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1 Corinthians 3:20 — Word Study

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N1904καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

BSAAndkai again;palin [once more, as before] [The] Lordkurios [God, the supreme authority] knowsginōskō [is fully aware, has complete understanding] theho thoughtsdialogismos [reasonings, mental processes] of theho wisesophos [those who think they are wise, intelligent] thathoti they areeimi futile.mataios [vain, useless, without real value]

Word
Listen & take away1 Corinthians 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 20 is in this chapter.
Greek ↓ Download MP3 Nestle 1904 — the very text on this page — read by Andy Martin in Erasmian pronunciation.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (mataios) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Corinthians 3:20quick helps
In a sentencePaul quotes Scripture to show that human wisdom is ultimately meaningless.
Who is speakingThe Apostle Paul, addressing the Corinthian church.
Where we areIn a section discussing the futility of worldly wisdom, as part of a broader argument about spiritual matters.
The hard wordμάταιοι
Take awayThe thoughts of the wise are ultimately vain.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectκύριος verbγινώσκω The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 1 Corinthians 3:20

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Futility of Worldly Wisdomgenerated

19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
21Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,

1 Corinthians 3:20 is part of Paul's argument that the wisdom of this world does not align with God's understanding. He cites Scripture to emphasize that human reasoning, which may seem wise, is ultimately futile in the eyes of God. This passage serves to remind the Corinthian believers that they should not rely on their own wisdom but seek God's truth instead.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 94:11The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
2Job 11:11–12Surely He knows the deceit of men. If He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
3Psalm 2:1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
4Romans 1:21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
5Colossians 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

the lordPsalm 94:11

The Key Wordgenerated

The adjective μάταιος (mataios) means vain or empty, indicating something that lacks value or purpose. It is often used in contexts that describe thoughts, beliefs, or actions that are ultimately unproductive.

In this verse, it highlights the futility of the wise in their own eyes, suggesting that their reasoning does not hold weight before God. The term appears in other New Testament contexts, such as in 1 Corinthians 15:17, where it describes faith that is without substance.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." This is consistent across several translations, including the KJV and ASV, which use the term vain for the Greek word μάταιοι.

However, the WEB opts for worthless in its translation, while the YLT retains the reasonings of the wise. This shows a slight variation in the interpretation of the Greek word διαλογισμοὺς.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is γινώσκει, knows, which governs the subject κύριος and connects to a noun phrase that describes what the Lord knows: the thoughts of the wise. The structure is straightforward, with a clear subject-verb-object arrangement.

The phrase τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς σοφῶν serves as the object, indicating that it is the thoughts of the wise that are being referred to. The sentence is built around the assertion of God's knowledge of these thoughts, culminating in the assertion that they are μάταιοι.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

μάταιος corresponds to the Hebrew word for emptiness, often used in the Septuagint to describe things that are without substance or value. This connection underscores the continuity of thought regarding the futility of human wisdom.

The use of διαλογισμός in the New Testament can be traced back to the Hebrew concept of thought or reasoning, as seen in the Septuagint's rendering of related passages, which reinforces the idea that human reasoning can lead to misguided conclusions.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Corinthians 3:20 reminds us that the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. This means that human wisdom, which may seem valuable, is ultimately empty when compared to God's understanding.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the thoughts of the wise are futile?

It means that human reasoning and wisdom, which might seem impressive, do not hold any real value in the sight of God.

Why does Paul quote this Scripture?

Paul quotes this to emphasize that relying on human wisdom is misguided and that true understanding comes from God.

How can we apply this verse to our lives?

We should seek God's wisdom rather than relying solely on our own understanding, recognizing that human perspectives can be flawed.

What is the significance of the word 'again' in this verse?

The word 'again' indicates that this is not the first time Paul is making this point, reinforcing the idea that God's knowledge of human reasoning has been established in Scripture.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life am I relying too much on my own wisdom rather than seeking God's guidance?
  2. How can I cultivate a mindset that values God's wisdom over worldly knowledge?
  3. What are some examples of thoughts or beliefs I have that might be considered futile in God's eyes?
  4. How does understanding the futility of human wisdom affect my approach to decision-making?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Several early church Fathers comment on this verse, discussing the nature of human wisdom and its limitations in relation to God's knowledge.

John ChrysostomHomily on 1 Corinthians 10 c. 347–407
Next, he declares also the mode in which God took them, adding another testimony: "For the Lord," saith he, "knoweth the reasonings of men that they are vain." Now when the Wisdom which is boundless pronounces this edict concerning them,
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 3 →
PelagiusCOMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 3 c. 354–418
The thoughts of the wise contribute nothing to a person’s salvation.
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 3 →
AmbrosiasterCOMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES fl. c. 366–384
Knowing that their thoughts are vain, God rebukes their wisdom in order to prove that they are foolish, showing that what they thought was false is true and vice versa.
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 3 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Corinthians 3:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And again,.... Not in the same place, nor in the same book, but in the Psalms, in Psalms 94:11.

Read John Gill on 1 Corinthians 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Corinthians 3 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And again, it was said by the psalmist, , that: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity: man’ s counsels, imaginations, reasonings, they are all vanity; they propose to themselves ends which they cannot attain, and pursue them by means that are inefficacious with reference to their ends.

Read Matthew Poole on 1 Corinthians 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Ver. 20. Of the wise] Such as excel in natural gifts, that are the choicest and most picked men. The Psalmist saith only of men, Psalms 94:12.

Read John Trapp on 1 Corinthians 3 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 20. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise] They are always full of schemes and plans for earthly good; and God knows that all this is vain, empty, and unsatisfactory; and will stand them in no stead when he comes to take away their souls. This is a quotation from Psalms 94:11. What is here said of the vanity of human knowledge is true of every kind of wisdom that leads not immediately to God himself.

Read AdamClarke on 1 Corinthians 3 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. And again] This passage occurs in Psalms 94:11.

Read Cambridge on 1 Corinthians 3 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And again, - Psalms 94:11. The Lord knoweth - God searches the heart. The particular thing which it is here said that he knows, is, that the thoughts of man are vain.

Read Albert Barnes on 1 Corinthians 3 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

20. Wise—Psalms 94:11. Instead of the thoughts of the wise, the Hebrew has it, “the thoughts of men;” a term which includes, of course, men especially who pride themselves in original and philosophic thoughts and reasonings.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 1 Corinthians 3 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

NETBNew English Translation2006

And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.

RVARevised Version, American1894

and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And againe, The Lord knoweth that the thoughtes of the wise be vaine.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And again, [The] Lord knows the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and again, 'The Lord doth know the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and again, “The LORD knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.”

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

And again, “The Lord knows that the reasoning of the wise is futile.”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And again: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

and “The Lord knows the arguments of the wise are pointless.”

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.

Word by word, the decisions they made

γινώσκειginōskō knows G1097 2 different renderings
knowsBSB DBY FBV LSV MSB NETB ULB WEB
knowYLT
διαλογισμοὺςdialogismos thoughts G1261 3 different renderings
thoughtsBSB DRA KJV MSB NETB NWB
reasoningsASV BBE DBY LSV RVA YLT
reasoningULB WEB
εἰσὶνeimi they are G1510 3 different renderings
they areASV BBE DBY DRA KJV LSV NWB RVA YLT
areBSB FBV MSB NETB
it isWEB
μάταιοι.¶mataios futile. G3152 3 different renderings
vainASV DBY DRA KJV LSV NWB RVA YLT
futileBSB MSB NETB ULB
worthlessWEB

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseκαὶAndclauseadverbialπάλινagainclausesubjectΚύριος[The] Lordverbγινώσκειknowsnoun phrase · objectτοὺςthenoun phraseδιαλογισμοὺςthoughtsnoun phraseτῶνof theσοφῶνwiseclauseὅτιthatclauselinking verbεἰσὶνthey arepredicateμάταιοιfutile

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

Et iterum : Dominus novit cogitationes sapientium quoniam vanæ sunt.

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܘܬܘܒ ܡܪܝܐ ܝܕܥ ܡܚܫܒܬܗܘܢ ܕܚܟܝܡܐ ܕܣܪܝܩܢ ܐܢܝܢ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.¶

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse all agree
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

Every edition agrees. All 8 printed editions — Nestle-Aland 28, Nestle-Aland 27, SBLGNT, Westcott-Hort, Tregelles, Tyndale House 2017, Textus Receptus (KJV), Byzantine majority — carry every word of this verse, in the same order, with no difference that any translator would render differently.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

1 Corinthians 3:20καίAndAndκαίπάλινagain;again;πάλινκύριος[The] Lord[The] Lordκύριοςγινώσκωknowsknowsγινώσκωthetheδιαλογισμόςthoughtsthoughtsδιαλογισμόςof theof theσοφόςwisewiseσοφόςὅτιthatthatὅτιεἰμίthey arethey areεἰμίμάταιοςfutile.futile.μάταιοςδιαλογίζομαιv. I reasov. I reason, deδιαλογίζομαιπάληn.f. a wren.f. a wrestlinπάληφρόνιμοςAdj intellAdj intelligentφρόνιμοςὅστιςRel.pr. whRel.pr. whosoevὅστιςμάτηνAdv in vaiAdv in vainμάτηνδεύτεροςAdj & Adv.Adj & Adv. secoδεύτεροςμικρόςAdj littleAdj little, smaμικρόςδουλεύωv. I am a v. I am a slaveδουλεύωναίDisj.prt. Disj.prt. yes, ναίἐγγύςAdv nearAdv nearἐγγύςἄρτιAdv now, jAdv now, just nἄρτιχωρίςAdv apart Adv apart from,χωρίςπονηρόςAdj evil, Adj evil, bad, πονηρόςσυνετόςAdj intellAdj intelligentσυνετόςποῦIrg.adv. wIrg.adv. where,ποῦοἶδαv. I know,v. I know, remeοἶδαγινώσκωv. I come v. I come to knγινώσκωἄξιοςAdj worthyAdj worthy, worἄξιος
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 1 Corinthians 3:20

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
καὶkai And G2532 Conjunction
8,978× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
And or also, a connecting word used to join ideas or words, like in Matthew 2:18 and Hebrews 1:1.
Tyndale gloss
and
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

καί (kai) is a conjunction meaning 'and,' used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. It serves various functions, including copulative and adjunctive uses, and can express cumulative ideas like 'also' or 'even.' The New Testament frequently employs it to link terms and sentences, as seen in verses like Matthew 2:18 and John 10:3. Abbott-Smith notes its use in both simple and complex structures, while Thayer emphasizes its role as the most common particle in the New Testament.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

καί,

conj.,

and.

Copulative.

