κολλ-άω G2853
To glue, join, cling to; attach oneself to a person, cleave devotedly, be united in marriage, or stick physically.
Built on the Greek noun kolla ('glue'), this verb carries the core image of things being bonded together. In the New Testament it moves far beyond the literal workshop sense of gluing broken pottery. A prodigal son 'joins himself' to a citizen of a far country (Luke 15:15), Paul commands believers to 'cling to' what is good (Rom 12:9), and Jesus quotes Genesis to declare that a man shall 'be joined to' his wife (Matt 19:5). Even dust can kollaomai to sandals (Luke 10:11). The Spanish translations beautifully trace the semantic range: 'juntarse' for social association, 'adhiriéndoos' for moral devotion, 'se-unirá' for marital union, and 'pegado' for physical adhesion.
Senses
1. join oneself to someone — To attach or associate oneself with a person or group, forming a social or relational bond. This is the most frequent New Testament use — the prodigal 'joined himself' (ekollēthē) to a citizen of the far country (Luke 15:15), and Saul tried to 'join himself' to the disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26). Spanish 'juntarse' and German 'anhängen' both emphasize the relational attachment rather than any physical adhesive quality. 8×
AR["أَنْ-يَلْتَصِقَ", "التَصَقوا", "المُلْتَصِقُ", "الْتَصَقَ", "الْتَصِقْ", "يَلْتَصِقَ"]·ben["যুক্ত-থাকা", "যুক্ত-হও", "যুক্ত-হওয়া", "যুক্ত-হতে", "যুক্ত-হলো", "যোগ-দিতে", "লেগে-থেকে"]·DE["anhaengen", "hängt-an"]·EN["having-joined", "he-attached-himself", "join-yourself", "joining", "to-associate-with", "to-join"]·FR["s'attacher"]·heb["דָּבְקִים-בּוֹ", "הִתְחַבֵּר", "הַדָּבֵק", "לְהִדָּבֵק", "לְהִצְטָרֵף", "נִדְבַּק"]·HI["जुड़-गया", "जुड़-जा", "जुड़कर", "जुड़ने-को", "जुड़नेवाला", "परन्तु", "संगति-करना"]·ID["bergabung", "bergabunglah", "bergaul", "ia-bergabung", "menggabungkan-diri"]·IT["ekollethe", "unirsi"]·jav["nggabung", "nggandhèng", "nyaketi", "nyandhing-a", "rumaket", "tumut"]·KO["따른-후에", "붙기-는", "붙기-를", "붙어라", "의지했다", "함류하려했다", "합하는-자는"]·PT["junta-te", "juntar-se", "juntou-se", "que-se-une"]·RU["прилепляющийся", "присоединился", "присоединись", "присоединиться", "присоединяться", "пристав"]·ES["juntarse", "se-juntó", "unirse", "unirse-a", "uniéndose", "únete"]·SW["akajiambatanisha", "anayeungana", "jiunge-na-", "kujiambatanisha", "kujiunga", "kujiungana-na-", "wakijiunga-naye"]·TR["ama-", "bağlandı", "katılarak", "katılmak", "katılmaya", "katılmayı", "o-", "yapış"]·urd["لپٹنے-والا", "لگا-رہ", "مل-کر", "مل-گیا", "ملنا", "ملنے", "ملنے-کی"]
2. cling to devotedly — To cling devotedly to an abstract moral good. In Romans 12:9 Paul exhorts believers to be 'clinging to the good' (kollōmenoi tō agathō). Spanish 'adhiriéndoos' captures the intensity — this is not casual preference but tenacious, adhesive commitment. The metaphor of glue is preserved: moral goodness should stick to the believer as permanently as glue bonds surfaces. 1×
AR["مُلْتَصِقِينَ"]·ben["আঁকড়ে-থাক"]·DE["anhaengen"]·EN["clinging"]·FR["s'attacher"]·heb["דְּבֵקִים"]·HI["चिपकते-हुए"]·ID["melekat"]·IT["unirsi"]·jav["rumaket"]·KO["붙어-있으라"]·PT["apegando-se"]·ES["adhiriéndoos"]·SW["mkishikamana-na"]·TR["bağlanın"]·urd["لپٹے-رہو"]
3. be joined in marital union — To be united in the bond of marriage, echoing the Genesis creation ordinance. In Matthew 19:5 (and its Markan parallel), Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24: a man shall 'be joined to' (kollēthēsetai) his wife. Spanish 'se-unirá' and French 's'attacher' both underscore the permanent, covenantal adhesion that marriage entails — the strongest form of human bonding the verb can express. 1×
AR["يَلْتَصِقُ"]·ben["যুক্ত-হবে"]·DE["hängt-an"]·EN["will-be-joined"]·FR["s'attacher"]·heb["יִדְבַּק"]·HI["जुदेग"]·ID["bersatu"]·IT["kollethesetai"]·jav["rumaket"]·KO["연합하리라"]·PT["unir-se-á"]·RU["прилепится"]·ES["se-unirá"]·SW["na-"]·TR["bağlanacak"]·urd["ملا-رہے-گا"]
4. stick physically to — To stick physically to a surface, as dust adhering to sandals. In Luke 10:11 the seventy-two are told to wipe off 'the dust having clung to' (kollēthenta) their feet. Spanish 'pegado' (stuck, glued) brings out the literal, tactile sense most clearly, connecting directly back to the verb's etymological root in kolla, physical glue. 1×
AR["اللّاصِقَ"]·ben["লেগে-থাকা"]·DE["hängt-an"]·EN["having-clung"]·FR["s'attacher"]·heb["נִדְבָּק"]·HI["लगी-हुई"]·ID["yang-melekat"]·IT["kollethenta"]·jav["tumèmpèl"]·KO["묻은"]·RU["приставшую"]·ES["pegado"]·SW["ulioshika"]·TR["yapışan"]·urd["لگی-ہوئی"]
5. pile up or accumulate — To pile up or accumulate, used metaphorically of sins heaping together until they reach heaven. In Revelation 18:5, Babylon's sins 'were joined' (ekollēthēsan) all the way to heaven. Spanish 'se-han-amontonado' (have been piled up) reveals that this sense departs from interpersonal attachment toward the image of objects stacking and adhering to one another in an ever-growing mass. 1×
AR["التَصَقَتْ"]·ben["জুড়ে-গেছে"]·DE["anhaengen"]·EN["were-joined"]·FR["s'attacher"]·heb["דָּבְקוּ"]·HI["जुड़े-हैं"]·ID["menumpuk"]·IT["ekollēthēsan"]·jav["numpuk"]·KO["쌓였다"]·PT["juntaram-se"]·RU["прилепились"]·ES["se-han-amontonado"]·SW["zimefika"]·TR["yapıştı"]·urd["جُڑ-گئے"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κολλ-άω, (κόλλα) glue, cement, τι περὶ τὸν τράχηλον, τι πρός τι, Refs 5th c.BC+; mend a broken vessel, Refs 3rd c.BC+ __2 join one metal or other substance to another, κ. χρυσὸν ἔν τε λευκὸν ἐλέφαντα, i.e. make [a crown] inlaid with gold and ivory, Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, κολλώμενα glued together, opposed to γομφούμενα, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὁ κολλώμενος σίδηρος welded iron, Refs 1st c.AD+ __II…