συναυξάνω (sunauxanō)
sunauxanō
to grow together
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb sunauxanō describes a process of growing together or increasing in concert. It combines the prefix syn, meaning "with," and auxano, meaning "to grow." In its single New Testament appearance at Matthew 13:30, it appears in the passive voice, indicating that the plants are being caused to grow together by their shared environment rather than acting independently.
This word is rare outside of this specific agricultural context. The sources note its use in later Greek texts like 2 Maccabees, where it similarly refers to things growing or increasing together. In the parable of the weeds and wheat, it highlights how the two crops develop side by side, sharing the same soil and space until the harvest distinguishes them.
Translators typically render this as "grow together," capturing the visual of intertwined development. The term emphasizes proximity and shared growth rather than competition or separation. It serves as a concrete image for how different elements can coexist in the same field, developing simultaneously under the same conditions until a final separation occurs.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sunauxanō paints a picture of two different plants growing side by side in the same field. In Matthew 13, Jesus uses this image to describe how wheat and weeds develop together until the harvest. This suggests that growth often happens in mixed company. We do not always get to choose who shares our space or time.
For your faith life, this offers a quiet comfort. You are not required to separate yourself from every difficult person or confusing situation immediately. Sometimes, God allows different paths to run parallel for a season. This shared growth is not about confusion, but about patience and trust in the final outcome.
When you feel uncertain about your surroundings, remember that distinction comes in due time. You can focus on your own roots and health without needing to uproot everything around you. Peace is found in trusting the Gardener with the timing of the harvest.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to grow together1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- συναυξάνεσθαι1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
This verse uses sunauxanō to show that wheat and weeds coexist in the same field until a specific time of separation, highlighting patience in mixed environments.