Connecting single words;

in general: Mt 2:18 16:1, Mk 2:15, Lk 8:15, He 1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mt 23:23, Lk 14:21, Ro 7:12 9:4, al.;

connecting numerals (WM, § 37, 4): Jo 2:20, Ac 13:20;

joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mt 8:33 26:59, Mk 16:17,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

καί, a conj., and; the most freq. by far of all the particles in the N. T. [On its uses see W. § 53, 3sqq.; B. 361 (310) sqq., and ef. Ellicott on Phil. iv. 12; on the difference between it and τέ see 8. v. τέ ad init. ] I. It serves as a copulative i.e. to connect (Lat. et, atque, Germ. und) ; 1. it connects single words or terms: a. univ., as of Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι, Mt. xvi. 1; ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, he who is God and Father (see θεός, 3); ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ, Lk. viii. 15; πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, ΗΘ}. 1. 1; it is repeated before single terms, to each of which its own force and weight is thus given: ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ai διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, Ro. ix. 4 ; ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή, Ro. vii. 12; add, Mt. xxiii. 23; Lk. xiv. 21; Jn. xvi. 8; Acts xv. 20, 29; xxi. 25; Heb. ix. 10; Rey. v. 12; xviii. 12 sq.; ef. W. 519 sq. (484). b. it…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

και. In LAE p. 129 ff. Deissmann discusses the thoroughly popular character of the Johannine style with its short paratactic sentences, introduced by kal. . . καί. To illustrate this, he cites amongst other exx. a Dream from the Serapeum, P Par 51 (B.C. 160) (= Selections, p. 18 ff. : see especially the amended readings in Archiv vi. p. 204), which runs—** ὦμ[ην] βατί -- δ)ίζειν pe [ἀπ]ὸ λειβὸς ἕως ἀ[ πηλι]ώτου, καὶ ἀναπίπτομαι ἐπ᾿ ἄχυρον" καὶ [ἄν]θρωπ[ος9] ἀπὸ λιβός μου, ἐχόμενός μου’ ἀναπίπτει καὶ αὐτός, καὶ ὥσπερ κεκλειμμ[évot] μου ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, καὶ ἐξαί[φνης] ἀνύγω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς pov, καὶ ὁρῶ kTA., “ I dreamed that I was going from West to East, and I lie down upon chaff. And there | αὐτὸ (deleted in the original) Σεμφθεῖ. | ἐκ καινῆς ἐν Σομολ(ῶ)…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

καί (kai) — and.

καί,

conjunction, copulative, joining words and sentences,

__A and; also adverb, even, also, just, frequently expressing emphatic assertion or assent, corresponding as positive to the negative οὐ (μή) or οὐδέ (μηδέ). copulative, and,

__A.I joining words or sentences to those preceding, ἦ, καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπ᾽ ὀφρύσινεῦσε Κρονίων [Refs 8th c.BC+]: repeated with two or more Nouns, αἱ δὲ ἔλαφοι κ. δορκάδες κ. οἱ ἄγριοι οἶες κ. οἱ ὄνοι οἱ ἄγριοι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; joining only the last pair, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ ὄχλος πλείων κ. πλείων ἐπέρρει more and more, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to add epithets after πολύς, πολλὰ κ. ἐσθλά [Refs 8th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

καί

kai

apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also

a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in

connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and,

also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when,

yet.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

καί

Cj.

and, even, also, namely

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

καί kai 9x

(1) and, Mt. 2:2, 3, 11; 4:22; (2) καί ... καί, both ... and; (3) as a cumulative particle, also, too, Mt. 5:39; Jn. 8:19; 1 Cor. 11:6; (4) emphatic, even, also, Mt. 10:30; 1 Cor. 2:10; in NT adversative, but, Mt. 11:19; also introductory of the apodosis of a sentence, Gal. 3:28; Jas. 2:4

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
89%and
and89% · 8448×also8% · 714×other renderings2% · 191×other renderings1% · 124×

9,477 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 42 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial16%subject13%object10%predicate3%verb2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 8,978 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
αὐτός
ἐνἐπίπρός
σύ
χάριςgrace, favor, kiπρόςπατήρfather, Father,
ἐγώ
πατήρfather, Father, πρόςθεόςGod, a god
εἰμίI am, exist
αὐτόςArticle theἐγώ
θεόςGod, a god
Article theθέλημαwill, wish, desiδέbut, on the othe
καίAnd8978×
what comes after →
Article the
ἀδελφόςa brotherπατήρfather, Father, μήτηρa mother
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςArticle theπρός
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existμήNegδύναμαιI am powerful, a
ὁράωI see, look upon, ex
Article theαὐτόςἀνήρa male human bei
ἐν
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, ὅλοςall, the whole,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceκαί · 8,978× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Revelation Acts Mark John 1 Corinthians Romans Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

3 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ἡ τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

1 ἔτους ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
πάλιν·palin again; G3825 Adverb
141× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in 1 Corinthians than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Again or once more is what this word means. It is used in many places in the Bible, like Matthew 4:8 and John 1:35, to indicate that something is happening again or that something should be done again.
Amplified meaning
once more, as before
Tyndale gloss
again
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word πάλιν (*palin*) is an adverb meaning 'again' or 'back.' It encompasses both spatial and temporal contexts, indicating a return to a previous position or the repetition of an action. In the New Testament, it appears in various verses, such as Matthew 4:8 and John 1:35. The lexicons note its use for both literal and rhetorical purposes, but there is no significant disagreement among them.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

πάλιν, adv.,

[in LXX for שׁוּב, etc.;]

of place, back, backwards (LS, s.v.).

Of time, again, once more: Mt 4:8, Mk 2:13, Lk 23:20, Jo 1:35 (and freq.), Ac 17:32, Ro 11:23, Ga 1:9, He 1:6, al; pleonastically, π. ἀνακάμπτειν, Ac 18:21; ὑποστρέφειν, Ga 1:17; εἰς τὸ π., II Co 13:2; π. ἐκ τρίτου (Bl., § 81, 4),

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

πάλιν, adv.,fr. Hom. down; 1. anew, again, [but the primary meaning seems to be back; cf. (among others) Ellendt, Lex. Soph. 8. v. ii. p. 485]; a. joined to verbs of all sorts, it denotes renewal or repetition of the action: Mt. ἵν. 8; xx.5; xxi. 36; xxii.1,4; Mk. ii. 13; iii. 20; Lk. xxiii. 20; Jn. i. 35; iv. 13 ; viii. 2, 8, 12, 21; ix. 15,17; x.19; Acts xvii. 32; xxvii. 28; Ro. xi. 23; 1 Co. vii. 5; 2Co. xi.16; Gal.i.9; 11.18; iv. 19; 2 Pet. ii. 20; Phil. ii. 28; iv.4; Heb.i. 6 (where πάλιν is tacitly opposed to the time when God first brought his Son into the world, i. e. to the time of Jesus’ former life on earth) ; Heb. v.12; vi.1,6; Jas. v.18; Rev. x. 8, 11; πάλιν μικρόν se. ἔσται, Jn. xvi. 16 sq. 19; εἰς τὸ πάλιν, again (cf. Germ. zum wiederholten Male; [see eis, A. II. 2 fin.]), 2 Co. xiii. 2; with verbs of going, coming, departing, returning, where again combines with the…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

πάλιν, an adverbial acc. like δίκην, μάτην, χάριν, originally meaning ‘‘back,’’ return to a previous position, in later Greek came to be used rather in the sense of ‘‘ again,” repetition of a previous action. Exx. are P Tebt I. 58°? (B.C. 111) πάλιν προσεντέλλομαί σοι προσεδρεῦσαι, “1 again bid you be in attendance”’ (Edd.), P Fay 122! (¢. A.D. 100) ἕως ἀπολαβὼν τὸ λοιπὸν THs τιμ[ἢ]ς πάλιν σοι γράψω, “until I get the remainder of the price and write to you again” (Edd.), PSI IV. 299! (ili/A.D. εὔχομαι τ]ῷ θεῷ ἕως οὗ ἄν pe πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὐοδώσῃ, “1 pray God until he again gives me a prosperous return to you,” P Oxy παλινγενεσία 4 XII. 1490° (late iii/a.p.) εἰ οὖν πάλιν δύνῃ ἐκπλέξαι παρὰ σεαυτῷ, τύχῃ τῇ ἀγαθῇ, “if then you can again get him off by yourself (Ὁ), good luck to you” (Edd.), and P Gen I. 532° (iv/A.D.) ἐγὼ πάλιν σὸς δοῦλος εἰμεὶ καὶ οὐκ ἀποστατίσωμαί (= ἡσομαί) σου ὡς…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

πάλιν (palin) — again.

πάλῐν [ᾰ],

poetry also πάλι (q.see), adverb

1. of Place, back, backwards (the usual sense in early Epic dialect), mostly joined with Verbs of going, coming, etc.; π. χώρει [Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. ἐλεύσεται, κατελθεῖν, ἐπανέλθωμεν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δεῦρο σωθήσῃ π. [Refs]; δόμεναι π. give back, restore, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; π. ἀγκαλέσαι to call back, [Refs 4th c.BC+] she turned back from her son, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: coupled with other adverbs, π. αὖτις ἔβαινον νηὸς ἐπὶ γλαφυρῆς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αὖ π. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἄψορρον π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. οἴκαδε, π. οἴκαδ᾽ αὖ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with the Article, ἡ π. ὁδός [Refs 5th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

πάλιν

palin

probably from the same as 3823 (through the idea of oscillatory

repetition); (adverbially) anew, i.e. (of place) back, (of time) once

more, or (conjunctionally) furthermore or on the other hand:--again.

see GREEK for 3823

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

πάλιν

Adv

again, further, on the other hand

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

πάλιν palin 141x

pr. back; again, back again, Jn. 10:17; Acts 10:16; 11:10; again by repetition, Mt. 26:43; again in continuation, further, Mt. 5:33; 13:44, 45, 47, 18:19; again, on the other hand, 1 Jn. 2:8

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

πάλιν of Place, back, backwards, Hom., Hes., etc.; π. χωρέειν Hdt.; π. ἔρχεσθαι Aesch., etc.; also, πάλιν δοῦναι to give back, restore, Il.:—c. gen., πάλιν τράπεθ᾽ υἷος ἑοῖο she turned back from her son, id. Il.; πάλιν κίε θυγατέρος ἧς id. Il.;—also πάλιν αὖτις back again, αὖτε πάλιν, ἂψ π., π. ὀπίσσω, etc.

with a notion of contradiction, πάλιν ἐρεῖν to gain say (i. e. say against), Il.; but, μῦθον πάλιν λάζεσθαι to take back one's word, unsay it, id. Il.; opp. to ἀληθέα εἰπεῖν, Od.: in Prose, contrariwise, Plat.: —c. gen., τὸ πάλιν νεότητος youth's opposite, Pind.; χρόνου τὸ πάλιν the change of time, Eur.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adverb
adverb — it qualifies the verb, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

