Greek word · G4890
συνδρομή
syndromē
swarming
'A running together': people converging on one place, a crowd gathering in haste, a riot forming. In medical writers it can also mean a combination of symptoms appearing together, which is where English 'syndrome' comes from.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
συνδρομή, -ῆς, ἡ
(συντρέχω), [in LXX: Judith 10:18, 3Ma.3:8 * ;]
concourse, esp. of a riotous gathering: Acts 21:30 (Arist., Polyb., al.).†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
'A running together': people converging on one place, a crowd gathering in haste, a riot forming. In medical writers it can also mean a combination of symptoms appearing together, which is where English 'syndrome' comes from.
- Against the English
KJV 'the people ran together,' BSB 'rushed together' and WEB 'ran together' all keep the picture of running. Some versions turn it into 'a riot' or 'came running from all directions,' which keeps the idea of disorder but loses the single image of a crowd running toward one spot.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used in the Greek Old Testament for crowds rushing together in excitement or alarm (e.g. Judith 10:18, when news of Judith spreads through the Assyrian camp; compare 3 Maccabees 3:8). Classical and Hellenistic historians use it for tumultuous gatherings. This is its only appearance in the New Testament.
Where it appears
Acts · 1
-
Acts 21:30 συνδρομὴ a rushing together
The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Here: Literally 'a running-together' (syn 'together' + dromos 'running'). People came running from every direction toward one spot. This is the only place the word appears in the New Testament, and it suggests a mob forming rather than an orderly assembly.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.