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Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Sanhedrin

συνέδριον · Synedrion · G4892

The Sanhedrin refers to a Jewish council or governing body.

22 Scripture references1 lexical sources5 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

The Sanhedrin refers to a Jewish council or governing earth, life, humanity, and ordered world into existence.">creation rather than as an inherently evil prison for the soul.">body.
In New Testament contexts, the term often refers to the leading council in Temple, prophetic hope, Yeshua's death and resurrection, apostolic mission, and future restoration.">Jerusalem.

Historical Context

The exact structure and authority of the Temple, prophetic hope, Yeshua's death and resurrection, apostolic mission, and future restoration.">Jerusalem council changed over time and remains debated among historians.
It included important representatives from:
• chief priests
• elders
• scribes

New Testament

The Sanhedrin appears prominently in:
• the trial of Yeshua
• the persecution of the apostles
• Yeshua whose mission focuses especially on proclaiming the gospel among Gentiles.">Paul's hearings
Key texts include:
• Matthew 26
• Mark 14
• Acts 4–5
• Acts 22–23

Roman Context

Jewish leadership operated under Roman imperial authority.
This meant that local religious and judicial authority functioned within political limitations imposed by Rome.

Important Caution

The New Testament's use of "the council" should not be simplistically projected onto later rabbinic descriptions of the Sanhedrin without historical distinction.
Editorial source: Grafted Bible Dictionary · Entry 59

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Greek Word Study

συνέδριον

synédrion · G4892

Original Word
συνέδριον
Transliteration
synédrion
Strong’s
G4892
Meaning
council

Unified Lexical Definition

a joint session, i.e. (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin by analogy, a subordinate tribunal

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

a joint session, i.e. (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin by analogy, a subordinate tribunal

View original lexicon entry
{
    "strongs": "G4892",
    "language": "greek",
    "lemma": "συνέδριον",
    "transliteration": "synédrion",
    "pronunciation": "",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "glosses": [
        "council"
    ],
    "definitions": [
        "a joint session, i.e. (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin",
        "by analogy, a subordinate tribunal"
    ],
    "administrator_commentary": "",
    "source": {
        "dataset": "Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon",
        "provider": "Open Scriptures",
        "url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
        "license": "CC BY-SA"
    },
    "version": 1,
    "updated_at": "2026-08-05T10:41:56-05:00",
    "strong": "G4892"
}

New Testament Usage

22 occurrences

View All Greek Occurrences

Sources: Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

22Exact Lemma5Conceptual Relationship
Gospels · 8
Matthew 5:22Exact LemmaMatthew 10:17Exact LemmaMatthew 26:59Exact LemmaMark 13:9Exact LemmaMark 14:55Exact LemmaMark 15:1Exact LemmaLuke 22:66Exact LemmaJohn 11:47Exact Lemma
Acts · 14
Acts 4:15Exact LemmaActs 5:21Exact LemmaActs 5:27Exact LemmaActs 5:34Exact LemmaActs 5:41Exact LemmaActs 6:12Exact LemmaActs 6:15Exact LemmaActs 22:30Exact LemmaActs 23:1Exact LemmaActs 23:6Exact LemmaActs 23:15Exact LemmaActs 23:20Exact LemmaActs 23:28Exact LemmaActs 24:20Exact Lemma

Reference Works

Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Names

Unified Dictionary Summary

The Sanhedrin refers to a Jewish council or governing body.

Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)
sitting together

Sources: Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

Context

Historical and Jewish Context

Historical context

The exact structure and authority of the Jerusalem council changed over time and remains debated among historians.
It included important representatives from:
• chief priests
• elders
• scribes
Related Content9 items

High Priest

The High Priest was the chief priestly figure in Israel's sanctuary system.

Pharisees

The Pharisees were a Jewish movement active during the late Second Temple period.

Sadducees

The Sadducees were an influential Jewish group during the Second Temple period, especially associated with priestly and aristocratic circles.

Scribe

A scribe was a literate specialist associated with writing, preserving, interpreting, or teaching legal and sacred texts.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the central biblical city associated with Davidic kingship, the Temple, prophetic hope, Yeshua's death and resurrection, apostolic mission, and future restoration.

SANHEDRIN

Nave’s Topical Bible references for SANHEDRIN.

Sanhedrim

More correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning "a sitting together," or a "council." This word (rendered "council," A.V.) is frequently used in the New Testament (Matt. 5:22; 26:59; Mark 15:1, etc.) to denote the supreme judicial and administrative council of the Jews, which, it is said, was first instituted by Moses, and was composed of seventy men (Num. 11:16, 17). But that seems to have been only a temporary arrangement which Moses made. This council is with greater probability supposed to have originated among the Jews when they were under the domination of the Syrian kings in the time of the Maccabees. The name is first employed by the Jewish historian Josephus. This "council" is referred to simply as the "chief priests and elders of the people" (Matt. 26:3, 47, 57, 59; 27:1, 3, 12, 20, etc.), before whom Christ was tried on the charge of claiming to be the Messiah. Peter and John were also brought before it for promulgating heresy (Acts. 4:1-23; 5:17-41); as was also Stephen on a charge of blasphemy (6:12-15), and Paul for violating a temple by-law (22:30; 23:1-10). The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of seventy-one members, the high priest being president. They were of three classes (1) the chief priests, or heads of the twenty-four priestly courses (1 Chr. 24), (2) the scribes, and (3) the elders. As the highest court of judicature, "in all causes and over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil, supreme," its decrees were binding, not only on the Jews in Palestine, but on all Jews wherever scattered abroad. Its jurisdiction was greatly curtailed by Herod, and afterwards by the Romans. Its usual place of meeting was within the precincts of the temple, in the hall "Gazith," but it sometimes met also in the house of the high priest (Matt. 26:3), who was assisted by two vice-presidents.

Sanhedrin

sitting together

Senate

(Acts 5:21), the "elders of Israel" who formed a component part of the Sanhedrin.

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