TR: biyn -> syniemi (Mental Discernment)¶
The Chain¶
Hebrew OT LXX (Greek OT) Greek NT
────────────── ──────────────── ────────
בִּין (biyn) → συνίημι (syniemi) → συνίημι (syniemi)
H995, 162x in OT LXX co-occ: 63x 25x in NT
"separate mentally, of biyn "put together,
discern, understand" comprehend"
OT Usage (Hebrew)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H995 | בִּין (biyn) | 162 | discern, understand, consider, perceive |
| H998 | בִּינָה (biynah) | 38 | understanding, discernment (nominal cognate) |
| H8394 | תָּבוּן (tabuwn) | 42 | understanding, intelligence (nominal cognate) |
Key OT passages: - Dan 9:2 — "I Daniel understood by books the number of the years" - Dan 12:10 — "none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand" - Isa 6:9-10 — "Hear ye indeed, but understand not... lest they understand with their heart" - Pro 2:5 — "Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD"
[Full canonical study: H995-biyn.md]
LXX Bridge¶
| Hebrew | Greek Translation | Co-occ | PMI Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| biyn (H995) | συνίημι (G4920) | 63x | 27.04 | Primary equivalent |
| biyn (H995) | συνετός (G4908) | 18x | 18.19 | Adjective form |
| biyn (H995) | νοιέω (G3539) | 12x | 15.90 | "Perceive, observe" |
Reverse bridge (what Hebrew words also map to syniemi):
| Hebrew Source | Co-occ | PMI Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| H995 biyn | 63x | 27.04 | Primary source |
| H7919 sakal | 31x | 23.84 | Second major source — see TR-sakal-syniemi.md |
| H3045 yada | 16x | 5.97 | Occasional overlap when yada means "perceive" |
| H8451 torah | 7x | 6.09 | When "understanding Torah" is rendered with syniemi |
Semantic continuity: The LXX rendering is remarkably consistent. Greek syniemi (from syn + hiemi, "send together" = "put together mentally") closely matches Hebrew biyn's core sense of mental separation/distinction. Both words emphasize the analytical process of comprehension rather than experiential knowledge.
NT Usage (Greek)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4920 | συνίημι (syniemi) | 25 | understand, comprehend, put together mentally |
| G4907 | σύνεσις (synesis) | 7 | understanding, insight (nominal cognate) |
| G4908 | συνετός (synetos) | 4 | intelligent, discerning (adjectival cognate) |
Key NT passages: - Matt 13:13 — "seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (syniemi)" - Matt 13:23 — "he that heareth the word, and understandeth (syniemi) it; which also beareth fruit" - Mark 4:12 — "hearing they may hear, and not understand (syniemi)" (quoting Isa 6:9) - Rom 3:11 — "There is none that understandeth (syniemi), there is none that seeketh after God" - Eph 5:17 — "be ye not unwise, but understanding (syniemi) what the will of the Lord is"
[Library entry: TODO(need G4920 study)]
Direct OT->NT Quotations¶
| NT Verse | Quotes OT | Shared Word | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt 13:14-15 | Isa 6:9-10 | biyn -> syniemi | Jesus applies Isaiah's judgment of incomprehension to parables hearers |
| Mark 4:12 | Isa 6:9 | biyn -> syniemi | Same quotation in Mark's parable discourse |
| Acts 28:26-27 | Isa 6:9-10 | biyn -> syniemi | Paul applies to Jewish rejection of the gospel |
| Rom 3:11 | Psa 14:2 (cf. Psa 53:2) | biyn -> syniemi | Universal human failure to understand |
Continuity and Shifts¶
What stays the same across testaments: - Both biyn and syniemi describe analytical mental comprehension -- discerning truth from falsehood, putting pieces together - Both are used in contexts of divine revelation requiring human reception (Daniel's visions / Jesus' parables) - The failure-to-understand motif runs from Isaiah through Daniel into the Synoptic parable discourses
What shifts: - In the OT, biyn covers a broader semantic range including "attend to," "regard," "be prudent" -- uses that syniemi does not carry into the NT - NT usage concentrates on the understand/not-understand binary (especially in the parables and Rom 3:11), whereas OT usage includes the Hithpael sense of careful study and sustained attention - Daniel's "understanding progression" (8:27 no understanding -> 9:2 understood by books -> 9:22-23 angelic instruction -> 12:10 the wise shall understand) provides the bridge concept that the NT applies eschatologically
Generated from: gather_trace_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --hebrew-source, --lookup) Last updated: 2026-04-11