Romans 15:20:13Rom.15.20.W13TAB
θεμέλιον
themelion
“foundation”
- Transliteration
- the-ME-li-on
- Extended
- tʰeh-MEH-lih-on
- IPA
- /tʰeˈme.li.on/
Meaning by language
- English
- foundation
Greek · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Theta | th — as in thin | |
| Epsilon | e — as in met (short) | |
| Mu | m — as in mother | |
| Epsilon | e — as in met (short) | |
| Lambda | l — as in law | |
| Iota | i — as in machine | |
| Omicron | o — as in omit (short) | |
| Nu | n — as in new |
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The word
Word in context
- word
the-ME-li-on
- sentence
HOU-tōs de phi-lo-ti-MOU-me-non eu-ang-ge-LI-dze-sthai oukh HO-pou ō-no-MA-sthē khree-STOS HI-na mē ep al-LO-tri-on the-ME-li-on oi-ko-do-MŌ
Exegesis
The hina clause hina mē ep allotrion themelion oikodomō {ἵνα μὴ ἐπʼ ἀλλότριον θεμέλιον οἰκοδομῶ | hína mē ep allótrion the-mé-li-on oi-ko-do-mō} expresses purpose or intended result: ‘so that I might not build on another’s foundation’. The present subjunctive oikodomō highlights ongoing, potential action that Paul intentionally avoids, while the prepositional phrase ep allotrion themelion ‘upon another’s foundation’ uses allotrion to emphasize prior work belonging to someone else. In translation, the participial construction is rendered as a finite clause (“I make it my ambition”) for clarity, while the hina clause is preserved as a purpose clause (“so that I do not build”), maintaining the logical relationship between Paul’s evangelistic strategy and his desire not to intrude on the foundational ministry of other workers.
Root and etymology
themelioōtheta–epsilon–mu–epsilon–lambda–iota–omicron–omega
“to lay a foundation”
In context — Romans 15:20
So I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another person's foundation .
About this coordinate
Romans 15:20:13 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 13 of Romans 15:20, so the Greek word θεμέλιον (themelion) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Rom.15.20.W13, which extends further down to each syllable (Rom.15.20.W13.S1) and character.