1998. episuntrechó
Lexical Summary
episuntrechó: To run together, to rush together

Original Word: ἐπισυντρέχω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: episuntrechó
Pronunciation: eh-pee-soon-TREH-kho
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-soon-trekh'-o)
KJV: come running together
NASB: rapidly gathering
Word Origin: [from G1909 (ἐπί - over) and G4936 (συντρέχω - ran together)]

1. to hasten together upon one place (or a particular occasion)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
come running together.

From epi and suntrecho; to hasten together upon one place (or a particular occasion) -- come running together.

see GREEK epi

see GREEK suntrecho

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from epi and suntrechó
Definition
to run together again
NASB Translation
rapidly gathering (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1998: ἐπισυντρέχω

ἐπισυντρέχω; to run together besides (i. e. to others already gathered): Mark 9:25. Not used by secular writers.

Topical Lexicon
Word and Context

ἐπισυντρέχει depicts a sudden convergence—people rushing together toward a focal point of divine activity. The sole New Testament occurrence (Mark 9:25) records the crowd’s impetuous movement toward Jesus at the foot of Mount Hermon, just after the Transfiguration.

Narrative Setting: Mark 9:14–29

The larger pericope contrasts human inability with Christ’s sovereign power. Nine disciples are powerless before a violent demon; the scribes exploit the situation; the father wavers between doubt and desperate faith. Into this tension the verb appears: “When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the unclean spirit” (Mark 9:25). The gathering does not deter the Lord; rather, it occasions a public display of authority. The timing accentuates two truths:

1. Jesus is never threatened by public scrutiny.
2. Deliverance is often intended to be witnessed, redounding to God’s glory (Mark 9:26).

Christological Implications

The episode underscores Jesus as the decisive center who draws humanity—seekers, skeptics, and sufferers alike. The rush of the multitude prefigures the universal magnetism foretold in John 12:32: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” The term therefore serves as a narrative microcosm of His larger mission: gathering scattered sinners into one redeemed people.

Implications for Discipleship and Pastoral Ministry

1. Public Expectation: Ministry often unfolds under the gaze of onlookers. Faithfulness requires the same composure Jesus displayed when the crowd converged.
2. Urgency of Response: Just as the crowd ran, believers are called to run toward Christ in crisis (Hebrews 12:1–2), not away in fear or doubt.
3. Authority in Conflict: The sequence—crowd’s approach, immediate rebuke, permanent expulsion (“never enter him again”)—models decisive spiritual warfare and pastoral care for the oppressed.

Missional and Evangelistic Resonance

The verb’s imagery reinforces the church’s evangelistic mandate. When Christ is genuinely manifested, people rush to the scene. Acts 2:6 records a similar dynamic: “When this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment.” Spirit-empowered proclamation provokes holy curiosity, providing gospel opportunity.

Intertextual Echoes and Theological Threads

Old Testament language of gathering (Psalm 50:5; Isaiah 2:2) anticipates Messiah’s centripetal pull. The Markan scene therefore contributes to the unfolding storyline of divine assembly, culminating in the eschatological multitude of Revelation 7:9.

Application for Worship and Spiritual Formation

In corporate worship believers reenact the impulse of ἐπισυντρέχει: hastening together around Christ’s presence in Word and Table. Individually, the term invites self-examination—do I run toward Christ’s authority or linger in the periphery? The crowd ran, but only the father cried, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” Authentic faith marries movement with confession.

Forms and Transliterations
επισυντρεχει επισυντρέχει ἐπισυντρέχει episuntrechei episyntrechei episyntréchei
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Mark 9:25 V-PIA-3S
GRK: Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἐπισυντρέχει ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν
NAS: that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked
KJV: the people came running together, he rebuked
INT: Jesus that was running together a crowd he rebuked

Strong's Greek 1998
1 Occurrence


ἐπισυντρέχει — 1 Occ.

1997
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