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1 Corinthians 4:16 — Word Study

Depth

N1904Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

BSAI exhortparakaleō [plead with, comfort] thereforeoun [as a consequence, then] you,su imitatorsmimētēs [be followers of, live like] of mineegō do become.ginomai

Word
Listen & take away1 Corinthians 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 16 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 (ginomai) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Corinthians 4:16quick helps
In a sentencePaul encourages the Corinthians to follow his example as he follows Christ.
Who is speakingPaul, addressing the church in Corinth.
Where we areIn a section where Paul discusses his role as a spiritual father.
The hard wordμιμηταί
Take awayImitating Paul means living in a way that reflects Christ.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectμιμητής verbπαρακαλέω 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 4:16

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 — Paul's Exhortation to Imitate Himgenerated

15Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
17That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.
18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.

1 Corinthians 4:16 is part of Paul's letter where he emphasizes the importance of following his example. He reminds the Corinthians that he became their father in the faith through the gospel and encourages them to imitate his way of life as a model of Christian conduct. This passage highlights the relationship between a spiritual leader and their followers, urging them to live out their faith authentically.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Corinthians 11:1You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
2John 10:4–5When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
3Philippians 3:17Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.
41 Thessalonians 1:6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.
52 Thessalonians 3:9Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word μιμηταί, mimētēsgenerated

The word μιμητής derives from the verb μιμέομαι, meaning to imitate. It refers to someone who follows the example of another, particularly in a positive sense. In this context, Paul is calling the Corinthians to be imitators of him as he models a life that reflects Christ.

This noun is in the nominative plural, indicating that Paul is addressing a group. The use of μιμηταί suggests a communal aspect to imitation, where believers collectively strive to emulate the teachings and example of their leader.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The Berean Standard Bible translates the verse as, 'Therefore I urge you to imitate me.' This is echoed in the American Standard Version, which says, 'I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.'

Other translations, such as the King James Version, use 'be ye followers of me,' while the Young's Literal Translation states, 'become ye followers of me.' All these versions convey the same core idea of imitation, though they vary in phrasing.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main clause is governed by the finite verb παρακαλῶ, I urge, which directly addresses the audience. This is followed by the object ὑμᾶς, you, and concludes with the imperative verb γίνεσθε, do become, forming a clear directive.

The structure is straightforward, with one main verb and a direct address to the audience, emphasizing Paul's call to action. The simplicity of the structure aids in the clarity of his exhortation.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Greek word παρακαλέω appears in the Septuagint, translating the Hebrew word נחם, which means to comfort or console. This connection highlights the comforting aspect of Paul's exhortation.

The conjunction οὖν also appears frequently in the Septuagint, serving to connect thoughts and ideas, similar to its usage in the New Testament.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Corinthians 4:16 shows Paul urging the Corinthians to imitate him as he follows Christ. He emphasizes the importance of his example in their spiritual lives, encouraging them to live in a way that reflects their faith.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to imitate Paul?

To imitate Paul means to follow his example of faith and conduct, living in a way that reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Why does Paul urge imitation?

Paul urges imitation to provide the Corinthians with a model of Christian living, demonstrating how to live out their faith in practical ways.

How can I apply this exhortation in my life?

You can apply this exhortation by looking for examples of faith in your community, following those who exemplify Christ-like behavior, and striving to live out your faith authentically.

What is the significance of Paul being a spiritual father?

Paul being a spiritual father signifies his role in guiding and nurturing the faith of the Corinthians, emphasizing the importance of mentorship in the Christian community.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I imitate the faith and conduct of those who lead me spiritually?
  2. How can I ensure that my life reflects the teachings of Christ, as Paul encouraged?
  3. What examples of faith do I see in my community that I can follow?
  4. How does understanding Paul as a spiritual father change my perspective on mentorship in the church?

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

Early church Fathers comment on Paul's exhortation to imitate him, discussing the implications of humility and example in the Christian life.

Origen of AlexandriaCOMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.21.12-14 c. 185–253
Paul is saying to the Corinthians: “Be humble as I am humble, suffer as I suffer. It is by your sufferings, not by your gifts, that you will be rated.”
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 4 →
John ChrysostomHomily on 1 Corinthians 13 c. 347–407
"I beseech you, be ye imitators of me, as I also am of Christ." Astonishing! How great is our teacher's boldness of speech! How highly finished the image, when he can even exhort others hereunto! Not that in self-exaltation he doth so,
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 4 →
AmbrosiasterCOMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES fl. c. 366–384
Paul wants them to be imitators of him in these things, so that just as he has endured many hardships from unbelievers for their salvation and is still doing so as long as he preaches the free gift of God’s grace day and night,
Early Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Corinthians 4:16 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Wherefore, I beseech you,.... Though he might have used the power and authority of a father, yet he chose rather to entreat and beseech them; saying, be ye followers of me; for who should children follow, but their parents?

Read John Gill on 1 Corinthians 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Be ye followers of me - literally, imitators; namely, in my ways, which be in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 11:1); not in my crosses (1

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Corinthians 4 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

I might as a father command you, but I beseech you, be ye followers of me, in preserving the unity and promoting the holiness of the church. He expounds this, : Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ. Holiness of life and conversation is necessary to a true minister of Christ; for their people ought not only to be their hearers, but their followers; they are ensamples to the flock, , and ought to be examples of believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, ; in all things showing themselves patterns of good works; in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, & c., . Those who teach well and live ill, are no good ministers of Christ; they cannot…

Read Matthew Poole on 1 Corinthians 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Ver. 16. Be ye followers of me] As dear children. A bove maiori discit arare minor. From the larger bull the smaller ones are taught to plough, (Ovid.) Constantine’ s children resembled their father exactly, they put him wholly on, saith Eusebius, and were, as it were, very he, ολονενεδυσαντοτονΚονσταντινον.

