Greek word · G4927

συνομορέω

synomoreō

be next to

The word is built from σύν ("with") and ὅμορος ("bordering"), which comes from ὅρος ("boundary, landmark"). It means to share a boundary, to adjoin. It is a rare, rather precise word, close to a surveyor's or legal term for neighbouring property.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

συν-ομορέω, -ῶ

to border on: with dative, Acts 18:7 (Byz.).†

(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 Acts 18:7

Range of meaning

The word is built from σύν ("with") and ὅμορος ("bordering"), which comes from ὅρος ("boundary, landmark"). It means to share a boundary, to adjoin. It is a rare, rather precise word, close to a surveyor's or legal term for neighbouring property.

Against the English

"Next door" (BSB, WEB) and "adjoining" (YLT) are good. The KJV's "joined hard to" is old English for "immediately adjoined", not "was connected with difficulty".

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears nowhere else in the New Testament or the Septuagint. It is found in later Greek, for example Byzantine writers, and the related ὅμορος ("neighbouring") is common in property and boundary language in the papyri.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 18:7 συνομοροῦσα adjoining

    So Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus, a worshiper of God.

    Here: "Sharing a boundary line." The two properties touched, which is closer than "nearby". The word occurs only here in the New Testament.

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