συνοδία (G4923) — Greek Lexicon

συνοδία

synodía

G4923 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A group of people who travel together; specifically, a caravan, traveling party, or company engaged in a journey together. The term emphasizes shared movement along a road or path. In some contexts, it may refer more broadly to association or companionship in travel.

Semantic Range

caravan, traveling company, group of journeyers, companionship on a journey

Root / Etymology

From the preposition σύν ('with, together') and the noun ὁδός ('road, way'), forming a compound that literally means 'those on the road together.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The noun συνοδία appears infrequently in extant Greek sources and is attested in Koine Greek, including the New Testament (Luke 2:44), where it designates a larger group of travelers, commonly a caravan, as would have been typical when traveling to Jerusalem for festivals. The term is more concrete than the broader κοινωνία (fellowship) or ὁμιλία (association), specifying the temporary grouping formed by individuals for the purpose of a journey, often for safety or communal reasons. In Hellenistic and Roman periods, travel by συνοδία was the norm for long-distance journeys, given concerns about security. Unlike the later ecclesiastical use of 'synod' for church meetings (derived from the same root), συνοδία does not carry any institutional or official sense; its meaning is exclusively focused on joint travel. English translations as 'company' or 'caravan' are adequate but can obscure the semantic resonance with the concepts of companionship and shared movement inherent in the term's Greek formation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a compound of σύν and ὁδός ("synod"); companionship on a journey, i.e. (by implication), a caravan:--company.

Root Family

συνοδία (synodia) — caravan, traveling company, group journeying together, companionship on a journey

Root συνοδ- to travel together, to accompany, to be on the road together

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4923-01`	συνοδίᾳ	sunodia	`N DAT F SG`	company	to a traveling company	company	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4923-01`	Luke 2:44	συνοδίᾳ	sunodia	`N DAT F SG`	company	to a traveling company	company

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