συγκακοπαθέω
synkakopathéō
G4777 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To experience hardship or suffer troubles together with someone; to jointly endure adversity. The term emphasizes a shared participation in suffering, typically in the context of mutual commitment or solidarity, especially where enduring hardship is the cost of shared purpose or loyalty. In New Testament usage, frequently refers to enduring difficulties alongside others, usually in the context of allegiance to a person, group, or cause.
Semantic Range
to suffer together with, to experience hardship jointly, to endure adversity in company with, to share in suffering, to accept difficulties alongside
Root / Etymology
From the preposition σύν ('with, together with') and κακοπαθέω ('to suffer, endure hardship'), yielding the meaning 'to suffer hardship together.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Attested rarely outside Christian literature, συγκακοπαθέω is most prominently found in the Pauline Pastoral Epistles (e.g., 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3). Its function is to call for shared endurance of difficulty, aligning with a call to solidarity in suffering, often for a higher cause or communal loyalty—here, particularly in the setting of Paul encouraging Timothy to withstand adversities linked to his vocation. Unlike more general terms for 'to suffer' (πάσχω), this verb specifically highlights the communal or joint nature of suffering; it is related but not identical to terms emphasizing empathy (συμπαθέω), which also include the sense of feeling or suffering with another, but may emphasize emotional identification more than actual participation in hardship. The English phrase 'be partaker of afflictions' in translation tradition may lose the nuance of active and communal endurance. The term is virtually unattested in classical Greek, reflecting its formation and use in later Hellenistic and Christian contexts, where new compound verbs emerged to articulate interpersonal and communal experiences of suffering.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from σύν and κακοπαθέω; to suffer hardship in company with:--be partaker of afflictions.
Root Family
συγ-κακοπαθ- (synkakopathéō) — to suffer, to endure hardship
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4777-01 |
συνκακοπάθησον | sunkakopatheson | V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG |
join in suffering | Endure hardship together | Endure hardship together | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4777-01 |
2 Timothy 1:8 | συνκακοπάθησον | sunkakopatheson | V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG |
join in suffering | Endure hardship together | Endure hardship together |
G4777-01 |
2 Timothy 2:3 | συνκακοπάθησον | sunkakopatheson | V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG |
Suffer hardship | Endure hardship together | Endure hardship together |