Lexical Summary sunthaptó: To bury together, to be buried with Original Word: συνθάπτω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bury with. From sun and thapto; to inter in company with, i.e. (figuratively) to assimilate spiritually (to Christ by a sepulture as to sin) -- bury with. see GREEK sun see GREEK thapto NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom sun and thaptó Definition to bury with NASB Translation buried (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4916: συνθάπτωσυνθάπτω: 2 aorist passive συνετάφην; from Aeschylus and Herodotus down; to bury together with: τῷ Χριστῷ, together with Christ, passive, διά τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τόν θάνατον namely, αὐτοῦ, Romans 6:4; ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, Colossians 2:12. For all who in the rite of baptism are plunged under the water thereby declare that they put faith in the expiatory death of Christ for the pardon of their past sins; therefore Paul likens baptism to a burial by which the former sinfulness is buried, i. e. utterly taken away. Topical Lexicon Biblical imagery and cultural background First-century Jewish and Greco-Roman funerary practice required prompt interment, usually within twenty-four hours of death. Burial marked a decisive break with the former manner of life and sealed the reality of death. Paul draws on this vivid cultural picture, employing the verb συνθάπτω (Strong’s 4916) to express an equally decisive spiritual fact: believers have been “buried with” Jesus Christ, not merely associated with Him. Pauline theology of co-burial with Christ Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 anchor the doctrine of union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. In both places Paul selects the aorist tense to portray a completed, once-for-all action that nevertheless defines the believer’s ongoing identity. Because the burial of Christ historically certifies His death, the Spirit-wrought co-burial of the believer certifies the end of the old self. There is no halfway measure; participation in Christ’s burial includes participation in everything His burial secured—freedom from the dominion of sin, cancellation of the written code that stood against us (Colossians 2:14), and the pledge of resurrection life. Baptism as the sign of co-burial Paul explicitly links συνθάπτω with baptism: “We therefore were buried with Him through baptism into death…” (Romans 6:4). “having been buried with Him in baptism…” (Colossians 2:12). Immersion in water symbolizes descent into the tomb, while emergence portrays resurrection. The apostle treats the rite not as a mere metaphor but as God-ordained testimony to a real spiritual transaction. Hence the Church historically administers baptism not to effect regeneration by water, but to proclaim visibly that the candidate has already been united to Christ’s burial and raised through faith in “the power of God” (Colossians 2:12). Ethical implications: walking in newness of life Co-burial severs the believer’s bondage to sin. Romans 6:6 continues, “our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless.” Therefore ethical exhortations flow naturally: The past event of burial grounds the present command: “so we too may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Corporate dimension Baptism unites individuals into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13). Because every believer shares the same co-burial, distinctions of ethnicity, status, and gender lose their power to divide (Galatians 3:27-28). The Lord’s Table, which proclaims the Lord’s death, complements baptism by continually reminding the assembled church of the burial already shared. Historical interpretation and ecclesial practice Early Christian writers—from Ignatius of Antioch to Cyril of Jerusalem—interpreted baptismal immersion as descent into and ascent from Christ’s grave. Medieval and Reformation theologians alike retained the motif of burial, even when modes of baptism varied. The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) echoes Romans 6, teaching that baptism “signifies that we are buried with Him.” Contemporary evangelical liturgies often include a declarative formula: “Buried with Christ in baptism; raised to walk in newness of life.” Pastoral and missional applications 1. Discipleship: Grounding new believers in the reality of co-burial fosters assurance and curbs legalism; sanctification is lived out of accomplished union, not self-generated effort. Eschatological outlook Physical interment of the believer’s body foreshadows final victory. Just as co-burial guarantees present spiritual resurrection, it also guarantees future bodily resurrection (Romans 6:5). The empty tomb of Christ ensures that graves will yield their occupants when He returns. Summary Strong’s Greek 4916 portrays the once-for-all co-burial of believers with Jesus Christ—a decisive act enacted symbolically in baptism, establishing freedom from sin, empowering holy living, uniting the church, and guaranteeing future resurrection. Forms and Transliterations συνεταφημεν συνετάφημεν συνθελήσεις συνθεμάτων συνθέσεις συνθέσεως σύνθεσιν σύνθετον συνθηκας συνθήκας συνταφεντες συνταφέντες sunetaphemen sunetaphēmen suntaphentes synetaphemen synetaphēmen synetáphemen synetáphēmen syntaphentes syntaphéntesLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Romans 6:4 V-AIP-1PGRK: συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ NAS: Therefore we have been buried with Him through KJV: Therefore we are buried with him by INT: We were buried therefore with him Colossians 2:12 V-APP-NMP Strong's Greek 4916 |
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