Read John Trapp on 1 Corinthians 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) Wherefore.—Because I stand in this relation I call you to preserve, as it were, in a moral sense, that family likeness which would naturally accompany such a relationship (Galatians 4:12; Ephesians 5:1; Philippians 3:17).

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Corinthians 4 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 16. Wherefore, I beseech you, be ye followers of me.] It should rather be translated, Be ye imitators of me; μιμηται, from which we have our word mimic, which, though now used only in a bad or ludicrous sense, simply signifies an imitator of another person, whether in speech, manner, habit, or otherwise. As children should imitate their parents in preference to all others, he calls on them to imitate him, as he claims them for his children. He lived for God and eternity, seeking not his own glory, emolument, or ease: those sowers of sedition among them were actuated by different motives. Here then the apostle compares himself with them: follow and imitate me, as I follow and imitate…

Read AdamClarke on 1 Corinthians 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. be ye followers of me] Literally, imitators. Vulgate, imitatores. St Paul’s was no spurious humility, such as has too often taken the place of real gospel humility in the Christian Church. He could venture to refer to his own example, where his conscience told him he had honestly striven to carry out his Master’s commands.

Read Cambridge on 1 Corinthians 4 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wherefore - Since I am your spiritual father. Be ye followers of me - Imitate me; copy my example; listen to my admonitions.

Read Albert Barnes on 1 Corinthians 4 →

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

Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

I beg you therefore, be imitators of me.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

NETBNew English Translation2006

I encourage you, then, be imitators of me.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.

RVARevised Version, American1894

I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Wherefore, I pray you, be ye folowers of me.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

I entreat you therefore, be my imitators.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

I call upon you, therefore, become ye followers of me;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

I call on you, therefore, become followers of me;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

So I urge you to be imitators of me.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So I'm pleading with you to imitate me!

BBEBible in Basic English1949

So my desire is that you take me as your example.

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.

clauseοὖνthereforeclauseverbπαρακαλῶI exhortobjectὑμᾶςyouclausenoun phrase · predicateμιμηταίimitatorsμουof melinking verbγίνεσθεbecome

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

Rogo ergo vos, imitatores mei estote, sicut et ego Christi.

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

ܒܥܐ ܐܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܡܢܟܘܢ ܕܒܝ ܬܬܕܡܘܢ

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

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε.

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 4:16παρακαλέωI exhortI exhortπαρακαλέωοὖνthereforethereforeοὖνσύyou,you,σύμιμητήςimitatorsimitatorsμιμητήςμουof mineof mineμουγίνομαιdo become.do become.γίνομαιπαράPrep. fromPrep. from, in παράμιμέομαιv. I imitav. I imitateμιμέομαιπαράκλησιςn.f. exhorn.f. exhortatioπαράκλησιςδιόCj. wherefCj. whereforeδιόἄραDisj.prt. Disj.prt. then,ἄραμένDisj.prt. Disj.prt. trulyμένἀμήνHebr. veriHebr. verily, tἀμήνγίνομαιv. I come v. I come into γίνομαιοὖνCj. therefCj. therefore, οὖνὄψιοςAdj lateAdj lateὄψιοςγωνίαn.f. a corn.f. a corner, γωνία
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 4:16

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.

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
Παρακαλῶparakaleō I exhort G3870 Verb · present · active · indicative · first person · singular
109× 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 plead with or comfort someone, as Jesus did with his disciples in Matthew 26:53 when he told them to have faith. This word can also mean to invoke or call on someone for help or guidance.
Amplified meaning
plead with, comfort
Tyndale gloss
to plead/comfort
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

παρακαλέω is built from the prefix παρά (near) and the root καλέω (to call). It covers a range of meanings including to summon, beseech, exhort, and comfort. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts such as Acts 28:20 and Matthew 26:53. Notably, it can also imply invoking the gods or comforting others.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

παρα-καλέω, -ῶ,

[in LXX chiefly for נחם ni., pi.;]

to call to one, call for, summon: Ac 28:20 (R, mg.; R, txt., entreat); hence (of the gods: Dem., Xen., al.), to invoke, call on, beseech, entreat: τ. πατέρα μου, Mt 26:53; τ. κύριον, II Co 12:8; in late writers (Polyb., Diod., al.; rarely in LXX; in π., v. Deiss., LAE, 17614), also of men: absol., Phm 9; c. acc., Mt 8:5, Mk 1:40, Ac 16:9, al.; c. inf., Mk 5:17, Lk 8:41, Read the full entry →

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

παρα-καλέω, -@; impf. 3 pers. sing. παρεκάλει, 1 and 3 pers. plur. παρεκάλουν ; 1 aor. παρεκάλεσα ; Pass., pres. παρακαλοῦμαι; pf. παρακέκλημαι; 1 aor. παρεκλήθην ; 1 fut. παρακληθήσομαι; fr. Aeschyl. and Hdt. down; i as in Grk. writ. to call to one’s side, call for, summon: twa, w. an inf. indicating the purpose, Acts xxviii. 20 [al. (less naturally) refer this to II. 2, making the ace. the subj. of the inf. ]. II. to address, speak to, (call to, call on), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, ete. ; hence result a variety of senses, on which see Knapp, Scripta varii arg. ed. 2 Ρ. 117 sqq.; ef. Fritzsche, Ep. ad Rom. i. p. 82 sq. ie asin Grk. auth., to admonish, exhort: absol., Lk. iii. 18; [Acts xx. 1 (RGom.)]; Ro. xii. 8; 2 Tim. iv. 2; Heb. x. 25; 1 Pet. v. 12; foll. by direct dise. 2 Co. v. 20; foll. by λέγων w. direct disc. Acts ii. 40; foll.…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

παρακαλέω, “ask,” ‘‘beseech,”’ as frequently in the NT, is a common formula in papyrus private letters, e.g. P Par 42° (B.c. 156) (= UPZ i, p. 318) παρεκάλεσα αὐτὸν ἔρχεσθαι, περὶ dv ἂν βούληται, BGU IV. 1141!° (B.c. 14) ἐρωτῶ σε οὖν Kal παρακαλῶι Kal τὴν Καίσαρος τύ[χη]ν oe ἐξορκιζῶι, and

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

παρακαλέω (parakaleō) — to plead/comfort.

