Original Word: σύνεσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: sunesis
Pronunciation: soo'-neh-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (soon'-es-is)
KJV: knowledge, understanding
NASB: understanding, cleverness, insight
Word Origin: [from G4920 (συνίημι - understand)]

1. a mental putting together, i.e. intelligence or (concretely) the intellect

knowledge, understanding.

From suniemi; a mental putting together, i.e. Intelligence or (concretely) the intellect -- knowledge, understanding.

see GREEK suniemi

Cognate: 4907 sýnesis (from 4920 /syníēmi) – properly, facts joined together for holistic understanding, i.e. synthesized reasoning that joins implicit (indirect) truths for comprehension. See also 4920 (syníēmi).

For the believer, this "connects the dots" through sanctified, inductive reasoning (done under God). This positive use of 4907 /sýnesis ("synthesized understanding") occurs in: Mk 12:23; Lk 2:47; Eph 3:4; Col 1:9,22; 2 Tim 2:7.

Word Origin
from suniémi
Definition
a running together, spec. understanding
NASB Translation
cleverness (1), insight (1), understanding (5).

STRONGS NT 4907: σύνεσις

σύνεσις, συνέσεως, ἡ (συνίημι, which see);

1. a running together, a flowing together: of two rivers, Homer, Odyssey 10, 515.

2.

a. from Pindar down, understanding: Luke 2:47; 1 Corinthians 1:19 (from Isaiah 29:14); Ephesians 3:4; Colossians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:7; πνευματικῇ, Colossians 1:9.

b. the understanding, i. e. the mind so far forth as it understands: Mark 12:33; Wis. 4:11. (The Sept. for בִּינָה, תֲּבוּנָה, דַּעַת, מַדַע , שֵׂכֶל, etc.; also for מַשׂכִיל, a poem.) (Synonym: see σοφία, at the end; cf. Lightfoot on Colossians 1:9; Schmidt, chapter 147, 8.)

Biblical Portrait of Understanding (Sunesis)

In Scripture, understanding is more than mental acuity; it is the God-given capacity to connect truths, perceive relationships, and apply knowledge in a way that honors the Lord. Rooted in the Hebrew idea of binah and echoed in Greek thought, it is consistently presented as a moral and spiritual faculty that flourishes in reverent hearts but is frustrated in the self-reliant.

Occurrences in the New Testament

• Luke 2:47 – The twelve-year-old Jesus astonishes the teachers: “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” His grasp of the Law validates the prophecy that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Messiah “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding” (Isaiah 11:2).
• Mark 12:33 – A scribe summarizes true piety: “to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding.” Sunesis thus encompasses the worshiper’s entire cognitive engagement with God, integrating love, intellect, and will.
• 1 Corinthians 1:19 – Paul cites Isaiah to expose human pride: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” God overturns natural sagacity that resists the message of the cross.
• Colossians 1:9 – Paul prays that believers be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” linking sunesis to the Spirit’s ongoing illumination.
• Colossians 2:2 – The apostle desires the church to be “filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.” Understanding here safeguards against deceptive philosophies by anchoring hearts in Christ.
• Ephesians 3:4 – Reading Paul’s letter enables believers “to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,” highlighting the apostolic role in transmitting revelatory understanding to the church.
• 2 Timothy 2:7 – “Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.” Timothy must think diligently, yet ultimate understanding is God’s gracious gift.

Relation to Wisdom and Knowledge

Scripture distinguishes but never separates knowledge (gnosis), wisdom (sophia), and understanding (sunesis). Knowledge gathers facts; wisdom directs their righteous use; understanding interrelates them, forging coherent, gospel-centered convictions. Proverbs often pairs wisdom and understanding, a pattern Paul adopts, affirming continuity between the Testaments.

Christ: Embodiment and Source of Understanding

Jesus not only possesses perfect understanding; He imparts it. In Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). By union with Christ and the indwelling Spirit, believers receive the capacity to grasp divine mysteries previously concealed. This Christological focus guards the church from both rationalism and anti-intellectualism, anchoring thought life in the incarnate Word.

Pauline Prayer and Pastoral Burden

Paul repeatedly prays for believers’ understanding, revealing it is nurtured in corporate intercession. Such prayer assumes the sufficiency of Scripture and the Spirit’s active ministry, while recognizing believers’ responsibility to meditate, study, and obey.

Historical Background

In Hellenistic culture sunesis was prized as clever intelligence, yet often divorced from moral accountability. Paul and the Evangelists reclaim the term, rooting it in covenant faithfulness. The Septuagint’s frequent use of sunesis for Hebrew binah prepared Jewish audiences to view understanding as a divine endowment rather than mere human achievement.

Implications for Teaching and Preaching

1. Aim for heart-level comprehension—preaching should move beyond data transfer to Spirit-wrought synthesis.
2. Pray for listeners—following Colossians 1:9, teachers plead for God to grant understanding.
3. Exalt Christ—true understanding is inseparable from knowing Him.
4. Guard the flock—Colossians 2:2 shows understanding as protection against error.
5. Encourage diligence—2 Timothy 2:7 balances divine gifting with thoughtful reflection.

Application for the Church Today

• Discipleship: Mentor believers to read Scripture relationally and coherently, seeking how each passage fits the redemptive storyline.
• Worship: Engage mind and heart; love God “with all your understanding.”
• Apologetics: Present the gospel as the highest wisdom, confident that God confounds self-sufficient intellects yet grants insight to the humble.
• Prayer Meetings: Incorporate Paul’s petitions, asking the Lord to deepen congregational understanding of His will.
• Personal Study: Approach the Word expectantly, relying on the Spirit to weave individual truths into a unified vision of Christ’s glory.

Key Scripture Quotations

Luke 2:47 – “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.”

Colossians 1:9 – “asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

2 Timothy 2:7 – “Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.”

συνεσει συνέσει συνέσεσι συνεσεως συνέσεως συνεσιν σύνεσιν σύνεσίν σύνεσις συνεταιρίδες συνεταίρω συνετιεί συνετίζοντες συνετίσαι συνετίσαί συνετίσαντά συνέτισέ συνέτισον συνέτισόν συνετίω sunesei suneseos suneseōs sunesin synesei synései syneseos syneseōs synéseos synéseōs synesin sýnesin sýnesínInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts