Greek word · G4833

συμμορφόομαι

symmorphoomai

to make like

To be given the same form as, to be shaped together with. BDAG treats this exact form as rare, with no clear attestation before Paul. It is built from syn ('with, together') and morphē ('form, outward shape that expresses what something is').

Appears once in the Greek New Testament.

What it means

Pass. to be conformed to , τινι (New Testament) (ML)

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 Philippians 3:10

Range of meaning

To be given the same form as, to be shaped together with. BDAG treats this exact form as rare, with no clear attestation before Paul. It is built from syn ('with, together') and morphē ('form, outward shape that expresses what something is').

Against the English

'Conformed' (BSB, WEB, YLT, NASB) is close. KJV's 'made conformable' now sounds like 'made compliant or agreeable'. NIV and ESV 'becoming like him in his death' is clear but loses the passive voice and the echo of the 'form' words in 2:6–7 and 3:21.

How it drifted

In modern English 'conformable' and 'conform' lean toward 'comply, go along with norms'. That is not the picture of being reshaped into a pattern.

Used elsewhere in the period

The related adjective symmorphos appears in Rom 8:29 ('conformed to the image of his Son') and in Phil 3:21, where Christ will transform our lowly body to be symmorphon, 'same-formed', with his glorious body. Philippians 2:6–8 describes Christ, being 'in the form (morphē) of God', taking 'the form (morphē) of a slave' and becoming 'obedient to death, even death on a cross'.

Similar words

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 3:10 συμμορφιζόμενος being conformed

    I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,

    Here: This is a present passive participle, so it describes something ongoing that is being done to Paul. He is continually being shaped into the same form as Christ's death. It agrees with the 'I' of verses 8–9 and echoes the 'form' (morphē) language of 2:6–7.

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