Lexical Summary
sustelló: To draw together, to contract, to wrap up, to shorten.
Original Word: συστέλλω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sustelló
Pronunciation: soos-TEL-lo
Phonetic Spelling: (soos-tel'-lo)
KJV: short, wind up
NASB: covered, shortened
Word Origin: [from G4862 (σύν - along) and G4724 (στέλλω - keep away)]
1. to send (draw) together, i.e. enwrap (enshroud a corpse for burial), contract (an interval)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
limit, shorten
From sun and stello; to send (draw) together, i.e. Enwrap (enshroud a corpse for burial), contract (an interval) -- short, wind up.
see GREEK sun
see GREEK stello
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
sun and
stellóDefinitionto draw together, hence wrap up
NASB Translationcovered (1), shortened (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4958: συστέλλωσυστέλλω: 1 aorist
συνέστειλα; perfect passive participle
συνεσταλμένος; properly,
to place together;
a. to draw together, contact (τά ἱστία, Aristophanes ran. 999; τήν χεῖρα, Sir. 4:31; εἰς ὀλίγον συστέλλω, Theophrastus, de caus. plant. 1, 15, 1); to diminish (τήν δίαιταν, Isocrates, p. 280 d.; Dio Cassius, 39, 37); to shorten, abridge, passive, ὁ καιρός συνεσταλμένος ἐστιν, the time has been drawn together into a brief compass, is shortened, 1 Corinthians 7:29.
b. to roll together, wrap up, wrap round with bandages, etc., to enshroud (τινα πεπλοις, Euripides, Troad. 378): τινα, i. e. his corpse (for burial), Acts 5:6.
Topical Lexicon
Topical Overview Strong’s Greek 4958 conveys the notion of drawing or bringing something tightly together. It can describe literal physical compression or figurative contraction, such as the shortening of an allotted period.
Occurrences in the New Testament
1. Acts 5:6 – “Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.”
2. 1 Corinthians 7:29 – “What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short.”
Contextual Significance
Acts 5:6
• The term describes the respectful preparation of Ananias’s body after divine judgment. The church’s immediate response—binding and burying—underscores reverence for the deceased while maintaining purity in the assembly.
• Luke highlights the orderly conduct of the early believers; the swift burial reflects both Jewish custom and the community’s recognition of God’s holiness.
1 Corinthians 7:29
• Paul’s use is figurative: the appointed season has been “drawn together.” The Apostle stresses the imminence of the Lord’s return and the condensed window for gospel labor.
• By framing time as compressed, Paul redirects priorities—marital, economic, and emotional investments must all bow to the kingdom’s more urgent demands (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).
Theological Implications
Immediacy of Divine Purposes
The term reinforces a biblical motif: God may suddenly curtail human opportunity. Whether through judgment (Acts 5) or the nearing consummation of history (1 Corinthians 7), believers are summoned to vigilance.
Holiness and Community Witness
In Acts, the wrapping of the body immediately follows a public sin. The church’s swift, orderly action protects communal holiness and testimony. The same verb that signals reverent burial also reminds readers that sin can abruptly truncate earthly prospects.
Eschatological Urgency
Paul’s statement that “the time is short” re-calibrates Christian living. Marriage, mourning, commerce, and pleasure become secondary to mission. The contraction of time presses believers toward faithful stewardship of every moment.
Historical-Cultural Background
Jewish Burial Customs
First-century Jews typically buried a body before sundown. Wrapping with linen cloths prevented defilement and honored the deceased (compare John 11:44; John 19:40). Luke’s mention of young men carrying out Ananias aligns with these customs and illustrates orderly congregational life.
Greco-Roman Thought on Time
Philosophers often spoke of kairos (season) as an opportune moment. Paul appropriates this idea but anchors it in Christ’s imminent return. The compression of kairos intensifies the call to discipleship beyond secular concepts of fate.
Practical Ministry Applications
Pastoral Counseling
• Urgency: Counsel believers to weigh life decisions—marriage, career, possessions—against the brevity of time.
• Holiness: Ananias’s example warns against hypocrisy; discipline and care must balance in church life.
Funeral Ministry
Acts 5 models respectful handling of death without delay, combining realism about judgment with dignity toward the body. Modern pastors can draw upon this passage when teaching about Christian funerary practices and hope.
Evangelism and Discipleship
Paul’s compressed time motif fuels evangelistic passion. Ministry leaders can frame outreach as participation in a rapidly closing window of grace (compare Romans 13:11-12).
Related Biblical Themes
• The “night is nearly over” (Romans 13:12).
• “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
• The parable of the ten virgins, emphasizing preparedness (Matthew 25:1-13).
• Sudden divine intervention, as with Belshazzar’s final night (Daniel 5:30-31).
Conclusion
Strong’s Greek 4958 binds together two vivid scenes: a body swiftly wrapped for burial and a cosmic timetable collapsing toward Christ’s return. Whether illustrating the solemn consequences of sin or the urgency of gospel mission, the word calls believers to sober, active faith—living every hour as a gift that may soon be gathered up according to God’s sovereign plan.
Forms and Transliterations
συνεσταλμενος συνεσταλμένος συνεστειλαν συνέστειλαν sunestalmenos sunesteilan synestalmenos synestalménos synesteilan synésteilan
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