← G4892 G4894 →

συνείδησις

syneídēsis

G4893 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The faculty of internal awareness or consciousness, especially concerning moral choices; an internal sense or judgment regarding the rightness or wrongness of one's actions. In some contexts, it denotes a shared or mutual awareness, or the act of being conscious of something together with others. Its primary sense is a self-aware moral consciousness, an inner judge or witness evaluating behavior or intention.

Semantic Range

consciousness, sense of right and wrong, moral awareness, conscience, internal witness, joint knowledge, shared awareness

Root / Etymology

From the verb συνείδω (to know together, to be aware jointly) with the suffix -σις, forming a noun of action or state. The first element συν- (with, together) combines with εἴδω (to see, to know), reflecting the idea of joint or internal knowing, hence 'consciousness,' 'awareness.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, συνείδησις was used to denote personal or mutual awareness, often with a sense of shared responsibility or complicity. By the Hellenistic and early Jewish periods, it developed a more inward sense, indicating a person's own awareness or consciousness, especially of moral or ethical matters. In the Septuagint, it is rare, usually translating phrases relating to inner consciousness. In the New Testament and contemporary Jewish-Greek writings, it usually refers to the moral conscience or an inner sense that approves or condemns action. The term can suggest communal as well as individual dimensions, but in most Koine sources, especially Paul's letters, it is the internal moral faculty that assesses one's own actions. Standard English translations render it as 'conscience,' but this can underplay its wider usage of self-awareness or shared consciousness. It stands in contrast to terms like διάνοια (mind, understanding) or καρδία (heart), but sometimes overlaps; συνείδησις is more focused on moral judgment than intellectual apprehension.

Translation Consistency

primary "conscience" 30 occurrences

Conscience matches the primary SILEX sense — an inner moral awareness or internal judge — and is the most natural, common English rendering. It accounts for singular and plural forms (conscience/consciences) and can cover related senses like moral awareness or internal witness more naturally than alternatives such as "consciousness". It is also the most frequent rendering in the P2 data, so it ensures consistent, idiomatic translation across all occurrences.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a prolonged form of συνείδω; co-perception, i.e. moral consciousness:--conscience.

Root Family

συνειδ- (syneídēsis) — to know together, to be conscious, to witness

Root συνειδ- to know together, to be conscious, to witness
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G4894 συνείδω having become inwardly aware

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4893-04 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience 16
G4893-02 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience 7
G4893-01 συνειδήσει suneidesei N DAT F SG conscience to conscience conscience 3
G4893-05 συνείδησις suneidesis N NOM F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience 3
G4893-03 συνειδήσεσιν suneidesesin N DAT F PL consciences to consciences consciences 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4893-01 Acts 23:1 συνειδήσει suneidesei N DAT F SG conscience to conscience conscience
G4893-04 Acts 24:16 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-02 Romans 2:15 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-02 Romans 9:1 συνειδήσεώς suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-04 Romans 13:5 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-05 1 Corinthians 8:7 συνείδησις suneidesis N NOM F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-05 1 Corinthians 8:10 συνείδησις suneidesis N NOM F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Corinthians 8:12 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Corinthians 10:25 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Corinthians 10:27 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Corinthians 10:28 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Corinthians 10:29 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-02 1 Corinthians 10:29 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-02 2 Corinthians 1:12 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-04 2 Corinthians 4:2 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-03 2 Corinthians 5:11 συνειδήσεσιν suneidesesin N DAT F PL consciences to consciences consciences
G4893-02 1 Timothy 1:5 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-04 1 Timothy 1:19 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-01 1 Timothy 3:9 συνειδήσει suneidesei N DAT F SG conscience to conscience conscience
G4893-04 1 Timothy 4:2 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-01 2 Timothy 1:3 συνειδήσει suneidesei N DAT F SG conscience to conscience conscience
G4893-05 Titus 1:15 συνείδησις suneidesis N NOM F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 Hebrews 9:9 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 Hebrews 9:14 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 Hebrews 10:2 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-02 Hebrews 10:22 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
G4893-04 Hebrews 13:18 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Peter 2:19 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-04 1 Peter 3:16 συνείδησιν suneidesin N ACC F SG conscience moral consciousness conscience
G4893-02 1 Peter 3:21 συνειδήσεως suneideseos N GEN F SG of conscience of moral consciousness of moral conscience
← G4892 Greek Lexicon G4894 →