παρακᾰλέω,

Attic dialect future -καλῶ, later -καλέσω[LXX]:—call to one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. call in, send for, summon, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; invoke the gods, τοὺς θεούς [Refs 4th c.BC+]; περὶ τούτου τὸν θεόν (as medical adviser) [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; τὸν Ἐνυάλιον [Refs 5th c.BC+] —passive, παρακαλούμενος καὶ ἄκλητος, 'vocatus atque non vocatus', [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παρακαλουμένη ἀμύνειν being called upon to ward off, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.2. summon one's friends to attend one in a trial, π. τοὺς φίλους [Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. τινάς call them as witnesses, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, uncertain in [Refs 4th c.BC+] —passive, παρακεκλημένοι summoned to attend at a trial, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

παρακαλέω

parakaleo

from 3844 and 2564; to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration,

hortation or consolation):--beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort,

desire, (give) exhort(-ation), intreat, pray.

see GREEK for 3844

see GREEK for 2564

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

παρακαλέω

v.

I summon, entreat, admonish, comfort

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

παρακαλέω parakaleō 109x

to call for, invite to come, send for, Acts 28:20; to call upon, exhort, admonish, persuade, Lk. 3:18; Acts 2:40; 11:23; to beg, beseech, entreat, implore, Mt. 8:5, 31; 18:29; Mk. 1:40; to animate, encourage, comfort, console, Mt. 2:18; 5:4; 2 Cor. 1:4, 6; pass. to be cheered, comforted, Lk. 16:25; Acts 20:12; 2 Cor. 7:13

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

παρακαλέω attic fut. -καλῶ later -καλέσω to call to one, Xen.

to call to aid, call in, send for Lat. arcessere, Hdt., Ar., etc.; π. τινα σύμβουλον Xen.:— to call on, invoke the Gods, id. Xen., etc.:—Pass., παρακαλούμενος καὶ ἄκλητος, "vocatus atque non vocatus, " Thuc.

to summon one's friends to attend one in a trial (cf. παράκλησις 1. 1):—Pass., παρακεκλημένοι summoned to attend at a trial, Aeschin.

to invite, ἐπὶ δαῖτα Eur.; ἐπὶ θήραν Xen.; π. τινὰ ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα to invite him to mount the tribune, Aeschin.

to call to, exhort, cheer, encourage, τινά Aesch., Xen.

to comfort, console: in Pass., NTest.

to excite, τινὰ ἐς φόβον, ἐς δάκρυα Eur.: —of things, to foment, φλόγα Xen.

π. τινά, c. inf., to exhort one to do, Eur., Xen.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-1S — Verb · present · active · indicative · first person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-1S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: first Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
16%i exhort
i exhort16% · 17×exhorting6% · 7×begging6% · 6×we exhort5% · 5×do exhort5% · 5×they were begging4% · 4×imploring3% · 3×exhort3% · 3×other renderings54% · 58×

108 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 52 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
verb99%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 109 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
ἐγώσύἀσθενέωI am weak, sick
αὐτός
πρόςὅτιthat, since, becὁράωI see, look upon
Article the
εἴτεand if, whetherἀλλάbut, exceptεἰς
οὗτος
διάἀκούωI hear, listen
διόwherefore
παρακαλέωI exhort109×
what comes after →
αὐτός
ἵναin order that, sλέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,
Article the
ἀδελφόςa brotherκαρδίαthe heart, innerαὐτός
σύ
δέbut, on the otheμεταλαμβάνωI share in, partὁράωI see, look upon
δέbut, on the other ha
σύ
ἐγώ
τέDisjἐπίArticle the

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

Concordanceπαρακαλέω · 109× in the New Testament
Acts 2 Corinthians Matthew Mark 1 Thessalonians Luke 1 Corinthians 1 Timothy Hebrews Romans 1 Peter Titus

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament19 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 60 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 Ignatius of Antioch The Epistle of Barnabas The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Posterity of Cain 138c. AD 40

ἡ δὲ τὸ πρεσβύτατον τῶν παιδευμάτων διδαχθεῖσα, τὸ ἀβάσκανον καὶ φιλόδωρον, εὐθὺς ὀρέγει τὸ σοφίας νᾶμα καὶ ἐμπιεῖν ἀθρόου παρακαλεῖ μετὰ τοῦ καὶ κύριον ὀνομάζειν τὸν οἰκέτην.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.15c. AD 75–95

ἤδη τοίνυν τοὺς ἐντευξομένους τοῖς βιβλίοις παρακαλῶ τὴν γνώμην θεῷ προσανέχειν καὶ δοκιμάζειν τὸν ἡμέτερον νομοθέτην, εἰ τήν τε φύσιν ἀξίως αὐτοῦ κατενόησε καὶ τῇ δυνάμει πρεπούσας ἀεὶ τὰς πράξεις ἀνατέθεικε πάσης καθαρὸν τὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ φυλάξας…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 14.9c. AD 100

καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης λέγει: Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ, οὖ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι ταπεινοῖς χάριν, ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτὸν καὶ…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 2nd c. AD 7th c. AD 4th c. AD 5th c. AD

διανδραγαθήσαντα σαυτοῦ ἐπιμέλεσθαι μέχρι τοῦ τὰ πράγματα ἀποκαταστῆναι , ἔτι καὶ νῦν καλῶς ποιήσεις παρακαλῶν σαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς παρʼ ἡμῶν· προσπέπτωκεν γὰρ Παῶν ἀναπλεῖν ἐν τῶι Τῦβι μηνὶ μετὰ

