συναιχμάλωτος (G4869) — Greek Lexicon

συναιχμάλωτος

synaichmálōtos

G4869 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A person who is taken captive together with another; specifically one who shares in captivity, imprisonment, or confinement alongside others. Frequently used of someone who is a fellow prisoner due to external circumstances (such as war, seizure, or legal arrest), with the core sense of being imprisoned or held captive together with others.

Semantic Range

fellow captive, co-prisoner, companion in captivity, one imprisoned together with another

Root / Etymology

From σύν (with, together) and αἰχμάλωτος (captive, prisoner of war); compound indicating shared captivity. αἰχμάλωτος itself derives from αἰχμή (spear) and ἁλώσιος (taken, captured).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Koine period, συναιχμάλωτος appears predominantly in Pauline literature to describe individuals who are sharing imprisonment or captivity due to their association or shared situation with the speaker, typically Paul. The term is not common in classical Greek literature, reflecting a specifically communal sense of captivity in the context of the early assemblies. English translations such as 'fellow prisoner' or 'co-captive' capture the surface meaning but do not always convey the nuance of shared fate and solidarity that the compound implies in Greek. Not a technical term for a prison official or a general prisoner, but one who shares the condition with another specifically named person.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from σύν and αἰχμάλωτος; a co-captive:--fellowprisoner.

Root Family

συναιχμάλωτος (synaichmalōtos) — together with, captive, prisoner, shared captivity

Root συν-αιχμάλωτος together with, to capture, to be a prisoner

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4869-01`	συναιχμάλωτός	sunaichmalotos	`N NOM M SG`	fellow prisoner	fellow captive	fellow prisoner	2
`G4869-02`	συναιχμαλώτους	sunaichmalotous	`N ACC M PL`	fellow prisoners	fellow captives	fellow prisoners	1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4869-02`	Romans 16:7	συναιχμαλώτους	sunaichmalotous	`N ACC M PL`	fellow prisoners	fellow captives	fellow prisoners
`G4869-01`	Colossians 4:10	συναιχμάλωτός	sunaichmalotos	`N NOM M SG`	fellow prisoner	fellow captive	fellow prisoner
`G4869-01`	Philemon 1:23	συναιχμάλωτός	sunaichmalotos	`N NOM M SG`	fellow prisoner	fellow captive	fellow prisoner

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