Greek word · G4848

συμπορεύομαι

symporeuomai

to go with

To go or travel together with someone; to accompany on a journey.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

συν-πορεύομαι

(Rec. σνμπ-), [in LXX chiefly for הָלַךְ ;]

1. to journey together (Plat., al.): with dative of person(s), Luke 7:11 14:25 24:15.

2. to come together: Mark 10:1 (Plut., al.).†

(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 Luke 24:15

Range of meaning

To go or travel together with someone; to accompany on a journey.

Against the English

'Walked along with them' (BSB), 'went with them' (KJV, WEB, ESV), 'began traveling with them' (NASB). KJV's 'went with them' loses the imperfect tense's sense of a continuing walk. YLT's 'was going on with them' and NASB's 'began traveling' capture it better.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only in Luke in the Gospels: 7:11 (disciples and a crowd 'went with him'); 14:25 (great crowds 'were going along with him'). In the Greek Old Testament it is used of travelling companions (e.g. Gen 13:5; Tobit 5:17 in some witnesses, where Tobias travels with a companion who is secretly the angel Raphael).

From the study of Luke 14:25

Range of meaning

To go or travel together with someone; to journey in company; also to come together or assemble. The word is about shared movement in space, not loyalty as such.

Against the English

BSB/NIV 'traveling with', NASB 'going along with', KJV 'went… with'. All accurate. Versions that render it 'following' (NLT) pull it toward the language of discipleship, which is a different verb in Luke (akoloutheō, 'follow', used in v. 27).

Used elsewhere in the period

In the LXX it is used for people journeying together (e.g. Gen 13:5; 14:24; Deut 20:4 of God going with Israel). In the NT it appears only in Luke (7:11; 14:25; 24:15) and Mark 10:1. In Luke 24:15 the risen Jesus 'went along with' the two on the Emmaus road.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 10:1 συμπορεύονται come together

    Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.

    Here: Literally 'travel together'. Crowds gather and come with him, possibly pilgrims on the road. Present tense again, for vividness.

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 7:11 συνεπορεύοντο were going

    Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His disciples went with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.

    Here: "They were going along with." The imperfect tense shows something ongoing, a moving group on the road. This prepares for the moment in verse 12 when it meets another group coming out of the town.

  2. Luke 14:25 Συνεπορεύοντο Were going with

    Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them,

    Here: 'Were going along with.' The tense describes an ongoing journey, people walking alongside him on the road. It describes physical company, not commitment. Luke puts it first in the sentence, so the scene opens on the road.

  3. Luke 24:15 συνεπορεύετο He was walking along

    And as they talked and deliberated, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them.

    Here: Imperfect tense, 'was walking along with them': an ongoing scene rather than a single event. He becomes their travelling companion for the miles that follow.

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