ADV ADVerb or adverb and particle combined

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-gen': Advb. denoting repetition; in New Testament, generally for palin, "back," "once more." Occasionally, it has the force of a connective, synonymous with "moreover," as in Ro 15:10 ff; 1Co 3:20, etc. The expression "born again" of the King James Version, Joh 3:3,7; 1Pe 1:23, translating the Greek "anothen" and "ana" in composition, becomes in the Revised Version (British and American) "anew," i.e. "over again." As these particles mean "from above" and "up," their use as indicating repetition is sometimes disputed, but without further foundation than that "again" does not exhaust the meaning.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
99%again
again99% · 144×other renderings1% · 1×

145 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 141 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώἸουδαῖοςJewishδοξάζωI glorify, honor
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theοὗτοςὄρθροςearly dawn, day-
οὖνtherefore, then
λέγωI say, speakἔρχομαιI come, goἸησοῦςJesus
ἸησοῦςJesus
Article theδέbut, on the othe
αὐτός
ἀφίημιI send away, relοὖνtherefore, thenλέγωI say, speak
πάλινagain;141×
what comes after →
λέγωI say, speak
μήNegἐνArticle the
εἰς
Article theΚαφαρναούμPropσυναγωγήan assembly, con
Article the
ὄχλοςa crowdμαθητήςa learner, disciδώδεκαIndec
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἐξέρχομαιI go out, come oArticle the
οὖνtherefore, then
αὐτόςἐρωτάωI ask, question,ἐπερωτάωI interrogate, q

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceπάλιν · 141× in the New Testament
John Mark Matthew Hebrews Galatians 2 Corinthians Acts Romans 1 Corinthians Luke Philippians Revelation

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament15 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 35 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Epistle of Barnabas The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 29c. AD 40

εἶθ’ ὕδατος ἀσώματον οὐσίαν καὶ πνεύματος καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἑβδόμου φωτός, ὃ πάλιν ἀσώματον ἦν καὶ νοητὸν ἡλίου παράδειγμα καὶ πάντων ὅσα φωσφόρα ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμελλε συνίστασθαι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

Ἰακώβου φυγὴ εἰς τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ τὸν ἐκ τἀδελφοῦ φόβον, καὶ ὡς γήμας ἐκεῖ καὶ δώδεκα γεννήσας παῖδας πάλιν εἰς τὴν Χαναναίαν ἐπανῆλθεν.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.7c. AD 100

λέγει δὲ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτούς: Μὴ ἐγὼ ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν ἐκπορευομένοις ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, προσενέγκαι μοι ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας;

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
4th c. AD 2nd c. AD 6th c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC
PSI 6 575Alexandria252 BC

ἐμνήσθην σοι καὶ πρότερον ἐν πόλει ὑπὲρ Ἑρμογένους τινὸς τῶν κληρούχων, ᾤμην δὲ δεῖν πάλιν ὑπομνῆσαί σε. καλῶς ἂν οὖν ποιήσαις, ὡς ἄν σοι ἀποδῶι τὴν ἐπιστολήν, γνωριμώτερόν σε

P.Cair. Zen. 3 59442Alexandria (?)276 BC–227 BC

ς σοι παραδῶι μετὰ φιλίας κα … μαν παρʼ αὐτοῦ παῖδα πάλιν ἀνακεχωρηκέναι … πράγματα ἔχων ὅπως καταγάγω αὐτόν· οὐ γὰρ … καὶ Αἰνησίδημον ἀξιώσω τοῦ

P.Cair. Zen. 4 59621Arsinoites (?)249 BC–240 BC

παρασχέσθαι μαρτυροῦντας αὐτῆι εναμ … … ἐρημοῦμαι δὲ καὶ ἐγὼ μαρτυρίας περὶ τούτων, ὅπως πάλιν διακούσας … … ους, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐνδείξηται, εἶναι τὴν οἰκίαν ἐμήν , ἵνα

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
κύριοςkurios [The] Lord G2962 Noun · nominative · singular · masculine
718× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for lord or master, used to address God or a person in authority, showing respect and power. In the New Testament, it appears in Matthew 9:38 and Mark 12:9. It signifies a controller or ruler.
Amplified meaning
God, the supreme authority
Tyndale gloss
lord: God
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

κύριος is a Greek word meaning 'lord' or 'master,' derived from the concept of authority. It is used in various contexts, referring to God, Jesus, and earthly masters. In the New Testament, it often denotes divine authority, as seen in verses like Matthew 12:8. The term can also express respect when addressing others, such as teachers or magistrates.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — κύριος, δεσπότης from a scan

A MAN, according to the later Greek grammarians, was δεσπότης in respect of his slaves (Plato, Legg. vi. 756 e), therefore οἰκοδεσπότης, but κύριος in regard of his wife and children ; who in speaking either to him or of him, would give him this title of honour; “as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord” (κύριον αὐτὸν καλοῦσα, I Pet. ili. 6: ef. Plutarch, De Virt. Mul. 5. vv. Μίκκα καὶ Meyoro). There is a certain truth in this distinction. Undoubtedly there lies in κύριος the sense of an authority owning limitations—moral limitations it may be; it is implied too that the wielder of this authority will not exclude, in wielding it, a consideration of their good over whom it is exercised; while the δεσπότης exercises a more unrestricted power and absolute domination, confessing no such limitations or restraints. He who addresses another as δέσποτα, puts an emphasis of submission into his…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον),

[in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for אָדוֹן, בַּעַל, etc.;]

having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master;

in general: c. gen. rei, Mt 9:38 20:8, Mk 12:9 13:35, Lk 19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mt 12:8, Mk 2:28, Lk 6:5; c. gen. pers., δούλου, etc., Mt 10:24, Lk 14:21, Ac 16:16, al.; absol., opp. to οἱ δοῦλοι,

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

κύριος, -ov, 6, (prop. an 2dj. κύριος, -a, - 1, also of two term.; prop. i. q. ὁ ἔχων κῦρος, having power or author ity), [fr. Pind. down], he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has the power of deciding; master, lord; used a. univ. of the possessor and disposer of a thing, the owner, (Sept. for }}18, 5y3): with gen. of the thing, as τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, Mt. xx. 8; xxi. 40; Mk. xii. 9; Lk. xx. 15; rod θερισμοῦ, Mt. ix. 38; Lk. x. 2; τῆς οἰκίας, the master, Mk. xiii. 35 (Judg. xix. 12); τοῦ πώλου, Lk. xix. 33; τοῦ σαββάτου, possessed of the power to determine what is suitable to the sabbath, and of releasing himself and others from its obligations, Mt. xii. 8; Mk. ii. 28; Lk. vi. 5. with gen. of a pers., one who has control of the person, the master [A. V. lord]; in the household: δούλου, παιδίσκης, οἰκονόμου, Mt. x. 24; Lk. xii. 46 sq.; xiv. 21; xvi. 3, 5; Acts xvi. 16, 19…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

κύριος BGU III. ο49᾽ (c. A.D. 300) κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ “Hpa, a sister (and probably wife) —P Oxy IV. 7441 (B.c. 1) (= Selections, p. 32) Ἱλαρίωνα (/.—tov)”"Adure τῆι ἀδελφῆι πλεῖστα Χαίρειν, and even a son—zd. I. 123} (iii/iv A.D.) κυρίῳ pov vid Διονυσοθέωνι. (3) It is, however, with the religious use of κύριος that we are specially concerned, and in keeping with the conception of ‘‘lordship,’’ which was so characteristic of Oriental religions, we may begin by noticing its common use in connexion with the cult of the Egyptian God Sarapis. Letters frequently begin with some such formula as—rpd μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑιαίνειν (1. by—) καὶ τὸ προσκύνημά cov ποιῶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σιαράπιδι, ‘before all else I pray for your health, and I supplicate the lord Sarapis on your behalf”’ (P Fay 127°—ii/iii a.p.), and we may add, owing to the striking resemblance of phraseology to 1 Cor 1024 such…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κύριος (kurios) — lord: God.

κύριος [ῡ], α, ον,

also ος, ον [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—Thess. κῦρρος [Refs 8th c.BC+]:

I. of persons, having power or authority over, with genitive, Ζεὺς ὁ πάντων κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὶν ἄν σε κ. στήσω τέκνων put thee in possession of.., [Refs 5th c.BC+], of the god to whom a temple is dedicated, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; τῶν αὑτοὺ κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θανάτου κ. τινός with power of life and death over, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. κύριός εἰμι with infinitive, I have authority to do, am entitled to do, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; οὗτος κ. ὁρκωμοτεῖν (probably to be read instead of -ῶν) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; -ώτεροι δοῦναι better able to give, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also κ. τοῦ μὴ μεθυσθῆναι having power not to.., [Refs]: with accusative et infinitive, κ. εἶναι ἢ τοίαν εἶναι [πόλιν] ἢ τοίαν [Refs 5th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

κύριος

kurios

from kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun)

controller; by implication, Master (as a respectful title):-- God,

Lord, master, Sir.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κύριος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

lord, Lord, master, sir

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κύριος kyrios 717x

a lord, master, Mt. 12:8; an owner, possessor, Mt. 20:8; a potentate, sovereign, Acts 25:26; a power, deity, 1 Cor. 8:5; the Lord, Jehovah, Mt. 1:22; the Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 24:42; Mk. 16:19; Lk. 10:1; Jn. 4:1; 1 Cor. 4:5; freq.; κύριε, a term of respect of various force, Sir, Lord, Read the full entry →

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-NSM — Noun · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-NSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Lord

There are various Hebrew and Greek words so rendered.

(1.) Heb. Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible LORD, printed in small capitals. This is the proper name of the God of the Hebrews. The form “Jehovah” is retained only in Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4, both in the Authorized and the Revised Version.

(2.) Heb. ‘adon, means one possessed of absolute control. It denotes a master, as of slaves (Gen. 24:14, 27), or a ruler of his subjects (45:8), or a husband, as lord of his wife (18:12).

