Greek word · G4827

συμμαθητής

symmathētēs

fellow disciple

'Fellow pupil', 'co-disciple': someone who studies under the same teacher. The prefix syn- means 'with'. A mathētēs is a pupil or apprentice who attaches himself to a teacher and his way of life.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

συν-μαθητής (Rec. συμμ-), -οῦ, ὁ

a fellow-disciple: John 11:16 (on the use of συν- in such compounds as this, see Rutherford, NPhr., 255 f.).†

(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 John 11:16

Range of meaning

'Fellow pupil', 'co-disciple': someone who studies under the same teacher. The prefix syn- means 'with'. A mathētēs is a pupil or apprentice who attaches himself to a teacher and his way of life.

Against the English

'Fellow disciples' (BSB, KJV, ESV, WEB) is accurate. NIV's 'the rest of the disciples' loses the sense of solidarity carried by the prefix.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare. It appears only here in the New Testament. It is attested in Greek literature for fellow students of a philosopher; Plato and later writers use symmathētēs this way.

Where it appears

John · 1

  1. John 11:16 συμμαθηταῖς· fellow disciples;

    Then Thomas called Didymus said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

    Here: 'Co-learners', the others who follow the same teacher. The word appears only here in the New Testament. Thomas speaks as one of them, not over them.

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