συμπόσιον

a drinking party, festive company

Definition

The word συμπόσιον (symposion) refers to a drinking party or festive gathering where people recline together to eat and drink. In the New Testament, it specifically describes the orderly groups of people who sat down on the green grass at the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:39). While its primary meaning in secular Greek literature is a convivial banquet often involving wine and philosophical discussion, the biblical usage focuses on the organized, communal aspect of the gathering for a meal, stripped of any excessive revelry.

Biblical Usage

This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Mark 6:39. It describes the scene where Jesus instructs the crowd to recline in groups (συμπόσια συμπόσια) on the grass before the miraculous feeding. The usage highlights the orderly and communal arrangement of the large crowd, transforming a potential scene of chaos into a structured, almost banquet-like setting in preparation for receiving provision from Jesus.

Etymology

Derived from the preposition σύν (syn), meaning 'with' or 'together,' and the root related to πίνω (pinō), meaning 'to drink.' Literally, it means 'a drinking together.' The word was common in ancient Greek culture for a social event following a main meal, dedicated to drinking, entertainment, and conversation.

Semantic Range

While the word itself describes a social event, its single biblical occurrence is theologically significant. In Mark 6:39, Jesus organizes the chaotic crowd into orderly 'banquet groups' (συμπόσια). This action prefigures the messianic banquet, a symbol of God's kingdom and provision. It portrays Jesus as a host who brings order, community, and miraculous sustenance, enriching the reader's understanding of this miracle as a sign of his compassionate lordship and the coming feast of the kingdom.

In the Greco-Roman world, a συμπόσιον was a specific type of social and intellectual gathering. Following the main meal (δεῖπνον), male guests would recline, drink wine (often mixed with water), and engage in conversation, poetry, or music. It could range from philosophical discourse to mere revelry. The New Testament usage, however, focuses purely on the visual image of people reclining together in groups for a meal, adapting the term to a Jewish context of a communal outdoor gathering.

δεῖπνον (deipnon, G1173) — refers to the main meal or dinner itself, not specifically the drinking party that might follow. καθέδρα (kathedra, G2515) — means a seat or sitting place, but lacks the communal, reclining, and festive connotations of συμπόσιον.

Word Details

Scripture References