συμφῡλ-έτης G4853
Fellow tribesman, compatriot, one from the same people or ethnic group
A fellow countryman or member of the same ethnic group. Paul commends the Thessalonian believers in 1 Thessalonians 2:14 for enduring persecution from 'your own countrymen,' just as the Judean churches suffered from theirs. The word emphasizes shared ethnic or national identity: these are not foreign oppressors but people from their own community. The parallel between Thessalonian Gentiles persecuted by fellow Greeks and Judean believers persecuted by fellow Jews shows that opposition to the gospel comes from within, not just from outsiders.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Fellow members of an ethnic community who become persecutors of those who embrace the gospel. The kinship domain fits: these are relatives in the broad sense—fellow tribesmen, compatriots. Spanish 'compatriotas' (compatriots), French transcribes the Greek, German 'Landsleute' (countrymen) all emphasize shared national origin. The tragedy is that gospel proclamation often divides natural communities: families, tribes, and nations split over allegiance to Christ. 1×
AR["بَلَدِكُمْ"]·ben["স্বজাতির"]·DE["Landsleute"]·EN["countrymen"]·FR["συμφυλετῶν"]·heb["בְּנֵי-שִׁבְטֵיכֶם"]·HI["देस-भऐयोन"]·ID["orang-sebangsa"]·IT["sumphuletōn"]·jav["sabangsa,"]·KO["동족들로부터"]·PT["conterrâneos"]·RU["соплеменников"]·ES["compatriotas"]·SW["wananchi-wenzenu"]·TR["yurttaşlarınızdan"]·urd["ہم-وطنوں"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)G3384 1. mother (77×)H6485a 1. Qal passive participle: numbered ones, enrollment (76×)H1397 1. man (strong/mighty) (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
συμφῡλ-έτης, ου, ὁ, of the same φυλή, Refs: generally, fellow-countryman, NT