Greek word · G4886

σύνδεσμος

syndesmos

bond(age)

'That which binds together': a bond, a fastening, and in anatomy a ligament or sinew. It can also mean a binding in a negative sense, a fetter (Acts 8:23, 'bond of iniquity'), and in grammar a connecting word.

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

What it means

σύν-δεσμος, -ου, ὁ

(συνδέω), [in LXX for קֶשֶׁר, קְטַר, etc. ;]

that which binds together, a bond: of the ligaments of the body, Colossians 2:19. Metaphorical, σ. ἀδικίας, Acts 8:23; τ. τελειότητος, Colossians 3:14; τ. εἰρήνης, Ephesians 4:3 (see Lft., Col., ll. with).†

(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 Colossians 2:19

Range of meaning

'That which binds together': a bond, a fastening, and in anatomy a ligament or sinew. It can also mean a binding in a negative sense, a fetter (Acts 8:23, 'bond of iniquity'), and in grammar a connecting word.

Against the English

KJV 'bands', WEB/BSB/ESV 'ligaments'. 'Ligaments' is the right anatomical picture. The Strong's gloss 'bondage' would mislead here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used by the medical writers for ligaments. Within Colossians the word recurs at 3:14: love is 'the bond of perfection [completeness]', that is, what binds everything together. Eph 4:3 has 'the bond of peace'.

From the study of Colossians 3:14

Range of meaning

Whatever binds things together: a fastening, band, tie or knot. In anatomy, a ligament. In the abstract, a uniting bond. It can also mean a fetter, the bad kind of bond ('bond of iniquity', Acts 8:23). The Strong's gloss 'bond(age)' reflects that second use, which does not apply here.

Against the English

'Bond' (KJV, BSB, WEB, YLT) is accurate. NIV, ESV and NLT turn the noun into a verb, 'binds… together', which brings out what a bond does. That is a sound choice.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Colossians 2:19 the church is a body 'held together by joints and ligaments' (syndesmōn). Ephesians 4:3 has 'the bond of peace'. In the Septuagint, Isaiah 58:6 has 'loose every bond of injustice'. Greek medical writers use it for ligaments. Greek philosophy spoke of a uniting 'bond': Plato's Timaeus (31c) calls the best bond the one that makes the things it joins into one. A late report (Simplicius, 6th century AD, commenting on Epictetus) says the Pythagoreans called friendship 'the bond of all the virtues'. Commentators such as Lohse cite this as a parallel, though the source is late.

From the study of Ephesians 4:3

Range of meaning

That which binds together: a band, fastening, or cord; in anatomy a ligament or sinew joining parts of a body; in a negative sense a fetter, or a plot that binds conspirators together.

Against the English

"Bond" in nearly all versions. It is accurate, but modern English "bond" often suggests a feeling of closeness ("we bonded"). The Greek pictures something physical that ties parts together and keeps them from coming apart.

Used elsewhere in the period

Col 2:19: the body is held together "by joints and ligaments (syndesmōn)". Col 3:14: love is "the bond of perfection". Acts 8:23: Simon is in "the bond of iniquity". Septuagint Isa 58:6: "loose every bond of wickedness". The Septuagint also uses it for a conspiracy (e.g., Jer 11:9).

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 8:23 σύνδεσμον [the] bond

    For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 4:3 συνδέσμῳ bond

    and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

    Here: Something that ties things together: a cord, a fastening, or a ligament joining body parts. Here it is what holds the community together. It may also echo the "prisoner" (desmios) of 4:1.

Colossians · 2

  1. Colossians 2:19 συνδέσμων ligaments

    He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.

    Here: 'Things that bind together': in medical writers, the ligaments and sinews that hold bones in place. The same word is used in 3:14, where love is 'the bond of perfection'.

  2. Colossians 3:14 σύνδεσμος [the] bond

    And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.

    Here: Something that ties separate parts into one: a fastening, a band, or a ligament in the body. In Colossians 2:19 the same word means the 'ligaments' that hold the body of Christ together. Here love is what holds the other qualities, and the people who live them, together as one.

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