G5241 — ὑπερεντυγχάνω (huperentugchano)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5241
Original: ὑπερεντυγχάνω
Transliteration: huperentugchano
Pronunciation: hoop-er-en-toong-khan'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Compound: ὑπέρ (huper, G5228 — "over, on behalf of, beyond") + ἐντυγχάνω (entugchano, G1793 — "intercede, appeal to")
Occurrences: 1 (unique verse: 1; token count: 1)
First Occurrence: Rom 8:26 — "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this word appears only once in the entire NT

Lexicon Definition¶

From ὑπέρ (G5228) and ἐντυγχάνω (G1793); to intercede in behalf of: — make intercession for.

Morphological Occurrence¶

Reference	Form	Parsing
Romans 8:26	ὑπερεντυγχάνει	V-PAI-3S — Present Active Indicative, 3rd person singular

The present tense (ὑπερεντυγχάνει) conveys continuous, ongoing action — the Spirit continually intercedes.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33 — Communication
Subdomain: 33.035 — Intercede
Other words in subdomain: ἔντευξις (enteuxis, G1783), ἐντυγχάνω (entugchano, G1793)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
maketh intercession	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Romans	1	0.2

As a hapax legomenon, the word appears exclusively in Paul's letter to the Romans. Its sole occurrence is embedded in the climactic section of Romans 8:18-39, which treats the believer's hope amid present suffering.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Spirit's Intercession on Behalf of Believers¶

Rom 8:26 — "the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered"

This is the only category available for a hapax legomenon. The prefix ὑπέρ intensifies the base verb ἐντυγχάνω, indicating an intercession that goes above and beyond — the Spirit intercedes on behalf of believers when they are unable to articulate their own prayers. The intercession is further characterized as involving "groanings which cannot be uttered" (στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις).

Contextual Usage (Romans 8:26-27)¶

The full context places G5241 alongside its cognate base verb G1793:

Rom 8:26 — "the Spirit itself maketh intercession [G5241 ὑπερεντυγχάνει] for us with groanings which cannot be uttered"
Rom 8:27 — "he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession [G1793 ἐντυγχάνει] for the saints according to the will of God"

Paul uses the intensified compound (G5241) when describing the Spirit's action, then shifts to the simpler form (G1793) in the explanatory v.27. The ὑπέρ prefix distinguishes this intercession as transcending normal petition — it is beyond what the supplicant can express.

Common Collocations¶

As a hapax, no statistically significant co-occurrence data is available. However, within the immediate verse (Rom 8:26), the following words appear alongside ὑπερεντυγχάνω:

Word	Strong's	Context
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	"the Spirit" — the agent of intercession
στεναγμός (stenagmos)	G4726	"groanings" — the manner of intercession
ἀλάλητος (alaletos)	G215	"which cannot be uttered" — characterizes the groanings
ἀσθένεια (astheneia)	G769	"infirmities" — the occasion prompting intercession
προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai)	G4336	"pray" — the human activity the Spirit supplements

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1793 ἐντυγχάνω (entugchano) — base verb: to intercede, appeal to, plead with (5 occurrences)
Rom 8:27 — "he maketh intercession for the saints"
Rom 8:34 — "[Christ] who also maketh intercession for us"
Rom 11:2 — "how he [Elijah] maketh intercession to God against Israel"
Heb 7:25 — "he ever liveth to make intercession for them"
Acts 25:24 — "the Jews have dealt with me" (secular usage: to petition, appeal)
G1783 ἔντευξις (enteuxis) — cognate noun: intercession, petition (2 occurrences)
1 Tim 2:1 — "supplications, prayers, intercessions"
1 Tim 4:5 — "sanctified by the word of God and prayer"
G5228 ὑπέρ (huper) — prefix preposition: over, on behalf of, beyond (160 occurrences)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἐντυγχάνω (entugchano)	G1793	"maketh intercession"	Base verb without intensification; used of Christ's intercession (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25) and of Elijah's complaint against Israel (Rom 11:2); can also mean "appeal to" in secular contexts (Acts 25:24)

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 33.035 — Intercede)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G1783	ἔντευξις	2	intercessions, prayer
G1793	ἐντυγχάνω	5 (4 unique)	maketh intercession, make intercession, have dealt

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew source via LXX mapping. This is a NT compound coined by Paul (or pre-Pauline tradition) without direct OT precedent. The concept of divine intercession in the OT is expressed differently — through priestly mediation and prophetic petition rather than a single Greek lexical equivalent.