Bible Dictionaries
Company

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

"a throng of people, an irregular crowd," most usually "a disorganized throng;" in Acts 6:7 , however, it is said of a company of the priests who believed; the word here indicates that they had not combined to bring this about. The RV usually translates this word "company" or "multitude." Cp. B, Note 3. See COMMON , CROWD , MULTITUDE , and Trench, Syn. xcviii.

lit., "a way or journey together" (sun, "with," hodos, "a way"), denotes, by metonymy, "a company of travelers;" in Luke 2:44 , of the company from which Christ was missed by Joseph and Mary. (Eng., synod).

lit. "denotes a drinking together (sun, "with," pino, "to drink"), a drinking-party;" hence, by metonymy, "any table party or any company arranged as a party." In Mark 6:39 the noun is repeated, in the plural, by way of an adverbial and distributive phrase, sumposia sumposia, lit., "companies-companies" (i.e., by companies).

akin to klino, "to recline," primarily means a place for lying down in, and hence a "reclining company," for the same purpose as No. 3. It is found in the plural in Luke 9:14 , corresponding to Mark's word sumposia (No. 3, above), signifying "companies reclining at a meal."

lit., "a fullness," hence denotes "a multitude, a large or full company," Luke 23:1; "a multitude," Luke 23:27 (AV, "a great company"). See BUNDLE , MULTITUDE.

"an association of people, those who are of the same company" (homos, "same"), is used in 1 Corinthians 15:33 , AV, "(evil) communications;" RV, "(evil) company."

akin to No. 6, "a throng or crowd," is found, in some mss., in Revelation 18:17 , "all the company in ships," AV. Homilos denotes the concrete; homilia is chiefly an abstract noun.

"one's own," is used in the plural with the article in Acts 4:23 , to signify "their own (company)." See BUSINESS , B.

Notes: (1) The preposition ex (i.e., ek), "of," with the first personal pronoun in the genitive plural (hemon, "us"), signifies "of our company," lit., "of us," in Luke 24:22; so ex auton, in Acts 15:22 , "men out of their company," lit., "men out of them."

(2) The phrase in Acts 13:13 , hoi peri Paulon, lit., "the (ones) about Paul," signifies "Paul and his company."

(3) Murias, a noun connected with the adjective murios ("numberless, infinite"), signifies "a myriad" (whence the English word), and is used hyperbolically, of vast numbers, e.g., Hebrews 12:22 , AV, "an innumerable company;" RV, "innumerable hosts." (Contrast murioi, 10,000, Matthew 18:24 ).

(4) In Acts 21:8 , the phrase translated "that were of Paul's company" is absent from the best texts.

lit., "to mix up with" (sun, "with," ana, "up," mignumi, "to mix, mingle"), signifies "to have, or keep, company with," 1 Corinthians 5:9,11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14 .

"to come, or go, with," is rendered "have companied" in Acts 1:21 . See COME , No. 11.

Notes: (1) Aphorizo, "to separate," is translated "separate (you) from (their) company," in Luke 6:22 , the latter part being added in italics to supply the meaning of excommunication. See DIVIDE.

(2) Kollao, "to join," is rendered "keep company," in Acts 10:28 , AV; RV, "join himself." See CLEAVE , JOIN.

(3) Ochlopoieo, lit., "to make a crowd" (ochlos, "a crowd," poieo, "to make"), is translated "gathered a company," in Acts 17:5 , AV; the RV corrects this to "gathering a crowd." See CROWD.