συνίστημι G4921
Commend or recommend (a person); demonstrate or prove (a quality); hold together or consist (as a unified whole).
The Greek verb synistemi — literally 'to stand together' or 'to set together' — unfolds into three beautifully distinct meanings in the New Testament. Paul uses it most often for commending or recommending people: 'I commend to you our sister Phoebe' (Rom 16:1), and he pushes back against those who 'commend themselves' with letters of recommendation (2 Cor 3:1). But synistemi also means to demonstrate or prove: God 'demonstrates his own love' toward us in that Christ died for us (Rom 5:8) — a passage where Spanish demuestra, French prouve, and German erweist all reach for proof-language rather than recommendation-language. The grandest sense appears in Colossians 1:17, where Paul declares that in Christ 'all things hold together' — the cosmic sustaining force that keeps creation from flying apart. Korean 유지되다, Hindi स्थिर रहना, and Arabic يقوم all shift to language of cohesion and subsistence.
Senses
1. commend or recommend — To commend, recommend, or present someone favorably — introducing a person or cause with approval and endorsement. This most frequent sense (9 occurrences) appears in Paul's commendation of Phoebe to the Romans (Rom 16:1), his refusal to 'commend ourselves' like false apostles who carry letters of recommendation (2 Cor 3:1; 5:12), and his declaration that the apostles commend themselves 'in everything as servants of God' (2 Cor 6:4). Spanish recomendar, French recommander, and German empfehlen all converge on formal endorsement vocabulary, confirming this as a recognized social-epistolary function. 9×
AR["أَنْ-تُوصوني", "أُقَدِّمُ", "المادِحينَ", "المادِحُ", "مُوصينَ", "نِمدَحُ", "يَمدَحُهُ"]·ben["আমরা-পরিচয়-দিই", "পরিচয়-দিতে", "পরিচয়-দিতে?", "সুপারিশ-করা-হতে", "সুপারিশ-করি", "সুপারিশ-করেন।", "সুপারিশকারী", "সুপারিশকারীদের"]·DE["empfehlen"]·EN["I-commend", "commending", "commends", "to-be-commended", "to-commend", "we-are-commending"]·FR["recommander"]·heb["לְהִמָּלֵץ", "לְהַמְלִיץ", "מַמְלִיץ", "מַמְלִיצִים"]·HI["सिफारिश-करता-हूँ", "सिफारिश-करता-है", "सिफारिश-करते-हुए", "सिफारिश-करते-हैं-हम", "सिफारिश-करने", "सिफारिश-करनेवाला", "सिफारिश-करनेवालों-में", "सिफारिश-किया-जाना"]·ID["Aku-merekomendasikan", "direkomendasikan", "kami-merekomendasikan", "merekomendasikan", "yang-merekomendasikan"]·IT["raccomandare"]·jav["Kula-nepangaken", "dipunalem", "dipunkajèkaken", "ingkang-muji-piyambak", "kawula-ngandhapaken", "mratelakaken", "muji-piyambak", "ngajokaken?"]·KO["내가-추천한다", "추천받기를", "추천하기를", "추천하는-것이-아니다", "추천하는-자가", "추천하는-자들의", "추천하며", "추천하신다"]·PT["Recomendo", "que-recomendam", "recomenda", "recomendamos", "recomendando", "recomendar", "ser-recomendado"]·RU["Рекомендую", "рекомендовать", "рекомендоваться", "рекомендуем", "рекомендует", "рекомендующие", "рекомендующий", "рекомендующих"]·ES["os-recomiendo", "que-recomienda", "que-recomiendan", "recomendamos", "recomendando", "recomendar", "recomienda", "ser-recomendado"]·SW["Ninamwpendekeza", "anampendekezea.", "anayejipendekezea,", "kujipendekezea?", "kupendekezewa;", "tukijipendekezea", "tunajipendekezea", "wanaojipendekeza;"]·TR["Tanıtıyorum", "kendimizi", "tavsiye ederek", "tavsiye ediyoruz", "tavsiye etmeye", "öven", "övenlerin", "över", "övülmeli"]·urd["سفارش-کرتا-ہوں", "سفارش-کرتا-ہے", "سفارش-کرتے-ہیں", "سفارش-کرنا", "سفارش-کرنے-والا", "سفارش-کرنے-والوں", "سفارش-ہونا", "پیش-کرتے-ہوئے"]
