συμπολίτης (sumpolitēs)
sumpolitēs
fellow citizen
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun sumpolitēs means a fellow citizen, describing someone who shares the same civic status as others. In Ephesians 2:19, Paul uses it to explain that Gentile believers are no longer strangers or outsiders but have been granted full membership in God’s household. This term marks a shift from exclusion to inclusion, placing new converts on equal footing with the original people of God.
Its structure is straightforward: the prefix syn- indicates "together" or "with," and politēs refers to a citizen or inhabitant of a city. By combining these elements, the word emphasizes shared belonging rather than just proximity. Paul contrasts sumpolitēs with terms for foreigners and resident aliens, highlighting that spiritual identity overrides ethnic or social boundaries.
This single usage in Ephesians carries significant weight for understanding early Christian community life. It suggests that the church was viewed not merely as a religious group but as a new civic entity with shared rights and responsibilities. The term reinforces the idea that faith creates a unified body where previous divisions no longer determine one’s standing.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sumpolitēs reminds us that our identity in Christ is not a solitary journey but a shared civic reality. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he uses this term to show that Gentile believers have been brought into full membership alongside Jewish saints. This was a radical shift in the ancient world, where social and ethnic boundaries were rigid. Here, those divisions are dissolved, creating a new community defined by grace rather than lineage or status.
For your daily life, this means you belong to something larger than yourself. You are no longer an outsider looking in, but a full participant in the household of God. This shared citizenship calls us to treat one another with dignity and respect, recognizing that every believer holds the same standing before the Father. It is a comforting truth that we walk this path together, supported by the same Spirit and bound by the same love.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- fellow citizens1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- συμπολῖται1×
Key Verses
-
Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,
Paul uses sumpolitēs to explicitly contrast former exclusion with current inclusion, placing Gentile believers on equal footing with Jewish saints in God's household.