The old plural form of this Hebrew word is ’adonai. From a superstitious reverence for the name “Jehovah,” the Jews, in reading their Scriptures, whenever that name…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

[GOD]

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This name belongs to God by preeminence; and in this sense ought never to be given to any creature. Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, the Son of God, and equal with the Father, is often called Lord in Scripture, especially in the writing of Paul. The word LORD, in the English Bible, when printed in small capitals, stands always for JEHOVAH in the Hebrew. See JEHOVAH.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ A prince Jos 13:3; Jud 3:3; 1Sa 5:8; 6:4

→ See GOD

→ See JESUS

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
86%lord
lord86% · 647×master6% · 47×other renderings3% · 22×other renderings5% · 37×

753 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 15 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject31%adverbial30%object17%predicate4%indirect object3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 718 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
αὐτόςὄνομαname, character,χάριςgrace, favor, ki
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
ἐν
εἰμίI am, existσύδέbut, on the othe
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakκαλέωI call, invite, πρός
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώπατήρfather, Father, ὅτιthat, since, bec
κύριος[The] Lord718×
what comes after →
ἐγώ
ἸησοῦςJesusκαίand, even, also,κάθημαιI sit, am seated
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἀμπελώνa vineyardδέbut, on the othe
ἸησοῦςJesus
Χριστόςanointed, the Meκαίand, even, also,μετά
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὐNegσωτήρa savior, delive
αὐτός
χρείαneed, necessity,εἰCondλέγωI say, speak

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceκύριος · 718× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Matthew 1 Corinthians John Romans 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 Thessalonians Revelation 2 Thessalonians Mark

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament23 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
The Shepherd of Hermas Philo of Alexandria The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome Josephus
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.48c. AD 40

„οὐ φυτεύσεις σεαυτῷ ἄλσος, πᾶν ξύλον παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ“ (Deuter.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.265c. AD 75–95

Τῶν δὲ Ἰσάκου παίδων Ἡσαῦς, περὶ ὃν μάλιστα ὁ πατὴρ ἐσπουδάκει, τεσσαράκοντα γεγονὼς ἔτη γαμεῖ Ἄδαν τὴν Ἥλωνος καὶ Ἀλιβάμην τὴν Εὐσεβεῶνος δυναστευόντων ἐν Χαναναίοις ἀνδρῶν θυγατέρας, ἑαυτὸν ποιήσας τῆς περὶ τὸν γάμον ἐξουσίας κύριον καὶ μηδὲ τῷ…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Grenf. 1 33Thebais104 BC

ὡς ἐτῶν κζ μέση μελίχρως λεύκωμα ὀφθαλμόν, μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύρριν αἱ τρεῖς τῶν Ψεμμίνιος μετὰ κυρίου τοῦ ἑαυτῶν ἀδελφοῦ Παχνούβιος τοῦ προγεγραμμένου καὶ συνπωλουμένου, ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπαρχούσης αὐτοῖς πατρικῆς γῆς

P.Cair. Cat. 10353 descr.Krokodilopolis (Arsinoites108 BC–99 BC

Πανίσκου ἀγορανόμου τῆς ἄνω τοπαρχίας τοῦ Παθυρίτου. ὁμολογεῖ Πετεσοῦχος Πετεαρσεμθέως Τορτομίννει Σχώτου Περσίνη μετὰ κυρίου τοῦ ἑαυτῆς υἱοῦ Πανοβχούνιος τοῦ Ἁρπαήσιος ἐκ τῶν φρουρῶν περὶ τοῦ ἐὰν βεβαιώσῃ αὐτῶι

P.Adl. 20Poinkoris (Diopolites)99 BC

τῆς Βελλέους ὡς ἐτῶν κβ μέσης μελιχρόου στρογγυλοπροσώπου εὐθύρινος οὐλὴ μετώπῳ ἐκ δεξιῶν μετὰ κυρίου Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Ψενμεγχείους ὡς ἐτῶν λε μέσου … πάντες τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Παθυρίτου τὴν

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
γινώσκειginōskō knows G1097 Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
221× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To know or understand something, as in Matthew 22:18 and Mark 5:43, where it means to recognize or perceive.
Amplified meaning
is fully aware, has complete understanding
Tyndale gloss
to know
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

γινώσκω (ginosko) means to know, perceive, or understand, with a focus on experiential knowledge as opposed to mere intellectual awareness. It is used in various contexts in the New Testament, including recognizing divine truths and personal relationships, as seen in verses like Matthew 22:18 and John 17:3. The word has a rich range of meanings, including to learn, realize, and even to know carnally, as noted in Matthew 1:25.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

γινώσκω (= γιγν-: v. previous word. So also vulgar Attic, in Inscr., v. Thumb, MGV, 207),

[in LXX chiefly for ידע ;]

to be taking in knowledge, come to know, recognize, perceive, understand; in past tenses to know, realize; pass., to become known: c. acc., Mt 22:18, Mk 5:43, Col 4:8, I Th 3:5, al. Pass., Mt 10:26, Phl 4:5, al.; seq. ὅτι, Mt 21:45, Jo 4:1, al.; τί, Mt 6:3; ἀπό, Mk 15:45; ὅ, Ro…

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

γινώσκω (Attic γιγνώσκω, see γίνομαι init.; fr. TNOQ, as βιβρώσκω fr. BPOQ); [impf. ἐγίνωσκον); fut. γνώσομαι ; 2 aor. ἔγνων (fr. TNQMI), impv. γνῶθι, γνώτω, subj. γνῶ (3 pers. sing. γνοῖ, Mk. v. 43; ix. 30; Lk. xix.15 LT Tr WH, for RG γνῷ [B. p. 46 (40); cf. δίδωμε init.]), inf. γνῶναι, ptep. γνούς ; pf. ἔγνωκα (Jn. xvii. 7; 3 pers. plur. ἔγνωκαν for ἐγνώκασι, see reff. in γίνομαι init.); plpf. ἐγνώκειν ; Pass., [pres. 3 pers. sing. γινώσκεται (Mk. xiii. 23 Trmrg.)]; pf. ἔγνωσμαι ; 1 aor. ἐγνώσθην ; fut. γνωσθήgona; in Grk. writ. fr. Hom. down; Sept. for yp; Lat. nosco, novi (i. 6. gnosco, gnovi) ; I. univ. 1. to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of; pass. to become known: with ace., Mt. xxii. 18; Mk. v.43; Actsxxi. 34; 1 Co. iv. 19; 2 Co.ii.4; Col. iv. 8; 1 Th. iii. 5,etc. Pass., Mt. x. 26; Acts ix. 24; Phil. iv. 5, ete.; [impers. γινώσκεται, Mk. xiii. 28 Trmrg.T 2, 7]; τὶ…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

γινώσκω. For γ. followed by ὅτι, see P Par 471} (6. B.C. 153) (= Selecttons, p. 22) γίνωσ (Δ. γίνωσκε) ὅτι πιράσεται ὃ δραπέϊτη)ς μὴ ἀφῖναι ἡμᾶς ἐϊ πὶ τ]ῶν τόπων ἵναι, ‘know that the runaway will try not to allow us to remain on the spot,” 26. 4958 (B.C. 164-58) γίνωσκε σαφῶς ὅτι, ἐὰν ἀναβῶ κἀγὼ προσκυνῆσαι, πρός σε οὐ μ[ὴ] ἐπέλθω. In 2. 32° (B.C. 162) γινώσκετε. .. μὴ ἐσχολαζκέν]αι pe, we have the acc. and inf.: so 7. 444 (B.C. 153) γίνωσκέ με πεπορεῦσθαι εἰς κτλ. For the commen epistolary phrase γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι, see P Oxy IV. 743%7 (B.C. 2) ὥστ᾽ ἂν τοῦτό σε θέλω γεινώσκειν, ὅτι ἐγὼ αὐτῶι διαστολὰς δεδώκειν, BGU III. 8465 (11,Α.1».} γεινώσκειν σαι θέλω, ὅτι οὐχ [ἥλπ]ιζον, ὅτι ἀναβένις εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν, “1 wish you to know that Thad no hope that you would come up to the metropolis,” 2. I. 274 (ii/A.D.) γινώσκειν oe θέλω ὅτει εἰς γῆν ἐλήλυθα τῇ ς τοῦ Errelp μηνός, “1 wish you to…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

γινώσκω (ginōskō) — to know.

Included with: γιγνώσκω,

Doric dialect [Refs 5th c.BC+], Aeolic dialect, Ionic dialect, and after [Refs 4th c.BC+] γινώσκω, but γιγνώσκω in early Attic dialect Inscrr., as [Refs] (κατα-), etc.: future γνώσομαι [Refs 8th c.BC+], Doric dialect 3rd.pers. singular γνωσεῖται [Refs] is falsa lectio in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Cretan dialect form ἀνα-γνώοντι uncertain in [Refs]: perfect ἔγνωκα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 2 ἔγνων [Refs 8th c.BC+], Epic dialect dual γνώτην [Refs 8th c.BC+], Doric dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἔγνον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; subjunctive γνῶ, γνῷς, γνῷ [Refs 8th c.BC+], Epic dialect also γνώω, γνώομεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive γνῶναι [Refs 8th c.BC+], Epic dialect γνώμεναι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; participle γνούς [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, aorist 1 γνώσασθαι [Refs 4th c.AD+]:—passive, future γνωσθήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐγνώσθην [Refs…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

γινώσκω

ginosko

a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely) in a great

variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with

others not thus clearly expressed):--allow, be aware (of), feel,

(have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure,

understand.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

γινώσκω

v.

I come to know, learn, realize

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

γινώσκω ginōskō 222x

to know, whether the action be inceptive or complete and settled; to perceive, Mt. 22:18; Mk. 5:29; 8:17; 12:12; Lk. 8:46; to mark, discern, Mt. 25:24; Lk. 19:44; to ascertain by examination, Mk. 6:38; Jn. 7:51; Acts 23:28; to understand, Mk. 4:13; Lk. 18:34; Jn.…

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-3S — Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
11%know
know11% · 25×having known8% · 18×knew5% · 11×you know5% · 11×knows4% · 9×knowing4% · 9×we know4% · 8×do know4% · 8×other renderings55% · 123×

222 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 82 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb96%adverbial3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 221 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
οὐNeg
καίand, even, also,ὅςοὗτος
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςὁράωI see, look uponκατάκειμαιI recline, am ly
οὗτος
ἐνπᾶςall, the whole, πλήνhowever, neverth
ἵναin order that, so th
οὗτοςἀργύριονsilver, a shekelπιστεύωI believe, have
δέbut, on the other ha
οὗτοςεἰCondἐκεῖνος
γινώσκωknows221×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godθέλημαwill, wish, desiπατήρfather, Father,
ὅτιthat, since, because
ἐγγύςnearArticle theἐγώ
αὐτός
καίand, even, also,ἕωςuntil, as far asἐν
τίςIrg
εἰμίI am, existποιέωI do, makeτίςIrg
καίand, even, also, nam
οὐNegεἰςδιχοτομέωI cut in two, sc

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceγινώσκω · 221× in the New Testament
John Luke 1 John Matthew 1 Corinthians Acts Mark Romans 2 Corinthians Philippians Galatians Hebrews

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament20 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 335 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 8c. AD 40

Μωυσῆς δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπ’ αὐτὴν φθάσας ἀκρότητα καὶ χρησμοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεκτικώτατα τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναδιδαχθεὶς ἔγνω δή, ὅτι ἀναγκαιότατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι τὸ μὲν εἶναι δραστήριον αἴτιον, τὸ δὲ παθητόν, καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν δραστήριον ὁ τῶν ὅλων…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.9c. AD 75–95