ÉdP 5 (1939), p. 94Karanis (Arsinoites)AD 298

δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἡμῶν φροντίδα ποιεῖται, καὶ διʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐντάξασαι τὰ καταλειφθέντα δεόμεθα καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν σὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ὅπως κελεύσῃς αὐτῷ τῷ Χαιρήμονι ταῦτα ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ὄνησιν

P.Cair. Isid. 73Karanis (Arsinoites)AD 314

τοῦτο μὴ φέροντες τὰ ἔνγραφα ἐπιδίδομεν τῇ σῇ ἀρετῇ αὐτὰ ταῦτα μεμνημένοι, δεόμενοι καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ὅπως κελεύσῃς διὰ ἱερᾶς σου ὑπογραφῆς ἐπεξελθεῖν, τὸ σὸν μεγαλεῖον, κατά τε τοῦ πραιποσίτου

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
οὖνoun therefore G3767 Conjunction
496× 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 word means therefore or then, showing a consequence. It appears in Matthew 3:10 and Romans 5:9 to connect ideas and events.
Amplified meaning
as a consequence, then
Tyndale gloss
therefore/then
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word οὖν (oun) is a particle used to express consequence, sequence, or to resume a narrative. It translates to 'therefore,' 'then,' or 'accordingly,' and appears frequently in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 3:10 and Romans 5:9. It can also serve in exhortations and questions, indicating what follows logically from previous statements.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

οὖν,

particle expressing consequence or simple sequence (never standing first in a sentence),

wherefore, therefore, then: Mt 3:10, Lk 3:9, Jo 8:38, Ac 1:21, Ro 5:9, al.; in exhortations, Mt 3:8, Lk 11:35, Ac 3:19, Ro 6:12, al.; in questions, Mt 13:28, Mk 15:12, Jo 8:[5], Ro 6:1, al.; continuing a…

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

οὖν ἃ conj. indicating that something follows from another necessarily; [al. regard the primary force of the particle as confirmatory or continuative, rather than illative; cf. Passow, or L.andS.s. v.; Kiihner § 508, 1 ii. p- 707 sqq.; Biiumlein p. 173 sqq.; Kriiger § 69, 52; Donaldson p. 571; Rost in a program “ Ueber Ableitung ” u.s.w. p.2; Klotz p. 717; Hartung ii. 4]. Hence it is used in drawing a conclusion and in connecting sentences together logically, then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so, [ (Klotz, Rost, al., have wished to derive the word fr. the neut. ptep. ὄν (cf. ὄντως) ; but see Baumlein or Kiihner u.s.); ef. W. § 53, 8]: Mt. iii. 10; x. 32 (since persecutions are not to be dreaded, and consequently furnish no excuse for denying me [οἵ. W. 455 (424)]); Mt. xviii. 4; Lk. iii.9; xvi. 27; In. viii. 38 (καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν, and ye accordingly, i. e.…

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

οὖν. This common particle, which occurs in the NT nearly 500 times, is used in our sources in a variety of connexions, the exact shade of meaning being determined by the context. (1) For the causal meaning ‘‘therefore” we may cite BGU II. 423" (ii/aA.p.) (= Sevectzons, p. 91) Kal καλῶς pol ἐστιν. ἐρωτῶ ce οὖν, κύριέ pou πατήρ, γράψον μοι ἐπιστόλιον πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας σου... , “it is well with me. I beg you, therefore, my lord father, write me a letter, first regarding your health ... ,” and P Oxy XIV. 16651 (iii/A.D.), where a son in urgent need of oil writes to his father—dvayxalws οὖν, ἐὰν ἔτι παρὰ σεαυτῷ χρ[ἴ]ον ἔχῃς, δήλωσον ἢ τῷ vie σου ἢ ᾧ ἐὰν σὺ βούλῃ τούτους μοι ἐν τάχει παρα[σ]χεῖν, ‘perforce, therefore, if you have still with you any unguent, instruct your son or any one else you wish to supply me with them speedily ” (Edd.). (2) Οὖν is very common in a looser…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

οὖν (oun) — therefore/then.

οὖν,

Ionic dialect and Doric dialect ὦν (the latter in [Refs 8th c.BC+], adverb certainly, in fact, confirming something, frequently in contrast with something which is not confirmed, in [Refs 8th c.BC+] only in combination with γε (see. γοῦν), γάρ, οὔτε or μήτε, ὡς, ἐπεί, μέν, etc.:

1. really, φημὶ γὰρ οὖν κατανεῦσαι.. Κρονίωνα for I declare that Zeus did really promise.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τόφρα γὰρ οὖν ἑπόμεσθα.., ὄφρ᾽ for we followed them up to the very point, where.., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐλέχθησαν λόγοι ἄπιστοι μὲν ἐνίοισι Ἑλλήνων, ἐλέχθησαν δ᾽ ὦν but they really were spoken, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Θηβαῖοι μὲν ταῦτα λέγουσι.., Πλαταιῆς δ᾽ οὐχ ὁμολογοῦσι.., ἐκ δ᾽ οὖν τῆς γῆς ἀνεχώρησαν at all events they did return, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so δ᾽ οὖν after a parenthesis; εἰ δή τις ὑμῶν οὕτως ἔχει,—οὐκ ἀξιῶ μὲν γὰρ ἔγωγε,—εἰ…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

οὖν

oun

apparently a primary word; (adverbially) certainly, or

(conjunctionally) accordingly:--and (so, truly), but, now (then), so

(likewise then), then, therefore, verily, wherefore.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

οὖν

Cj.

therefore, then

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

οὖν oun 499x

then, now then, Mt. 13:18; Jn. 19:29; then, thereupon, Lk. 15:28; Jn. 6:14; therefore, consequently, Mt. 5:48: Mk. 10:9; it also serves to mark the resumption of discourse after an interruption by a parenthesis, 1 Cor. 8:4. Sometimes it is not translated.