2. demonstrate or prove — To demonstrate, prove, or make evident — showing a quality or truth by concrete evidence or action. Four occurrences carry this evidential force: God 'demonstrates' his love in Christ's death for sinners (Rom 5:8), human unrighteousness 'proves' God's righteousness (Rom 3:5), the Corinthians 'demonstrated' their innocence in handling a crisis (2 Cor 7:11), and rebuilding what was torn down 'proves' oneself a transgressor (Gal 2:18). Spanish demuestra, French prouve, and German erweist all shift from recommendation to proof vocabulary, marking a clear semantic boundary. 4×
AR["أَثبَتُّمْ", "أُظهِرُ", "يُظهِرُ"]·ben["তোমরা-প্রমাণ-করেছ", "প্রমাণ-করি।", "প্রমাণ-করে,", "প্রমাণ-করেন"]·DE["empfehlen"]·EN["I-prove", "demonstrates", "you-demonstrated"]·FR["recommander", "se-tenir-avec"]·heb["הוֹכַחְתֶּם", "מַרְאִים", "מוֹכִיחַ-אֲנִי"]·HI["प्रमाणित-किया-तुमने", "मैन-सबित-करत-हुन.", "स्थापित-करता-है"]·ID["aku-menunjukkan", "kamu-telah-membuktikan", "membuktikan", "membuktikan,"]·IT["raccomandare"]·jav["kula-ndadosaken.", "nedahaken", "nedahaken,", "panjenengan-nedahaké"]·KO["드러내시는도다", "드러낸다면", "증명하노라.", "증명했다"]·PT["demonstra", "demonstrastes", "demonstro"]·RU["доказывает", "показали", "представляю"]·ES["demostrasteis", "demuestra", "demuestro"]·SW["anaonyesha", "inaonyesha", "mmejidhihirisha", "najionyesha"]·TR["gösteriyorum", "her şeyde", "ortaya-koyuyor", "ortaya-koyuyorsa"]·urd["ثابت-کیا", "سابت-کرتا-ہوں", "ظاہر-کرتا-ہے", "ظاہر-کرے"]
3. hold together or consist — To hold together, cohere, or subsist as a unified whole — the intransitive or stative sense of 'standing together.' Three occurrences carry this cosmic and physical weight: in Christ 'all things hold together' (Col 1:17), the heavens 'existed long ago' held together by God's word (2 Pet 3:5), and Peter and his companions 'stood with' Jesus at the Transfiguration, fully awake (Luke 9:32). Spanish subsisten, Korean 유지되다, and Arabic يقوم all employ language of sustained existence. Colossians 1:17 in particular makes this a christological claim of the highest order — Christ as the cohesive force of all creation. 3×
AR["الْواقِفَيْنِ", "قائِمٌ", "قائِمَةٌ"]·ben["দাঁড়ানো", "স্থিত-আছে", "স্থির-থাকছে"]·DE["empfehlen", "empfiehlt"]·EN["consisting", "hold-together", "standing-with"]·FR["se-tenir-avec"]·heb["הָעוֹמְדִים-עִם", "נִתְכָּוְנָה", "עוֹמֵד-בְּיַחַד"]·HI["खड़े-हुए", "बनी-हुई", "स्थिर-है"]·ID["ada,", "berdiri teguh", "berdiri-bersama"]·IT["raccomandare", "sunestotas"]·jav["jumeneng,", "ngadeg-sesarengan", "tetep-jumeneng"]·KO["구성된,", "함께-서-있는", "함께-서있다"]·PT["que-estavam-com", "subsistem", "subsistindo"]·RU["состоящая", "стоит-вместе", "стоящих-вместе"]·ES["que-estaban-con", "subsisten", "subsistiendo"]·SW["ilisimama", "vimeshikamana", "waliosimama-pamoja-naye"]·TR["duran", "oluşan", "tutunur"]·urd["قائم-ہیں", "قائم،", "کھڑے-ہوئے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
συνίστημι, also συνιστάνω Refs 2nd c.BC+; συνιστάω NT+4th c.BC+; imperfect συνίστα Refs 2nd c.BC+imperfect συνίστην, future συστήσω, aorist 1 συνέστησα: transitive perfect συνέστᾰκα, found only in later texts, Refs 1st c.AD+:—set together, combine, τὰς χορδὰς ἀλλήλαις Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰς ἄρκυς καὶ τὰ δίκτυα falsa lectio in Refs 5th c.BC+ __II combine, associate, unite, σ. τοὺς Ἀρκάδας ἐπὶ τῇ…