Greek word · G4861

σύμψυχος

sympsychos

harmonious

"Together-souled": joined in soul and life, at one in heart, harmonious. It is built from syn (with, together) and psychē (soul, life, the inner self).

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σύν-ψυχος (Rec. συμ-), -ον

(ψυχή),

of one mind: Philippians 2:2.†

(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 Philippians 2:2

Range of meaning

"Together-souled": joined in soul and life, at one in heart, harmonious. It is built from syn (with, together) and psychē (soul, life, the inner self).

Against the English

KJV and WEB "of one accord" and ESV "in full accord" give the idea of harmony but lose the picture of a soul. BSB "united in spirit" and NIV "one in spirit" swap psychē (soul) for "spirit". Coming straight after "fellowship of the Spirit" in v. 1, that can make readers think of the Holy Spirit, which this word does not mention.

Used elsewhere in the period

This is the only use in the New Testament, and the word is very rare in earlier Greek. The idea behind it was proverbial: Aristotle calls friends "one soul" (Nicomachean Ethics 9.8.2), and later tradition credited him with defining a friend as "one soul dwelling in two bodies" (Diogenes Laertius 5.20). Compare Acts 4:32 (the believers were "of one heart and soul") and Phil 1:27 ("striving side by side with one soul").

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 2:2 σύμψυχοι, united in soul,

    then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

    Here: Literally "souled-together". This is the only time the word appears in the New Testament. It echoes the old saying that friends share one soul (psychē means soul or life), and Paul's "with one soul" in 1:27.

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