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

οὖν really, at all events, used like γοῦν to dismiss a perplexing subject, οὔτ᾽ οὖν ἀγγελίῃς ἔτι πείθομαι, οὔτε θεοπροπίης ἐμπάζομαι Od.; ἐλέχθησαν λόγοι ἄπιστοι μὲν ἐνίοισι Ἑλλήνων, ἐλέχθησαν δ᾽ ὦν but they really were spoken, Hdt.; εἴτ᾽ οὖν, εἴτε μὴ γενήσεται whether it shall be really so, or no, Eur.; εἴτ᾽ οὖν ἀληθὲς εἴτ᾽ οὖν ψεῦδος Plat.; εἰ δ᾽ ἔστιν, ὥσπερ οὖν ἔστι, θεός if he is, as he surely is, a god, id. Plat.

added to indef. Pronouns and Advs., like Lat. cunque, ὅστις whoever, ὁστισοῦν whosoever; ὅπως how, ὁπωσοῦν howsoever; ἄλλος ὁστισοὖν another, be he who he may; so, ὁποιοσοῦν, ὁποσοσοῦν, ὁπωσοῦν, ὁποθενοῦν…

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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
79%therefore
therefore79% · 428×then19% · 104×other renderings1% · 7×

539 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 5 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

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 496 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
λέγωI say, speak
διακονέωI wait at table,ἔχωI have, hold, poΣατανᾶςan adversary, Sa
μένDisj
Article theεἰCondπολύςmuch, many, ofte
τίςIrg
αὐτόςλέγωI say, speakδιά
Article the
ἸακώβPropὕδωρwater
σύ
καίand, even, also,δεῖit is necessary,ἐρωτάωI ask, question,
οὖνtherefore496×
what comes after →
Article the
ἸησοῦςJesusἸουδαῖοςJewishμαθητήςa learner, disci
αὐτός
Article theτίςIrgἸησοῦςJesus
καίand, even, also, nam
νίπτωI washἕτεροςanother, differeὁράωI see, look upon
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theσύοὗτος
σύ
πονηρόςevil, bad, wickeτέλειοςperfect, full-grἨλίαςElijah

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

Concordanceοὖν · 496× in the New Testament
John Acts Matthew Romans Luke 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 Peter Galatians Philippians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament23 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 110 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 The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 4c. AD 40

τὸ μὲν οὖν κάλλος τῶν νοημάτων τῆς κοσμοποιίας οὐδεὶς οὔτε ποιητὴς οὔτε λογογράφος ἀξίως ἂν ὑμνῆσαι δύναιτο·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.6c. AD 75–95

ἤδη μὲν οὖν καὶ πρότερον διενοήθην, ὅτε τὸν πόλεμον συνέγραφον, δηλῶσαι τίνες ὄντες ἐξ ἀρχῆς Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ τίσι χρησάμενοι τύχαις ὑφʼ οἵῳ τε παιδευθέντες νομοθέτῃ τὰ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἄσκησιν ἀρετῆς πόσους τε πολέμους ἐν μακροῖς…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.4c. AD 100

πεπεισμένος οὖν τοῦτο καὶ συνειδὼς ἐμαυτῷ, ὅτι ἐν ὑμῖν λαλήσας πολλὰ ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι ἐμοὶ συνώδευσεν ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης κύριος, καὶ πάντως ἀναγκάζομαι κἀγὼ εἰς τοῦτο, ἀγαπᾶν ὑμᾶς ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι μεγάλη πίστις καὶ ἀγάπη ἐγκατοικεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐπ’…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. BC 2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 2nd c. BC
P.Grenf. 2 23Latopolites109 BC

χαίρειν. τοῦ παρʼ Ἑρμώνακτος τῶν ὁμοτίμων τοῖς συγγενέσι καὶ ὑποδιοικητοῦ χρηματισμοῦ ἀντίγραφον ὑπόκειται. κατακολουθήσας οὖν τοῖς διʼ αὐτοῦ σημαινομένοις χρημάτισον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Παθύρει τραπέζης, συνυπογράφοντος Φίβιος τοῦ…

P.Grenf. 1 30Pathyris104 BC

δὲ καὶ αὐτοί. μεταλαβόντες τοὺς συντετελεσμένους πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς Ἑρμωνθίτας ἀγῶνας μεγάλως ἐχάρημεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν προκεχειρίκαμεν προστάτην τοῦ μεγίστου θεοῦ Νεχθφαραῦτος βεα … ρων … δια … στρατιωτῶν

Chrest.Wilck. 12Pathyris89 BC

ἐπιβεβληκέναι εἰς Μέμφιν, Ἱέρακα δὲ προκεχειρίσθαι μετὰ δυνάμεων μυρίων ἐπὶ καταστολὴν τῆς Θηβαίδος. ὅπως οὖν εἰδότες εὐθαρσεῖς ὑπάρχητε ἐκρίναμεν σημῆναι. ἔρρωσθε ἔτους λ Φαῶφι ιθ

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
ὑμᾶς,su you, G4771 Personal pronoun · second person · accusative · plural
2,892× 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 'you' and is used to address someone directly, like in John 1:30 and Matthew 26:64. It's a way to emphasize or contrast the person being spoken to. The KJV Bible translates it as 'thou'.
Tyndale gloss
you
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σύ is the second-person singular pronoun meaning 'you' in Greek. It has various forms: genitive σοῦ, dative σοί, and accusative σέ. The word can be used for emphasis or contrast, particularly in the New Testament, as seen in verses like Matthew 26:64. It also appears in various dialects and has enclitic forms.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σύ,

pron. of 2nd pers.,

thou, you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, pl., ὑμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς (enclitic in oblique cases sing., except after prep. (BL, §48, 3), though πρὸς σέ occurs in Mt 25:39). Nom. for emphasis or contrast: Jo 1:30, 42 4:10 5:33, 39, 44, Ac 4:7, Eph 5:32; so also perhaps σὺ εἶπας, Mt 26:64, al. (M, Pr., 86); before voc., Mt 2:6, Lk 1:76, Jo 17:5, al.; sometimes without emphasis (M, Pr., 85f.), as also

