συνθάπτω (sunthaptō)
sunthaptō
be buried with
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb sunthaptō literally means to bury together with someone. In the New Testament, it appears only twice, both in Paul’s letters, where he uses it as a powerful metaphor for Christian baptism. Rather than describing a physical burial, Paul employs this image to explain the spiritual reality of being united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Paul introduces this concept in Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12, connecting the act of baptism with the believer’s identification with Jesus. The prefix syn- emphasizes the union: just as a body is placed in a grave, the believer is symbolically buried alongside Christ. This imagery highlights that baptism is not merely a ritual washing but a participation in the narrative of Christ’s own death and rising to new life.
The word’s rarity underscores its significance. By choosing sunthaptō, Paul avoids vague language and instead anchors the reader in the concrete reality of burial. The theological weight lies in this union: believers are not just observers of Christ’s story but participants in it, sharing in His death to sin and His resurrection to new life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sunthaptō paints a vivid picture of total union with Christ. It does not describe a distant observation but a shared experience. When Paul uses this term, he reminds us that baptism is more than a ritual; it is a spiritual reality where we are buried together with Jesus. This imagery anchors our faith in the concrete history of His death and resurrection.
For your daily walk, this means you do not face life alone. You have been identified with Christ in His victory over sin and death. Just as He was raised to new life, you too are empowered to live differently. This union offers hope that your past does not define you, but your connection to Him does.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- having been buried with1×
- We were buried1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- συνταφέντες1×
- συνετάφημεν1×
Key Verses
-
Romans 6:4
We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
This verse links the act of burial directly to the practical outcome of walking in newness of life, showing that our union with Christ changes how we live daily.
-
Colossians 2:12
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Here Paul emphasizes that this burial happens through faith in God's working, highlighting that the power behind our new life comes from God who raised Jesus from the dead.