to mean 'close agreement, alliance, or partnership,' often with a moral or spiritual nuance (e.g., 'What agreement [συμφώνησις] has Christ with Beliar?'). Standard English translations as 'accord', 'agreement', or 'concord' capture the core sense, though the underlying image is one of voices or elements in harmonious relationship. Differs from ὁμόνοια ('unity of mind, unanimity') in focusing more on concordant action or explicit agreement than on internal unity.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from συμφωνέω; accordance:--concord.
Root Family
συμφων- (symphōnéō) — to sound together, to agree
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4856 | συμφωνέω | having agreed |
| G4858 | συμφωνία | of harmonious sounding-together |
| G4859 | σύμφωνος | of harmonious agreement |
| G800 | ἀσύμφωνος | discordant ones |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4857-01 |
συμφώνησις | sumphonesis | N NOM F SG |
agreement | agreement | agreement | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4857-01 |
2 Corinthians 6:15 | συμφώνησις | sumphonesis | N NOM F SG |
agreement | agreement | agreement |