τούτῳ δὴ πειθόμενος ὡς αἰεὶ τοῖς χρήσιμον ἢ καλόν τι πράττειν δυναμένοις συμφιλοκαλοῦντι καὶ ἐμαυτὸν αἰσχυνόμενος, εἰ δόξαιμι ῥαθυμίᾳ πλέον ἢ τῷ περὶ τὰ κάλλιστα χαίρειν πόνῳ, προθυμότερον ἐπερρώσθην, ἔτι κἀκεῖνα πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις λογισάμενος οὐ…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.5c. AD 100

λογισάμενος οὖν τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μελήσῃ μοι περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦ μέρος τι μεταδοῦναι ἀφ̓ οὗ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἔσται μοι τοιούτοις πνεύμασιν ὑπηρετήσαντι εἰς μισθόν, ἐσπούδασα κατὰ μικρὸν ὑμῖν πέμπειν, ἵνα μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν τελείαν ἔχητε τὴν γνῶσιν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD

r Κάλλιππος Ζήνωνι χαίρειν. γίνωσκέ με ἀναπεπλευκότα διὰ τ … … ὀμνύω σοι τὴν σαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἦ μὴν τὴν

PSI 4 437Philadelphia? (Arsinoites)247 BC

r Σπίνθηρ Ζήνωνι χαίρειν. γίνωσκε ἡμᾶς οἰκονομηκότας τὰ περὶ τὰ σκεύη τοῦ πλοίου, ἐπιστόλια εἰληφότας εἰς Μέμφιν καὶ εἰς

P.Cair. Zen. 3 59363Philadelphia (Arsinoites)244 BC

κριθὴν μετὰ Μόσχου καὶ Σωσιθέου· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ σιτομέτρην συναπόστειλον, ὃς ἀποκαταστήσει πρὸς ἡμᾶς. γίνωσκε δὲ τὰς τιμὰς ἐπευωνιζούσας ἑκάστης ἡμέρας, ὅτε μὲν ἡμιωβέλιον , ὅτε δὲ ὀβολοῦ τέταρτον

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
τοὺςho the G3588 Article · accusative · plural · masculine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-APM — Article · accusative · plural · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-APM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Accusative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. the independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights, and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. the sun is the source of light and heat.

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

2. the is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. the fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.

3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
διαλογισμοὺςdialogismos thoughts G1261 Noun · accusative · plural · masculine
14× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This noun refers to the process of reasoning or thinking, like in Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21, where it describes the evil thoughts that come from the heart. It can also imply a debate or dispute, as in Romans 1:21 and 1 Corinthians 3:20.
Amplified meaning
reasonings, mental processes
Tyndale gloss
reasoning
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

διαλογισμός refers to reasoning, thought, or internal questioning, often implying a deliberation or debate. It appears in various New Testament contexts, such as Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21, where it can suggest both neutral and negative connotations, including plotting or evil intentions. The term is derived from the verb διαλογίζομαι, which means to reason or deliberate.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

δια-λογισμός, -οῦ, ὁ

(< διαλογίζομαι)

[in LXX chiefly for מַחֲשָׁבָה ;]

a thought, reasoning, inward questioning: Mt 15:19, Mk 7:21, Lk 2:35 5:22 6:8 9:46,, 47 24:38, Ro 1:21 14:1, I Co 3:20 (LXX), Phl 2:14; κριταὶ δ. πονηρῶν, gen. of qual. (cf. Pr 12:5), Ja 2:4; χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ δ. (where perh. δ., like מְזִמָּה, in Ps 138(139):20, al., implies evil intention), I Ti 2:8 (v. Hort, in l.; cf. Cremer, 400).†

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

διαλογισμός. The judicial reference of this word (see ς. Ὁ. διαλογίζομαι) might perhaps be directly recognized in Jas 24, ‘judges who give corrupt decisions.” It adds point to such NT passages as Phil 2 χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν καὶ διαλογισμῶν, 1 Tim 2° A.D. 50), where again the verb takes names of

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

διαλογισμός (dialogismos) — reasoning.

διαλογ-ισμός, ὁ,

balancing of accounts, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. calculation, consideration, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ δ. οὗτος this consideration, [Refs 1st c.BC+]

III. debate, argument, discussion, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

IV. circuit court, τοῦ νομοῦ δ. ποιῆσαι [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

V. judicial inquiry, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

διαλογισμός

dialogismos

from 1260; discussion, i.e. (internal) consideration (by implication,

purpose), or (external) debate:--dispute, doubtful(-ing), imagination,

reasoning, thought.

see GREEK for 1260

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

διαλογισμός, οῦ, ὁ

n.m.

a calculation, reasoning, thought, plotting

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

διαλογισμός dialogismos 14x

reasoning, thought, cogitation, purpose, Mt. 15:19; Mk. 7:21; discourse, dispute, disputation, contention, Lk. 9:46; doubt, hesitation, scruple, Lk. 24:38

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

διαλογισμός from διαλογίζομαι διαλογισμός, ὁ, ndialogism os_ou suff_acc masc a balancing of accounts, Dem.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-APM — Noun · accusative · plural · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-APM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
43%thoughts
thoughts43% · 6×thinking7% · 1×on reasonings7% · 1×disputings7% · 1×dissension7% · 1×reasonings7% · 1×argument7% · 1×reasoning7% · 1×other renderings7% · 1×

14 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject36%object29%adverbial29%predicate7%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 14 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
οἶδαI know, rememberἄνθρωποςa man, one of thἸησοῦςJesus
καίand, even, also, nam
γογγυσμόςmurmuring, grumbὀργήanger, wrath, pa
ἐξέρχομαιI go out, come out
καρδίαthe heart, inner
καρδίαthe heart, inner lif
πολύςmuch, many, ofte
δέbut, on the other ha
εἰσέρχομαιI go in, come in
διαλογισμόςthoughts14×
what comes after →
Article the
κακόςbad, evilκαρδίαthe heart, innerσοφόςwise
αὐτός
ἀποκρίνομαιI answer, replyλέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,
πονηρόςevil, bad, wicked
φόνοςmurder, slaughte
ἐν
αὐτός
ἀναβαίνωI go up, mount, asce
ἐν

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceδιαλογισμός · 14× in the New Testament
Luke Romans 1 Corinthians 1 Timothy James Matthew Mark Philippians
Across the New Testament8 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 7 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Clement of Rome
Clement of RomeFirst Clement 21.3c. AD 96

πῶς ἐγγύς ἐστιν, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν λέληθεν αὐτὸν τῶν ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν οὐδὲ τῶν διαλογισμῶν ὧν ποιούμεθα:

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC undated 3rd c. AD
P.Lond. 2 p. 148-149 no. 276 [a]Soknopaiu Nesos (ArsinoitesAD 15

ὑπερεθέμην εἰς διάκρισιν Λοκρητίου ἑκατοντάρχου καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ βασιλικοῦ γραμματέως ὅπως ἐπὶ τοῦ διαλογισμοῦ τὴν διάκρισιν δηλώσωσι τῷ δὲ Σαταβοῦτι παρήγγειλα παρεῖναι τότε καὶ τὰς οἰκονομίας εἰ τινας

P.Mich. 5 231ArsinoitesAD 48–AD 51

προελευσομένους ἡμᾶς ὅπου ἐὰν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Γναῖος Οὐηργίλλις Καπίτων τὸν τοῦ νομοῦ διαλογισμὸν ποιῆται πρὸς τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου δικαιοδοσίας τυχεῖν αὐτὸν τῆς ἁρμοζούσης τιμωρίας. εὐτύχει.

P.Fam.Tebt. 24 [1888]ArsinoitesAD 124

πατέρα … Σουλπικίῳ Σιμίλει τῶι ἡγεμονεύσαντι … τῶν … διὰ τῶν τοῦ ια ἔτους διαλογισμοῦ ὑπομνηματισμῶν … … … κέναι καὶ ἀξιοῦντα παραλαμβάνειν αὐτὸν τὰ βιβλία … ναι τῷ

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
τῶνho of the G3588 Article · genitive · plural · masculine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-GPM — Article · genitive · plural · masculine
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-GPM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Genitive Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
of the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
σοφῶνsophos wise G4680 Adjective · genitive · plural · masculine
20× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Wise means having good judgment or being skilled, as seen in Romans 16:19 and 1 Corinthians 3:10, and can apply to people or God.
Amplified meaning
those who think they are wise, intelligent
Tyndale gloss
wise
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σοφός is an adjective meaning wise or skilled, derived from a root suggesting clarity. It encompasses a range of meanings from practical wisdom in daily life to learnedness in the arts and sciences. In the New Testament, it describes various figures, including Jewish teachers (Matthew 11:25) and Christian leaders (Matthew 23:34). The lexicons agree on its general application but vary in nuance regarding its philosophical implications.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σοφός, -ή, -όν

[in LXX chiefly for חָכָם ;]

skilled, clever, wise, whether in handicraft, the affairs of life, the sciences or learning: Ro 16:19, I Co 3:10; of the learned, Ro 1:14, 22, I Co 1:19, 20, 26, 27 3:18-20; of Jewish teachers, Mt 11:25, Lk 10:21; Christian, Mt 23:34; of those en­dowed with practical wisdom, I Co 6:5, Eph 5:15, Ja 3:13; of God, Read the full entry →

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

σοφός, -7, -dv, (akin to σαφής and to the Lat. sapio, sapiens, sapor, ‘to have a taste’, etc.; Curtius § 628; [Vanitek p. 9917), Sept. for ὉΞΠ; [fr. Theogn., Pind., Aeschyl. down]; wise, i. e. a. skilled, expert: εἴς τι, Ro. xvi. 19; of artificers (cf. Grimm, Exeg. Hdbch. on Sap. [vii. 21] p. 151): ἀρχιτέκτων, 1 Co. iii. 10; Is. iii. 3, (δημιουργός. of God, Xen. mem. 1, 4, 7). b. wise, i.e. skilled in letters, cultivated, learned: Ro. i. 14, 22; of the Greek philosophers (and orators, see σοφία, a.), 1 Co. i. 19 sq. 26 54.; iii. 18 sq. [20]; of the Jewish theologians, Mt. xi. 25; Lk. x. 21; of Christian teachers, Mt. xxiii. 34. c. wise in a practical sense, i. 6. one who in action is governed by piety and integrity: Eph. y. 15; Jas. iii.13; and accordingly is a suitable per son to settle private quarrels,1Co.vi.5. d. wise in a philosophic sense, forming the best plans and using the best…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σοφός (sophos) — wise.

