συνέκδημος
synékdēmos
G4898 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person accompanying another on a journey; specifically, a fellow-traveler or companion who travels with another away from home. It may also refer more generally to someone who departs from home together with another. The sense is focused on shared travel or absence from one's usual place."
Semantic Range
fellow-traveler, companion in travel, one who departs from home with another, co-absentee from home
Root / Etymology
From σύν (with, together) + ἔκδημος (away from home, absent), itself from ἐκ (out of) + δῆμος (people, district, home).
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term συνέκδημος is rare, first attested in Hellenistic and Koine Greek, and is used primarily in the context of travel companionship, particularly in departing or being away from one's native place. In the Septuagint and New Testament, use is extremely infrequent, with the clearest example found in 2 Corinthians 8:19, where Titus is described as the συνέκδημος of Paul, emphasizing the shared journey and task rather than merely any form of companionship. English Bible translations generally render this term as 'traveling companion' or 'companion in travel,' which captures its basic meaning but may understate the sense of coordinated, purposeful absence from home suggestive in the Greek. In broader Greek literature, the sense remains consistently linked to shared travel or joint absence from one's homeland, distinguishing it from simply being a friend (φίλος) or generic companion (ἑταῖρος/σύντροφος). The term also subtly conveys the temporary and purposeful nature of the departure.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from σύν and the base of ἐκδημέω; a co-absentee from home, i.e. fellow-traveller:--companion in travel, travel with.
Root Family
συνέκδημος (synékdēmos) — with, together; away from home, sojourning
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4898-01 |
συνέκδημος | sunekdemos | N NOM M SG |
traveling companion | fellow-traveler away from home | fellow-traveler | 1 |
G4898-02 |
συνεκδήμους | sunekdemous | N ACC M PL |
traveling companions | fellow-travelers abroad | fellow-travelers abroad | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4898-02 |
Acts 19:29 | συνεκδήμους | sunekdemous | N ACC M PL |
traveling companions | fellow-travelers abroad | fellow-travelers abroad |
G4898-01 |
2 Corinthians 8:19 | συνέκδημος | sunekdemos | N NOM M SG |
traveling companion | fellow-traveler away from home | fellow-traveler |