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

σύ, pron. of the second pers. (Dor. and Aeol. τύ, Boeot. Tov), gen. σοῦ, dat. σοί, ace. σέ (which oblique cases are enclitic, unless a preposition precede; yet πρός σε is written [uniformly in Ree. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18), in Grsb. (exe. Jn. xxi. 22, 23), in Treg. (exc. Mt. xxvi. 18; Acts xxiii. 30), in Lchm. (exe. Mt. xxvi.18; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; xxi. 22, 23; Acts xxiii. 30), in Tdf. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18; Lk. i. 19; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; Jn. xxi. 22; Acts xxiii. 18, 30; 1 Tim. iii. 14; Tit. iii. 12); also by WH in Mt. xxv. 39], see ἐγώ, 2; Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch. p. 62 sq. [W. §6, 3; B. 31 (27)]); plur. ὑμεῖς, εἴς. : Lat. tu, ete., vos, ete.; thou, ete., ye,ete. The nominatives ov and ὑμεῖς are expressed for emphasis — before a vocative, as σὺ Βηθλεέμ, Mt. ii. 6; σὺ παιδίον (Leian. dial. deor. 2, 1), Lk. i. 76; add, Jn. xvii. 5; Acts i. 24; 1 Tim. vi. 11, etc.; ὑμεῖς of Φαρισαῖοι, Lk. xi. 39…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σύ (su) — you.

σύ [ῠ],

thou: pronoun of the second person:—Epic dialect nominative τύνη [ῡ] [Refs 8th c.BC+] (Laconian dialect τούνη [Refs 5th c.AD+]; Aeolic dialect σύ [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τύ [ῠ] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τού [short syllable] [Refs 6th c.BC+] (also τούν [Refs]σύ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]—Gen. σοῦ, [Refs], elsewhere only Attic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; enclitic σου, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (also in Lyric poetry, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (which also occurs in Lyric poetry, [Refs 7th c.BC+], and as enclitic σευ, [Refs 8th c.BC+], σεο (enclitic) [Refs] σευ (enclitic) [Refs]:—Doric dialect τεῦ, τευ, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; rarely τέο, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τεῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τεοῦς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοι variant in [Refs]; enclitic τεος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; other Doric dialect forms are τίω, τίως, both [Refs 3rd c.BC+]—Dat. σοί, [Refs 8th c.BC+]…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σύ

su

the person pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou. See

also 4571, 4671, 4675; and for the plural 5209, 5210, 5213, 5216.

see GREEK for 4675

see GREEK for 4571

see GREEK for 4671

see GREEK for 5209

see GREEK for 5210

see GREEK for 5213

see GREEK for 5216

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ

Pers.pr.

you

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σύ sy 2x

you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, Mt. 1:20; 2:6

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-2AP — Personal pronoun · second person · accusative · plural
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-2AP Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: second Case: Accusative Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
78%you
you78% · 2412×you yourselves7% · 221×you yourself5% · 168×your3% · 87×other renderings3% · 96×other renderings3% · 89×

3,073 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 37 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
subject28%object24%adverbial23%indirect object20%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,892 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
λέγωI say, speak
ἀμήνHebrδέbut, on the otheἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώοὕτωthus, so, in thiμήNeg
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, existγίνομαιI come into bein
πρός
ἔρχομαιI come, goἐγώπέμπωI send
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaθέλωI will, wish, de
σύyou,2892×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐνἁμαρτίαa sin
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theεἰρήνηpeace, peace of οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐν
ἐν
Article theποῖοςIrgΧριστόςanointed, the Me

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

Concordanceσύ · 2,892× in the New Testament
Matthew Luke John Acts Mark 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Romans 1 Thessalonians Revelation Hebrews Colossians

16 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
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 450 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 Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
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 1.101c. AD 75–95

παύσομαι δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ μετὰ τοσαύτης ὀργῆς τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν εἰσπραττόμενος καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον σοῦ παρακαλοῦντος.

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 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

τοῦ ἀποδοθῆι τὸν ἐπεσταλμένον ἡμῖν κατὰ μῆνα πυρὸν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν. διʼ ἄλλων γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν βουλόμεθα μηδεμιᾶς προσφωνήσεως προσπεπτωκυίας. ἑαυτῶν δὲ ἐπιμελόμενοι ἵνʼ ὑγιαίνητε, — ἔσμεν ἐν

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

η Φατρήους καὶ … χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρωμένοις διευτυχεῖν. ἐρρώμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρίστην μνείαν ποιούμενοι παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Πηλουσίωι θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ

P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

παρὰ Πετεύριος διεθέντος μου ὑπάρξει σοι εἰς στέφανον χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δεκάπεντε, τάλαντα ιε. εὐτύχει .

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
μιμηταίmimētēs imitators G3402 Noun · 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
An imitator is someone who follows another's example, as seen in 1 Corinthians 4:16 and Ephesians 5:1, where Paul encourages believers to imitate him and God.
Amplified meaning
be followers of, live like
Tyndale gloss
imitator
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word μιμητής (i.e., mimētēs) means 'imitator' or 'follower.' It is derived from the verb μιμέομαι and is used in the New Testament to refer to someone who imitates others positively, as seen in passages like 1 Corinthians and Ephesians. The term can also imply a broader sense of representation, such as an actor or copyist, but in the New Testament context, it consistently carries a good connotation.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

* μιμητής, -οῦ, ὁ

(< μιμέομαι),

in NT always (like the verb) in good sense, an imitator: I Co 4:16 11:1, Eph 5:1, I Th 1:6 2:14, He 6:12.†

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

μιμητής, -οὔ, 6, an imitator: γίνομαί τινος (gen. of pers.), 1Co. iv. 16; xi.1; Eph.v.1; 1 Th.i. 6; ii. 14; Heb. vi. 12; w. gen. of the thing, 1 Pet. iii. 13 Rec. (where L T Tr WH @orai). [Plat., Isoer., al.]