σοφός, ή, όν,

skilled in any handicraft or art, clever, ἁρματηλάτας σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of a sculptor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; even of hedgers and ditchers, [Refs]; but in this sense mostly of poets and musicians, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν κιθάρᾳ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὴν τέχνην -ώτερος[Refs 5th c.BC+]; γλώσσῃ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. clever in practical matters, wise, prudent, ὁ χρήσιμ᾽ εἰδώς, οὐχ ὁ πόλλ᾽ εἰδώς, σ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; especially statesmanlike, in which sense the seven Sages were so called, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: hence, shrewd, worldly-wise, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; πολλὰ σ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἃ δεῖ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]: even of animals, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σ. πειθώ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; εὐβουλία [Refs 4th c.BC+]. my little trick, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; your clever notion, [Refs]; τἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ σοφά, δάκρυα my tears, all…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σοφός

sophos

akin to saphes (clear); wise (in a most general application):--wise.

Compare 5429.

see GREEK for 5429

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σοφός, ή, όν

Adj

wise

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σοφός sophos 20x

wise generally, 1 Cor. 1:25; shrewd, clever, Rom. 16:19; 1 Cor. 3:10; 6:5; learned, intelligent, Mt. 11:25; Rom. 1:14, 22; 1 Cor. 1:19, 20, 26, 27; 3:18; in NT divinely instructed, Mt. 23:34; furnished with Christian wisdom, spiritually enlightened, Jas. 3:13; all wise, Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 1:17; Jude 25

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

σοφός σοφός, ή, όν properly, skilled in any handicraft or art, cunning in his craft, Theogn., etc; of a charioteer, Pind.; of poets and musicians, id. Pind.; of a soothsayer, Soph., etc.

clever in matters of common life, wise, prudent, shrewd, ς. ἄνδρες Θεσσαλοί shrewd fellows, the Thessalians! Hdt.; πολλὰ σοφός Aesch.; μείζω σοφίαν σοφός Plat., etc.; τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω better than all craft, Soph.; σοφόν [ἐστι] c. inf., Eur.

skilled in the sciences, learned, profound, wise, id. Eur., Plat., etc.; hence, ironically, abstruse, obscure, Ar., etc.

pass., of things, cleverly devised, wise, Hdt., etc.; σοφώτερ᾽ ἢ κατ᾽ ἄνδρα συμβαλεῖν things too clever for man to understand, Eur.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-GPM — Adjective · genitive · plural · masculine
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-GPM Part of Speech: Adjective Case: Genitive Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%wise
wise90% · 19×wise?5% · 1×wiser5% · 1×

21 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 3 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
predicate30%object25%adverbial20%subject20%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 20 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
σοφίαwisdomκαταισχύνωI shame, disgracδράσσομαιI take hold of,
ἀπό
οὗτος
ὡςas, like as, how, wh
ἐγώἀλλάbut, except
καίand, even, also, nam
προφήτηςa prophet, poet
βάρβαροςa foreigner who spea
καίand, even, also,
σοφόςwise20×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
συνετόςintelligent, pruArticle theγραμματεύςa scribe, town-c
εἰμίI am, exist
εἰςἐν
τέDisj
καίand, even, also,
μωραίνωI make foolish, tain
θεόςGod, a god
διά

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceσοφός · 20× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians Romans Matthew Ephesians James Luke
Across the New Testament6 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 90 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 127c. AD 40

διό μοι δοκοῦσιν οἱ τὰ ὀνόματα τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπιφημίσαντες ἅτε σοφοὶ καλέσαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἑπτὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν σεβασμοῦ καὶ τῆς προσούσης σεμνότητος·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.285c. AD 75–95

καὶ ταῦθʼ ἅμα λέγων κελεύει τοὺς ἱερεῖς τὰς αὐτὰς ὄψεις αὐτῷ παρασχεῖν ὁρᾶν, ὡς Αἰγυπτίων σοφῶν ὄντων καὶ περὶ τὴν τούτων ἐπιστήμην, καὶ ὅτι μὴ μόνος αὐτὸς ἔμπειρος ὢν εἰς θεὸν δύναται τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ παράδοξον ἀναφέρων πιθανὸς ὥσπερ ἀπαιδεύτοις ὑπάρχειν.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 6.10c. AD 100

εὐλογητὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ σοφίαν καὶ νοῦν θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν κρυφίων αὐτοῦ: λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης παραβολὴν κυρίου: τίς νοήσει, εἰ μὴ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων καὶ ἀγαπῶν τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ;

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
1st c. AD 1st c. BC 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD
O.Edfou 3 368Apollonopolis101 BC–2 BC

ιε τρίτη πόσις Θευξου … Λυσίμαχος σοφός Σεφθάϊς ἐναγωγὸς ε … Ἰώσηπος ἱερεὺς εν … γίνονται Α ιϛ τετάρτη πόσις Θημᾶς

A Διόδοτος Νωρβανᾶς Κλαρᾶς ἐπακολουθοῦντος Γαίου Ἰουλίου Σαλουίου Μητόκῳ σιτολόγωι χαίρειν· μέτρησον Σόφῳ συνδούλῳ ὑπὲρ μηνὸς Σεβαστοῦ καὶ Φαῶφι καὶ Νέου Σεβαστοῦ καὶ Χοιὰχ μηνῶν δ πυροῦ

P.Lond. 3 p. 122 no. 1214 aHermopolis (?)AD 66

Ἰουλίου Σαλουίου σιτολόγωι χαίρειν· μέτρησον ἐμοὶ ὑπὲρ μηνὸς Τῦβι πυροῦ ἀρτάβην μίαν α καὶ Σόφῳ ὁμοίως ὑπὲρ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς α. ἔτους ιβ Νέρωνος Κλαυδίου Καίσαρος Σεβαστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ Αὐτοκράτορος

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
ὅτιhoti that G3754 Conjunction
1,293× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'that' or 'because', used to introduce a reason or explanation. It appears in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 3:9 and Romans 8:38. It helps to show cause and effect in sentences.
Tyndale gloss
that/since: that
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ὅτι (hoti) is a conjunction primarily meaning 'that' or 'because.' It introduces objective clauses, often following verbs of perception or declaration, and can also serve as a causal particle. The New Testament frequently employs it in this way, such as in Matthew 5:4-12. There is some variation in how lexicons describe its usage, particularly regarding its pleonastic function in direct discourse.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὅτι,

conjc. (prop. neut. of ὅστις).

As conjc, introducing an objective clause, that;

after verbs of seeing, knowing, thinking, saying, feeling: Mt 3:9 6:32 11:25, Mk 3:28, Lk 2:49, Jo 2:22, Ac 4:13, Ro 1:13 8:38 10:9, Phl 4:15, Ja 2:24, al.; elliptically, Jo 6:46, Phl 3:12, al.

After εἶναι (γίνεσθαι): defining a demonstr. or pers. pron., Jo 3:19 16:19, Ro 9:6, I Jo 3:16 al.; c. pron. interrog., Mt 8:27, Mk 4:41,

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὅτι [properly neut. of ὅστις], a conjunction [fr. Hom. down], (Lat. quod [ef. W. § 53,8 b.; B. § 139, 51; § 149, 87), marking I. the substance or contents (of a statement), that; 1. joined to verbs of saying and declaring (where the ace. and infin. is used in Lat.) : ἀναγγέλλειν, Acts xiv. 27; διηγεῖσθαι, Acts ix. 273; εἰπεῖν, Mt. xvi. 20; xxviii. 7,13; Jn. vii. 42; xvi. 15; 1Co.i.15; λέγειν, Mt. iii. 9; vill. 11; Mk. iii. 28; Lk. xv.7; Jn. xvi. 20; Ro. iv. 9 [T Tr WH om. L br. ὅτι}; ix. 2, and very often; προεἰρηκέναι, 2 Co. vii. 3; before the ὅτι in Acts xiv. 22 supply λέγοντες, contained in the preceding παρακαλοῦντες [ef. B. §151, 11]; ὅτι after γράφειν, 1 Co. ix.10; 1 Jn. 11. 12-14; μαρτυρεῖν, Mt. xxiii. 31; Jn. i. 34; iii. 28; iv. 44; ὁμολογεῖν, Heb. xi. 13; δεικνύειν, Mt. xvi. 21; δηλοῦν, 1 Co. i. 11; διδάσκειν, 1 Co. xi. 14. after ἐμφανίζειν. Heb. xi. 14; δῆλον (ἐστίν), 1 Co.…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

οτι. (1) For ὅτι, ‘‘that,” introducing an objective clause after verbs of knowing, saying, etc., cf. P Tebt II. 4098 (A.D. 5) εἰδὼ[ς ὅ]τι ἐξίι)ουσίαν αὐτῶν ἔχει kal Λυσίμαχος kal σύ, ΚΕ knew that both you and Lysimachus had plenty of them” (Edd.), P Fay 109° (early i/A.D.) νομίσας ὅτι (cf. Mt 517) κιχρᾷς por αὐτούς, ““ consider that you are lending them (sc. staters) to me’’ (Edd.), BGU III. 8464* (ii/a.p.) (= Selections, p. 93) γεινώσκειν σαι θέλω, ὅτι οὐχ [HA] Lov, ὅτι ἀναβένις (1. ἀναβαίνεις) els τὴν μητρόπολιν, “1 wish you to know that I had no hope that you were coming up to the metropolis,” 74.9 αἴγραψά σοι, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμει, “1 wrote you that I am naked,” and P Tebt II. 420+ (iii/A.D.) οἴδατε ὅτι ἀπὸ ζημίας ἠμί, ‘‘ You know that I am blameless.” Ὅτι, however, is frequently omitted, e.g. BGU IIL. 8153(ii/a.p.) γεινόσκιν σε θέλω [τὴ]ν ἐπιστολήν σου ἔλαβε (corrected by another hand…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὅτι (hoti) — that/since: that.

