• THE SPIRIT ... is PLEADING in accord with God FOR holy ones. Rom.8:27
• Christ Jesus is the one... who ALSO PLEADS FOR US. Rom.8:34
• Christ Jesus is always alive to PLEAD FOR them. Heb.7:25

• THE SPIRIT itself PLEADS FOR US Rom.8:26

• The Father who SEARCHES the hearts knows what the MIND of THE SPIRIT is Rom.8:27
• The Son... SEARCHES the inmost thoughts & hearts Rev.2:18,23
• THE SPIRIT SEARCHES into all things, even the DEPTHS of God. 1Cor.2:10
• Rom.11:33,34 - O the DEPTH of God's riches & wisdom & knowledge! How UNSEARCHABLE His judgments [are] & past TRACING out His ways [are]! For "WHO has come to know Jehovah's MIND...?" [ANSWER = 1Cor.2:10!!! above]

"frame of THOUGHT, WILL, MIND" ~ Analytical Lexicon, p.429

"the word is used of the MIND of THE HOLY SPIRIT" ~ Vine's - Vol.3, p.70

The noun phronema is only found 4x (all with identical spelling). See phronema chart below.

The words are listed in Greek alphabetical order. The translation comes from the Kingdom Interlinear.

"e-" in front of words 19 - 24, denotes past tense of the word

Acts 15:28 - IT SEEMED (EDOXEN) TO THE SPIRIT THE HOLY & TO US

8 : 6

8 : 7

8 : 27

- MINDING of the spirit

- MINDING of the flesh

- MEANING of THE SPIRIT

- MINDING of the spirit

- MINDING of the flesh

- MINDING of THE SPIRIT

WHY is it translated differently in Romans 8:27 in the New World Translation
(especially in view of the following quote) ?

"To each major word we have ASSIGNED ONE MEANING and have held to that meaning as far as the context permitted." (Kingdom Interlinear - Foreword, p.10, 2nd para.)

Reading verse 26 & 27 & 34 together clearly helps to answer the above question.

In like manner THE SPIRIT also joins in with help for our weakness; for the [problem of] what we should pray for as we need to we do not know, but THE SPIRIT itself PLEADS FOR US with groanings unuttered. Yet he who searches the hearts knows what the MIND (phronema)of THE SPIRIT is, because it is PLEADING in accord with God for holy ones.... CHRIST JESUS is the one... who ALSO PLEADS FOR US.

• At Romans 8:27, the New World Translation renders the Greek phro'ne·ma as “meaning,” but in Romans 8 verses 6 & 7, the rendering is “minding.” Why is the same Greek word translated differently?

The context recommends the two renderings chosen. [The context recommends the exact opposite!] The Foreword of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (1950) stated: “To each major word we have assigned one meaning & have held to that meaning as far as the context permitted.” Some would not consider phro'ne·ma a major word, since it occurs only four times. It is, though, related to words that are used more often. One is phro·ne'o, meaning “to think, to be minded in a certain way.” (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33; Romans 8:5; 12:3; 15:5) Other related Greek words convey the idea of using practical wisdom, sense, or discretion.—Luke 1:17; 12:42; 16:8; Romans 11:25; Ephesians 1:8.

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures shows that phro'ne·ma occurs four times at Romans 8:6, 7, 27 & that its literal meaning is consistently “minding.” Greek scholars Bauer, Arndt, & Gingrich explain phro'ne·ma as: ‘way of thinking, mind(-set), aim, aspiration, striving.’—A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament & Other Early Christian Literature.

In Romans chapter 8, the apostle Paul counseled Christians not to walk according to the imperfect human flesh. To succeed in this, they should guard against the tendencies or impulses of the flesh, as well as the reasonings of an imperfect heart. ‘Setting their minds’ on the things in accord with God’s holy spirit will help in this.—Romans 8:1-5.

Paul offered this contrast: “The minding of the flesh means death, but the minding of the spirit means life & peace; because the minding of the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not under subjection to the law of God.” (Romans 8:6, 7) Humans are the subjects in these two verses. Humans, particularly Christians, ought not set their minds on, or be “minding,” the things of the fallen flesh. Instead, they ought to set their minds on, or be “minding,” the things that are in harmony with & stimulated by the spirit. In contrast, Ro 8 verse 27 is dealing with God himself. We read: “Yet he [Jehovah] who searches the hearts knows what the meaning of the spirit is, because it is pleading in accord with God for holy ones.” Yes, the “he” here is Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer.

The word phro'ne·ma could have been rendered in Ro 8 verse 27 as “minding.” But holy spirit is not a person that actually thinks or has its own thinking. The spirit is the active force of God, who knows how his holy spirit works in accomplishing his will. Further, the import of this verse differs from that of Romans 8:6, 7. Those earlier verses highlighted the need humans have to control their thinking & actions. But Jehovah does not have to work, or struggle, to control himself. He knows what was recorded in the Bible under inspiration, such as Biblical expressions that indicate his will for his earthly servants. Dr. Heinrich Meyer comments on Romans 8:27: “God would in every case know the purpose of the Spirit.”

Hence, the rendering “meaning” is in line with the context or thrust of Romans 8:27, & it is allowed by the Greek. The Translator’s New Testament renders it: “He who searches hearts knows what the Spirit means.”