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

| μιμητής. —other persons of the same name figure in this ledger, twice | without description, then’ Adp. τέκτονι, ποιμένι "Adp., and | twice before a lacuna. In P Oxy XIV. 16663 (iii/a.p.) a certain Pausanias writes περὶ τοῦ μεικροῦ Ilavcaviov— evidently his son—stating that he desired to be transferred to a cavalry regiment. A similar application of the adj. to children is very common. We may cite, by way of example, P Lond 8937 (a.p. 40) (= P Ryl II. p. 381) καλῶς π[οιή]σεις ἐξαυτῆ(9) πέμψας μοι Tov μεικρόν, ““ please therefore send me the child immediately ” (Edd.), P Fay 113}} (a.p, 100) εἰκθύας (/. ἰχθύας) (δραχμῶν) iB ἐπὶ τὰ τετρακοσστὰ (2. -κοστὰ) τοῦ μικροῦ, ““12 drachmas’ worth of fish for the little one’s four-hundredth-day festival " (Edd.), P Lond 8998 (ii/a.D.) (= III. p. 208) ἔπεμψα τῇ μικρᾷ oa iB, som sent twelve eggs to the little one,” P Giss I. 787 (ii/a.p.) ἡ The NT…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μιμητής (mimētēs) — imitator.

μῑμ-ητής, οῦ, ὁ,

imitator, τινων[NT+5th c.BC+]; οἱ μ. τῶν γραμμάτων forgers, [Refs 4th c.AD+]

II. artist [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially one who impersonates characters, as an actor or poet, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II.2. coupled with γόης, mere actor, impostor, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

μιμητής

mimetes

from 3401; an imitator:--follower.

see GREEK for 3401

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

μιμητής, οῦ, ὁ

n.m.

an imitator

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

μιμητής mimētēs 6x

an imitator, follower, 1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Eph. 5:1; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; Heb. 6:12*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

μιμητής μι_μητής, οῦ, ὁ, μιμέομαι an imitator, copyist, Plat., etc.

one who represents characters, Arist.

a mere actor, an impostor (cf. ὑποκριτής), Plat.

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

N-NPM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
100%imitators
imitators100% · 6×

6 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 1 different way. 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
predicate100%

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
σύ
οὖνtherefore, thenκαίand, even, also,
οὖνtherefore, then
γίνομαιI come into bein
γάρfor
σύ
γίνομαιI come into being, a
νωθρόςdull, sluggish
μιμητήςimitators
what comes after →
ἐγώ
γίνομαιI come into bein
Article the
θεόςGod, a god
γίνομαιI come into being, a
ἀδελφόςa brother
δέbut, on the other ha
Article the

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

Concordanceμιμητής · 6× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians 1 Thessalonians Ephesians Hebrews
Across the New Testament4 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
Josephus Ignatius of Antioch Philo of Alexandria Clement of Rome Polycarp
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Migration of Abraham 26c. AD 40

πολλοὶ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ ἀντιπάλου κακίας ἐγένοντο μιμηταί, ὡς ἀρετῆς ἔμπαλιν ἕτεροι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 4.151c. AD 75–95

περιίστατο γάρ, μὴ πολλοὶ τῆς τῶν λόγων ἀσελγείας αὐτοῦ μιμηταὶ γενόμενοι ταράξωσι τὸ πλῆθος.

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 17.1c. AD 96

Μιμηταὶ γενώμεθα κἀκείνων, οἵτινες ἐν δέρμασιν αἰγείοις καὶ μηλωταῖς περιεπάτησαν κηρύσσοντες τὴν ἔλευσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ: λέγομεν δὲ Ἠλίαν καὶ Ἑλισαιέ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ, τοὺς προφήτας: πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τοὺς μεμαρτυρημένους.

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
μουegō of mine G3165 Personal pronoun · first person · genitive · singular
1,872× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
In plain English
Tyndale gloss
I/we
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐγώ, gen, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς,

pers. pron.

I.

The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mt 3:11, Mk 1:8, Lk 3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mt 10:16, Jo 10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. I Ki 3:8), Ac 9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jo 1:23 (LXX), Ac 7:32 (LXX).

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

ἐγώ, gen. ἐμοῦ, enclitic pod; dat. ἐμοί, enclitic μοί; acc. ἐμέ, enclitic μέ; plur. ἡμεῖς, ete.; personal pronoun, J. 1. The nominatives ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς, when joined to a verb, generally have force and emphasis, or indicate antithesis, as Mt. iii. 11; Mk.i. 8; Lk. iii. 16 (ἐγὼ pev... ὁ δέ); Mt. iii. 14 (ἐγὼ... ἔχω, καὶ σύν ; V. 22, 28, 39, and often; ἡμεῖς, contrasted with God, Mt. vi. 12; ἡμεῖς x. of Φαρισαῖοι, Mt. ix. 14; cf. W. § 22,6. But sometimes they are used where there is no emphasis or antithesis in them, as Mt. x. 16; Jn. x. 17; and in many edd. in Mk. i. 2; Lk. vii. 27; οἵ. B. §129, 12. ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, 1397, behold me, hereamT: Acts ix.10 (1S. iii. 8). ἐγώ, like 38, Jam: Jn. i. 23; Acts vii. 32, [ef. W.585 (544); B. 125 (109)]. 2. The enclitic (and monosyllabic) gen., dat., and ace. are connected with nouns, verbs, adverbs, but not with prepositions: ἔμπροσθέν pov, Jn. i. 15; ὀπίσω…