ὅτῐ,

Epic dialect ὅττῐ (both in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: conjunction, to introduce an objective clause, that, after Verbs of seeing or knowing, thinking or saying; in [Refs 8th c.BC+] —Usage:

I. when ὅτι introduces a statement of fact:

I. a in [Refs 8th c.BC+] always with indicative, the tense following the same rules as in English, ἤγγειλ᾽ ὅττι ῥά οἱ πόσις ἔκτοθι μίμνε πυλάων [Refs 8th c.BC+]

I. b in Attic dialect, ὅτι takes indicative after primary tenses, indicative or optative after secondary tenses, e.g. ἐνδείκνυμαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σοφός [Refs 5th c.BC+] news came that Megara had (literal has) revolted, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: sometimes optative and indicative are found in the same sentence, ἔλεγον, ὅτι Κῦρος μὲν τέθνηκεν, Ἀριαῖος δὲ πεφευγὼς.. εἴη [Refs 5th c.BC+].. and the accusative with infinitive…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὅτι

hoti

neuter of 3748 as conjunction; demonstrative, that (sometimes

redundant); causative, because:--as concerning that, as though,

because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.

see GREEK for 3748

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὅτι

Cj.

that, since, because

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὅτι hoti 1x

originally was the neuter of ὅστις, that, Mt. 2:16, 22, 23; 6:5, 16; often used pleonastically in reciting another’s words, Mt. 9:18; Lk. 19:42; Acts 5:23; as a causal particle, for that, for, because, Mt. 2:18; 5:3, 4, 5; 13:13; because, seeing that, since, Lk. 23:40; Acts 1:17

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%that
that64% · 856×because19% · 252×for16% · 209×other renderings1% · 12×

1,329 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 8 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial16%object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,293 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
σύ
λέγωI say, speakγάρforδέbut, on the othe
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςσύδέbut, on the othe
οἶδαI know, remember
οὐNegκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakμαθητήςa learner, disciπερί
γινώσκωI come to know, lear
οὗτοςκαίand, even, also,αὐτός
ὅτιthat1293×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godκύριοςlord, Lord, mastπατήρfather, Father,
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existοἶδαI know, rememberδύναμαιI am powerful, a
ἐγώ
εἰμίI am, existοὐNegArticle the
οὗτος
εἰμίI am, existArticle theποιέωI do, make
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
Article theῥῆμαa thing spokenζητέωI seek, search f

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceὅτι · 1,293× in the New Testament
John Luke Matthew Acts Mark 1 John Revelation 1 Corinthians Romans 2 Corinthians Galatians Philippians

2 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 8c. AD 40

Μωυσῆς δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπ’ αὐτὴν φθάσας ἀκρότητα καὶ χρησμοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεκτικώτατα τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναδιδαχθεὶς ἔγνω δή, ὅτι ἀναγκαιότατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι τὸ μὲν εἶναι δραστήριον αἴτιον, τὸ δὲ παθητόν, καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν δραστήριον ὁ τῶν ὅλων…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ὅτι τῶν ἐθνῶν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκισάντων προσηγορεύθη.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.3c. AD 100

ὅτι ἀληθῶς βλέπω ἐν ὑμῖν ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου τῆς πηγῆς κυρίου πνεῦμα ἐφ̓ ὑμᾶς.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
C.Erbstreit14Diospolis Magna (Theben)187 BC

καὶ τὴν εἰκοστὴν τοῦ ἐγκυκλίου καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ καθήκοντα. … ται Προῖτος, καθʼ ὅτι πρόκειται … ἑξήκοντα ἓξ τετρωβόλου καὶ τῆς … … τοπογραμματέως τοῦ Παθυρίτου … ἀρουρῶν

P.Grenf. 1 10 p. 24Hermonthis149 BC

ι τοῖς ἐνκαλουμένοις τὸ ἀντίγραφον τῆς ἐντεύξεως λαβεῖν παρ … τ … … πίστιν ὅτι ἀπαντησα … ἐπὶ τὸ ἐν τῆι αὐλῆι κριτήριον ἐν ἡμέραις λ οὐκ ο

P.Bour. 10Pathyris89 BC

δʼ ἐπιχειροῦντας μὴ ὑπακούειν σου … υτέραι στάσει ἐχομένους ἀσφαλισάμενος μέχρι τοῦ καὶ ἡμᾶς ὅτι τάχος ἐπιβαλεῖν πρὸς σέ. ἔρρωσοἔρρωσο ἔτους κϛ Φαμενὼθ ιϛ

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
εἰσὶνeimi they are G1510 Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · plural
2,457× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Corinthians as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To be or exist, a basic verb used to describe something or someone, like God saying 'I am' in John 8:58.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

εἰμί is a Greek verb meaning 'to be' or 'to exist.' It serves various functions, such as a substantive verb for persons and things, and as a copula linking subjects and predicates. The New Testament frequently uses it in passages like John 1:1 and Matthew 24:3. Notably, it can also express possibility, as seen in Hebrews 9:5.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

εἰμί,

with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be.

As substantive verb.

Of persons and things, to be, exist: Ac 17:28, Jo 1:1 8:58 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Re 1:4, 8 4:8 11:17 16:5 (v. Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Ro 4:17, I Co 1:28.

Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mt 24:3, Mk 14:2 15:42, Lk 21:23, Jo 4:6, 23 5:10, al.

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

εἰμί (fr. ἔω, whence ἐμέ in inscriptions [7]; Aeol. ἐμμὲ (Curtius (yet ἔμμε, so G. Meyer) 8 564; Veitch p. 2287), impv. ἴσθι, ἔστω, less usual ἤτω, 1 Co. xvi. 22; Jas. v.12; Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 48,5; [1 Mace. x. 31; Ps. ciii. (civ.) 31]; Plat. rep. 2 p. 361 ¢. [here it has given place to ἔστω (or ἴτω), see Stallb. ad loc.; Veitch p. 200 sq.; 3 pers. plur. ἔστωσαν, Lk. xii. 35; 1 Tim. iii. 12], inf. εἶναι ; impf. —ace. to the more ancient and elegant form, ἦν, 2 pers. ἦσθα (Mt. xxvi. 69; Mk. xiv. 67), rarer form ἧς (Mt. RKV. 1235 dn ΧΙ: 9]. 92); xxI LS. Reyna 15 G@ ΕΣ Tr WH), 3 pers. ἦν, 1 pers. plur. jer, — ace. to the mid. form, com. in later Grk. [ef. Veitch p. 226], ἤμην (Mt. xxv. 35sq.; [on Acts xi. 11 ef. WH. Intr. § 404]; Gal.i.10, etc.), plur. ἤμεθα (Mt. xxiii. 30 G L T Tr WH; Acts xxvii. 37 L T Tr WH; [Gal. iv. 3 TWH Tr mrg.; Eph. ii. 3 T Tr WH; Bar. i. 19]); cf. Lob. ad Phryn.…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

εἰμί. Middle forms in the flexion of εἰμί other than the present tense (cf. however MGr εἶμαι, -σαι, etc.) begin to appear very early in the dialects and are well established in the papyri. Thus the Ist sing. impf. ἤμην, which always takes the place of the class. ἢ in the NT (but see Ac 2018 D) may be illustrated from PSI IV. 36274 (B.c. 251-0) ἤμην δὲ πρὸς τῶι λαμβάνειν τὸν χαλκόν, P Magd 65 (B.c. 221) ἤμην γυμνός, P Par 57 (B.c. 129) ὧν ἤμην δι᾽ αὐτῶν [π]αραμε[μετ]ρηκ[υῖα, P Oxy IIT. 526% (ii/A.p.) οὐκ ἤμην ἀπαθὴς ἀλόγως σε καταλείπιν. For ist plur. ἤμεθα see P Petr IT. 4 (7)° (B.C. 255-4) τεθλιμμένοι ἤμεθα : cf. Ac 2737, Eph 23, as contrasted with the act. ἦμεν in Ac 111 (NB), 1612, Rom 7° a/.: the two forms are found together in Gal 4% (SDFG). The non-classical ἧς (Lob. Phryx. p. 149) is found sefzes in the NT as compared with ἦσθα (from an old perf. form ἤησθα), which is confined…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εἰμί (eimi) — to be.

εἰμί

(sum), Aeolic dialect ἔμμι [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Cretan dialect ἠμί [Refs]; 2nd pers. singular εἶ, Epic dialect and Ionic dialect εἰς [Refs 8th c.BC+], Epic dialect and Doric dialect ἐσσί [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. singular ἐστί, Doric dialect ἐντί [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. dual ἐστόν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; 1st pers. plural ἐσμέν, Epic dialect and Ionic dialect εἰμέν (also in [Refs 5th c.BC+], Doric dialect εἰμές [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural εἰσί (-ίν), Epic dialect and Ionic dialect ἔασι (-ιν) [Refs 8th c.BC+], Doric dialect ἐντί [Refs 5th c.BC+], Epic dialect and Lyric poetry also in middle form ἔσσο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. singular ἔστω (ἤτω [LXX+5th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural ἔστωσαν, but ἔστων [Refs 8th c.BC+], and early Attic dialect Inscrr., [Refs 2nd c.BC+]subjunctive ὦ, ᾖς, ᾖ, Epic dialect ἔω [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. singular ἔῃ [Refs…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

εἰμί

eimi

the first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a

primary and defective verb; I exist (used only when emphatic):--am,

have been, X it is I, was. See also 1488, 1498, 1511, 1527, 2258,

2071, 2070, 2075, 2076, 2771, 2468, 5600.

see GREEK for 1488

see GREEK for 1498

see GREEK for 1511

see GREEK for 1527

see GREEK for 2258

see GREEK for 2071

see GREEK for 2070

see GREEK for 2075

see GREEK for 2076

see GREEK for 2771

see GREEK for 2468

see GREEK for 5600

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

εἰμί

v.

I am, exist

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

εἰμί eimi 2x

to be, to exist, Jn. 1:1; 17:5; Mt. 6:30; Lk. 4:25, freq.; ἐστί[ν], it is possible, proper, Heb. 9:5; a simple linking verb (“copula”) to the subject and predicate, and therefore in itself affecting the force of the sentence only by its tense, mood, etc., Jn. 1:1; 15:1, freq.; it also forms a frequent circumlocution with the participles of the present and perfect of other verbs, Mt. 19:22; Mk. 2:6

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

εἰμί The whole of the pres. ind. (except 2nd sg. εἶ) may be enclitic when εἰμί is the Copula; but the 3rd sg. is written ἔστι in certain cases of emphasis, e. g. ἔστι μοι, I have: when used as Verb Subst., it retains the accent in all persons. as Substantive Verb, to be, to exist, οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ οὗτος ἀνήρ, οὐδ᾽ ἔσσεται Od.; τεθνηῶτος, μηδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἐόντος id. Od.; οὐκέτ᾽ ἔστι he is no more, Eur.; θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες Il.; ἐσσόμενοι posterity, id. Il.; ζώντων καὶ ὄντων Ἀθηναίων Dem.:—so of cities, etc., ὄλωλεν, οὐδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἔστι Τροία (cf. Troja fuit), Eur.

of things, to be, exist, εἰ ἔστιν ἀληθέως [ἡ τράπεζα] Hdt.; ἕως ἂν ὁ πόλεμος ἦι so long as it last, Thuc.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-3P — Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · plural
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-3P Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
26%is
is26% · 619×are9% · 228×was7% · 176×being6% · 138×it is5% · 112×will be4% · 87×am3% · 80×were3% · 67×other renderings37% · 901×

2,408 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 139 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
linking verb87%verb13%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,457 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, becκαίand, even, also,ὅς
οὗτος
ὅτιthat, since, becλέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,
ὅς
ἐνἄνθρωποςa man, one of thθεόςGod, a god
ἐγώ
ὅτιthat, since, becλέγωI say, speakμετά
σύ
ἐνλέγωI say, speakαὐτός
εἰμίthey are2457×
what comes after →
Article the
υἱόςa son, descendenΧριστόςanointed, the Meβασιλείαkingship, sovere
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὐNegγάρfor
ἐν
Article theσύαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theτὶςἐκεῖthere, yonder, t
ἐγώ
εἰςἄξιοςworthy, worthy oὧδεhere

