Greek word · G4323

προσανατίθημι

prosanatithēmi

to confer

In the middle voice: (1) to lay on in addition, to add or contribute; (2) to lay a matter before someone for advice, to consult. Both senses appear in Galatians.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

προσ-ανα-τίθημι

to lay on or offer besides; mid.,

(a) to lay on oneself in addition, undertake besides;

(b) with genitive of person(s), of giving or obtaining information, to consult, communicate: Galatians 1:16 2:6 (Lft., in l; cf. ἀνα-τίθημι)

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Galatians 2:6

Range of meaning

In the middle voice: (1) to lay on in addition, to add or contribute; (2) to lay a matter before someone for advice, to consult. Both senses appear in Galatians.

Against the English

BSB/ESV 'added nothing'. NASB 'contributed nothing'. WEB 'imparted nothing', which suggests teaching. KJV 'in conference added nothing' mixes both senses. NIV adds 'to my message', an interpretation the Greek does not spell out.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gal 1:16: 'I did not consult (οὐ προσανεθέμην) with flesh and blood'. Here (2:6) the same verb clearly means 'add, impose'. BDAG s.v. προσανατίθημι lists both senses, citing these two verses. Compare the simple verb ἀνεθέμην in 2:2: 'I laid before them the gospel'.

From the study of Galatians 1:16

Range of meaning

(1) To lay something before someone, that is, to consult them or seek their advice or interpretation. (2) To add or contribute something (its sense in Gal 2:6: the Jerusalem leaders 'added nothing to me').

Against the English

'Consult' and 'confer' are fine. BSB's 'did not rush to consult' and WEB's 'didn't immediately confer' can suggest Paul simply waited a little before consulting. Paul's point is stronger: he did not take his revelation to anyone for interpretation or approval.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDAG gives 'consult with, ask advice of' for this verse. Dunn (NTS 1982) notes uses for consulting interpreters about a sign or omen, e.g. Diodorus Siculus 17.116.4, where soothsayers are consulted about a portent. Related wordplay: in 2:2 Paul 'laid before' (anethemēn) the Jerusalem leaders the gospel he preached, and in 2:6 they 'added nothing' (prosanethento).

Where it appears

Galatians · 2

  1. Galatians 1:16 προσανεθέμην I consulted

    to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,

    Here: 'I did not lay the matter before' anyone for advice or interpretation. Paul denies that any human authority explained or approved what he had received.

  2. Galatians 2:6 προσανέθεντο, added,

    But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.

    Here: 'Laid on (me) in addition'. They placed no extra requirement on him and made no addition to the gospel he had laid before them (2:2), such as circumcision for non-Jewish believers.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.