ἀνακεφαλαίομαι (G346) — Greek Lexicon

ἀνακεφαλαίομαι

anakephalaíomai

G346 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To bring together or gather under a single heading or summary; to sum up, recap, or bring into a comprehensive unity. In its literary and rhetorical usage, it refers to re-stating essential points, summarizing, or unifying diverse elements under an inclusive heading. In Pauline writing, it denotes the act of bringing together disparate people or things under a single principle or order.

Semantic Range

to sum up, to gather together, to unify under a single principle, to recapitulate, to summarize or comprehensively include

Root / Etymology

From ἀνά (again, up) and κεφαλαίοω (to bring to a head, summarize), which derives from κεφαλή (head, chief point). The force is to 'bring up to a head' or 'sum up.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Earliest attestation is in Hellenistic and later Greek; the verb is not attested in Classical Greek but reflects a well-known process of summary seen in rhetorical and literary contexts. In the Septuagint it is rare or absent; its prominent use is in Pauline literature, notably in Ephesians 1:10, where it expresses the idea of bringing all things into unity under a single head. English translations like 'sum up,' 'unite,' or 'comprehend' attempt to render the sense, but some restrict it to logical summary, whereas Pauline usage often has a broader and more comprehensive sense of unifying or recapitulating. Not to be confused with merely listing or recounting, the term implies synthesizing into a main point or order. Distinct from similar terms like ἀνακεφαλάω, which is not found in extant Greek; closely related to κεφαλαίον (summary, main point). Later theological writers (e.g., Irenaeus) use the term (especially in ἀνακεφαλαίωσις) for broader theological recapitulation, but this is a development postdating NT usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀνά and κεφαλαιόω (in its original sense); to sum up:--briefly comprehend, gather together in one.

Root Family

ἀνακεφαλαίομαι (anakephalaiomai) — head, chief point, bring to a head, summarize, unify

Root κεφαλ- head, chief point, to bring to a head, to summarize

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G346-01`	ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι	anakephalaiosasthai	`V AOR MID INF`	to gather together	to sum up into one	to sum up into one	1
`G346-02`	ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται	anakephalaioutai	`V PRS PASS IND 3P SG`	is summed up	is being brought under one head	is summed up	1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G346-02`	Romans 13:9	ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται	anakephalaioutai	`V PRS PASS IND 3P SG`	is summed up	is being brought under one head	is summed up
`G346-01`	Ephesians 1:10	ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι	anakephalaiosasthai	`V AOR MID INF`	to gather together	to sum up into one	to sum up into one

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