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceεἰμί · 2,457× in the New Testament
John Luke Matthew Acts Mark 1 Corinthians Romans Revelation 1 John 2 Corinthians Hebrews Galatians

67 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.2c. AD 75–95

τινὲς μὲν γὰρ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι λόγων δεινότητα καὶ τὴν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς θηρευόμενοι δόξαν ἐπὶ τοῦτο τῆς παιδείας τὸ μέρος ὁρμῶσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ χάριν ἐκείνοις φέροντες, περὶ ὧν τὴν ἀναγραφὴν εἶναι συμβέβηκε, τὸν εἰς αὐτὴν πόνον καὶ παρὰ δύναμιν ὑπέστησαν·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.2c. AD 100

Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν: οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν ὄντων καὶ οὐσῶν, μηνὸς Ἐπεὶφ κε. ἐν Παθύρει, ἐφʼ Ἑρμίου τοῦ παρὰ Πανίσκου ἀγορανόμου. ἀπέδοτο

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν ὄντων καὶ οὐσῶν, μηνὸς Τῦβι ιη ἐν Παθύρει ἐφʼ Ἑρμίου τοῦ παρὰ Πανίσκου ἀγορανόμου. ἀπέδοτο

And again; [The] Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile.
μάταιοι.¶mataios futile. G3152 Adjective · nominative · plural · masculine
6× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means something is empty or useless, like an idol that has no real power. In 1 Corinthians 15:17, it describes faith that is useless if Jesus did not really rise from the dead.
Amplified meaning
vain, useless, without real value
Tyndale gloss
futile
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word μάταιος (i.e., *mataios*) means vain, empty, or unproductive. It appears in various contexts, often describing things like faith, religion, or idle thoughts as lacking value or purpose. In the New Testament, it is used in verses such as 1 Corinthians 15:17 and James 1:26. The term is also associated with idolatry and the worship of false gods.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — κενός, μάταιος from a scan

THESE words nowhere in the N.T. occur together; but on several occasions in the Septuagint, as for instance at Job xx. Seen Xk es οὐ! 1%. Δ. clos ἐσ ie nC lemontaor Rome, Cor. 6; and not unfrequently in classical Greek; as in Sophocles (Hlec. 324); in Aristotle (Hthic. Nic. i. 2. 1); and in Plutarch (Adv. Colot. 17). We deal with them here solely in their ethical use; for seeing that μάταιος knows, at least in Scripture, no other use, it is only as ethically employed that κενός can be brought into comparison with it, or the words made the subject of discrimination. The first, κενός, is ‘ empty,’ ‘ leer,’ ‘ gehaltlos,’ ‘ inanis’ ; the second, μάταιος, ‘ vain,’ ‘ eitel ’ (‘idle’), ‘ erfolglos,’ ‘ vanus.’ In the first is characterized the hollowness, in the second the aimlessness, or, if we may use the word, the resultlessness, connected as it is with μάτην, of that to which this epithet…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

μάταιος, -ον

(as in Att., but -αία, -αιον, I Co 15:17, I Pe 1:18; < μάτην),

[in LXX for שָׁוְא, הֶבֶל, כָּזָב, etc.;]

vain, useless: ἀνωφελὴς κ. μ., Tit 3:9; πίστις, I Co 15:17; θρησκεία, Ja 1:26; διαλογισμοί, I Co 3:20(LXX); ἀναστροφή, I Pe 1:18; of idols and heathen gods, τὰ μ. (Je 2:5, IV Ki 17:15, al.): Ac 14:15.

SYN.: κενός, q.v.

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

μάταιος, -αία (1 Co. xv. 17; [1 Pet. i. 187), -atov, also τος, -ov, (Jas. i. 26; Tit. iii. 9), [ef. WH. App. p.157; W. xxvi. 16; 1 Pet. v. 1; ν΄. ἃ gen. of the possessor ‘one | § 11, 1], (fr. μάτην), Sept. for ΔΙΊ, RW, 31D (a lie), ete. ; as in prof. auth. (Lat. vanus) devoid of force, truth, success, result, [A.V. uniformly vain]: univ.: ἡ θρησκεία, Jas. i. 26; useless, lo no purpose, ἡ πίστις. 1 Co. xv. 17; foolish, διαλογισμοί, 1 Co. iii. 20; ζητήσεις, Tit. iii. 9; given to vain things and leading away from salvation, avaστροφή, 1 Pet. i. 18. τὰ μάταια, vain things, vanities, of heathen deities and their worship (727), Jer. ii. 5; x. 3; 5307 πο 72, πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω τῶν par. 2 K. xvii. BE 0933, parata, Jer. viii. 19; εἴδωλα, Deut. xxxil. 21; Jer. xiv. 22): Acts xiv. 15. [Cf. Trench, Syn. §…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

μάταιος. P Oxy I. 5839 (a.p. 288) τὰ μάταια ἀναλώματα, ‘useless expense.” For the adv. see P Oxy VII. 10271° (i/a.D.) ἀγνοεῖν α[ὐ]τὸν τὴν τῶν ἐμοὶ yevn[pévwv] (/. γεγενη-) ἀσφαλιῶν θέσιν, ‘* wherein he vainly relates that he was ignorant of the securities which had been given to me” (Ed.), and the sepulchral inser. A@zbel 29824 — Tis τοὐμὸν δύστηνον ἐπ᾽ οὔνομα γράψε TO χαῖρε; τίς κωφὴν ματέως θήκατό μοι χάριτα ; The fluctuation between the fem. μάταιος (Tit 39, Jas 17°) and ματαία (1 Cor 1517, 1 Pet 118) is found also in classical texts (Moulton Gy. ii. ὃ 64). In Vett. Val. p. 35616 μάταια “*yes viles,” and in 2) p. 276% μάταιοι = “znepti”: see Kroll’s Index, p. 404.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μάταιος (mataios) — futile.

μάται-ος [μᾰ], α, ον

[Refs 4th c.BC+]; also ος, ον[Refs 5th c.BC+]: (μάτη):—

I. vain, empty, idle:

I.1. of words, acts, etc., μάταια νομίζομεν [Refs 6th c.BC+]; μ. λόγοι idle tales or words, [Refs 5th c.BC+].; μ. ἔπεα[Refs 4th c.BC+]; μ. ὑλάγματα, ποιφύγματα,[Refs]; μ. εὐχή E.[same place]; μάταια βάζειν τινά [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. ἡδονή S.[same place]; δοξοσοφία [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ μ. ἀναλώματα useless expenses, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]; but also, μ. ἔπος a word of offence, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. of persons, empty, foolish, ματαιότεροι νόον [Refs 6th c.BC+]; φῦλον ματαιότατον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; worthless, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

μάταιος

mataios

from the base of 3155; empty, i.e. (literally) profitless, or

(specially), an idol:--vain, vanity.

see GREEK for 3155

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

μάταιος, αία, αιον

Adj

vain, unproductive, godless

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

μάταιος mataios 6x

idle, ineffective, worthless, 1 Cor. 3:20; groundless, deceptive, fallacious, 1 Cor. 15:17; useless, fruitless, unprofitable, Tit. 3:9; Jas. 1:26; from the Hebrew, erroneous in principle, corrupt, perverted, 1 Pet. 1:18; τὰ μάταια, superstition, idolatry, Acts 14:15*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

μάταιος μάταιος, η, ον μάτη vain, empty, idle, trifling, frivolous, Theogn., Hdt., attic

thoughtless, rash, irreverent, profane, impious, Aesch.; τὸ μὴ μάταιον seriousness, gravity, id. Aesch.

adv. -ως, idly, without ground, Soph.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-NPM — Adjective · nominative · plural · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-NPM Part of Speech: Adjective Case: Nominative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
50%futile
futile50% · 3×worthless33% · 2×vanities17% · 1×

6 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 3 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
predicate67%adverbial33%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 6 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
οὗτοςἐκ
εἰμίI am, exist
ὅτιthat, since, bec
ἐγείρωI wake, arouse, rais
οὐNeg
καίand, even, also, nam
ἀνωφελήςuseless, unprofi
οὗτος
ἑαυτοῦ
μάταιοςfutile.
what comes after →
Article the
πίστιςfaith, belief, tθρησκείαritual worship,
ἐπιστρέφωI turn back to
ἐπί
σύ
ἀναστροφήbehavior, manner

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceμάταιος · 6× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians 1 Peter Acts James Titus
Across the New Testament5 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 52 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Josephus The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 2.46c. AD 40

μάταιος δὲ ὁ νομίζων πρὸς τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ τι συνόλως γεννᾶσθαι ἢ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 7.158c. AD 75–95

ὁ δὲ ἀμαθεῖς εἰπὼν αὐτοὺς ἐδίδασκεν, ὡς ἔτι μὲν ζῶντος τοῦ παιδὸς ἔχων ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ δεόντως πάντʼ ἐποίει τὸν θεὸν ἡγούμενος τούτοις εὐμενῆ καταστήσειν, ἀποθανόντος δʼ οὐκέτι χρείαν εἶναι λύπης ματαίας.

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 7.2c. AD 96

διὸ ἀπολίπωμεν τὰς κενὰς καὶ ματαίας φροντίδας, καὶ ἔλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν εὐκλεῆ καὶ σεμνὸν τῆς παραδόσεως ἡμῶν κανόνα,

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 7th c. AD
P.Oxy. 1 58OxyrhynchosAD 288

γε πλεῖστον τρεῖς προσαιρεῖν τοὺς ἐξυπηρετησομένους αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν φροντίδα. οὕτως αὐτά τε τὰ μάταια ἀναλώματα παύσεται καὶ αἱ ταμιακαὶ οὐσίαι τῆς προσηκούσης ἐπιμελείας τεύξονται. δηλαδὴ δὲ τοιούτους αἱρεθῆναι

P.Oxy. 34 2713OxyrhynchosAD 297

ἐπὶ περιγραφῇ ἐμῇ οἰ ἀδελφοὶ τῆς μητρός μου οἱ ὁμομήτριοι συνδυάζοντες ἀλλήλοις κενῇ καὶ ματαίᾳ ἀνοίᾳ τὰ λοιπὰ ὡς ἐβουλήθησαν ἐπεκράτησαν ἕκαστος ὧν καὶ ἐβούλετο σωμάτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων

CPR 1 233HermopolisAD 314

στῆναι τοῖς προστεταγμένοις, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὴ οὐ δυναμένη τὰς ἡσυχίας ἄγειν ἐπὶ τῇ ματαίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐντυχίᾳ θαρροῦσά τε τῇ δοθείσῃ μοι ἀπὸ τοῦ διασημοτάτου ἡγεμόνος Ἀντωνίου Γρηγορίου ὑπογραφῇ

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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