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

ἐγώ. Deissmann (ZAZ p. 134 ff.) has drawn attention to the parallels to the solemn use of the first personal pronoun in the Fourth Gospel that may be adduced from inscriptions and magical texts. Thus in an inscr. in honour of Isis from Ios, written in ii/iii A.p., the contents of which are preChristian, we find —Elows ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ τ[ύρανν]ος πάσης χόρας.. ἐγὼ νόμους ἀνθρώποις ἐθέμην . . ἐγώ εἰμι Kpdvov θυγάτηρ πρεσβυτάτη α΄. And similarly in the magical papyrus P Lond 4645 (iv/a.p.) (=I. p. 69) ἐγώ εἰμι ὃ ἀκέφαλος δαίμων . . ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια ὁ μεισῶν ἀδικήματα γείνεσθαι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ α΄. With the construction of the phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ; in Jn 24 we may compare BGU IV. 1141°8 (n.c. 14) ἐδίδουν αὐτῷ διαστολὰς μηδὲν αὐτῶι καὶ ἐκείνωι εἶναι : for its meaning see Ε΄. C. Burkitt in 77:5 xiii. p- 594f., where it is rendered, ‘‘ What have I and thou to do with that ?” On the difficult…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μέ (me) — me.

ἐγώ,

I: pronoun of the first person:—Epic dialect mostly ἐγών before vowels (so in Doric dialect, before consonants, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἱών [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:— strengthened ἔγωγε, I at least, for my part, indeed, for myself (more frequently in Attic dialect than in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: Doric dialect ἐγώνγα [Refs 7th c.BC+]: Boeotian dialect ἱώνγα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἱώνει [Refs]; ἰώγα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: Laconian dialect and Tarentum dialect ἐγώνη, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

II. oblique cases from a different root, genitive ἐμοῦ, enclitic μο; Ionic dialect and Epic dialect ἐμέο, ἐμεῦ, μευ, also ἐμέθεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect ἔμεθεν [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect ἐμέος, ἐμεῦς, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἐμοῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+] — _dative_ ἐμοί, enclitic μοι (which may be compared with Sanskrit…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

me

a shorter (and probably originally) from of 1691; me:--I, me, my.

see GREEK for 1691

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

I, gen., ἐμοῦ [μου], dat., ἐμοί [μοι], acc., ἐμέ [με]

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-1GS — Personal pronoun · first person · genitive · singular
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-1GS Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: first Case: Genitive Number: Singular

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Mine

The process of mining is described in Job 28:1-11. Moses speaks of the mineral wealth of Palestine (Deut. 8:9). Job 28:4 is rightly thus rendered in the Revised Version, “He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot [that passeth by]; they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.” These words illustrate ancient mining operations.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
35%us
us35% · 717×me32% · 644×mine20% · 402×we ourselves6% · 124×my2% · 45×other renderings5% · 97×

2,029 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 27 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

I exhort therefore you, imitators of mine do become.
γίνεσθε.ginomai do become. G1096 Verb · present · no voice stated · imperative · second person · plural
668× 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
A versatile word meaning to be, become, or come into being, used in John 1:15 and 1 Corinthians 15:37.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

γίνομαι (ginomai) is a versatile Greek verb meaning to come into being, be born, or arise. It covers a wide range of uses, from the creation of things to events occurring. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts such as birth (e.g., Romans 1:3), occurrences in nature (e.g., John 12:29), and actions being performed (e.g., Matthew 21:42). It can also express the idea of becoming or changing states.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

γίνομαι, Ion. and κοινή for Att. γίγν- (M. Pr., 47; Bl., §6, 8 Mayser, 166 f.),

[in LXX chiefly for היה ;]

of persons, things occurrences, to come into being, be born, arise, come on: Jo 1:15 8:58, I Co 15:37; a first appearance in public, Mk 1:4, Jo 1:6, al.; seq. ἐκ (of birth), Ro 1:3, Ga 4:4; διά, Jo 1:3; βροντή, Jo 12:29; σεισμός, Re 6:12; γογγυσμός, Ac 6:1; χαρά, Ac 8:8, many other similar exx.; ἡμέρα, Lk 22:66, al.; ὀψέ, Read the full entry →

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

γίνομαι (in Ionic prose writ.and in com. Grk. fr. Aristot. on for Attic γίγνομαι) ; [impf. ἐγινόμην ; fut. γενήσομαι ; 2 aor. ἐγενόμην (often in 3 pers. sing. optat. γένοιτο ; [ptep. yevapevos, Lk. xxiv. 22 Tdf. ed. 7]), and, with no diff. in signif., 1 aor. pass. ἐγενήθην, rejected by the Atticists (cf. Lob. ad Phryn. p. 108 sq.; [Thom. Mag. ed. Ritschl p. 75, 6 sq.]), not rare in later Grk., common in Sept. (Acts iv. 4; 1 Th. ii. 14; 1 Co. xv. 10, etc.), impv. γενηθήτω (Mt. vi. 10; xv. 28, ete.) ; pf. γεγένημαι and γέγονα, 3 pers. plur. γέγοναν L T Tr WH in Ro. xvi. 7 and Rey. xxi. 6 (cf. [Tdf. Proleg. p. 124; WH. App. p. 166; Soph. Lex. p. 37 sq.; Curtius, Das Verbum, ii. 187]; W. 36 and 76 (73) sq-; Mullach p. 16; B. 43 (37 sq.)), [ptep. γεγονώς] ; plpf. 3 pers. sing. ἐγεγόνει (Jn. vi. 17 [not Tdf.];. Acts iv. 22 [where L T Tr WH γεγόνει, cf. W. § 12, 9; B. 33 (29); Tdf.’s note on…

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

γίνομαι {Ξ ΠῚ. p. 210) γενοῦ πρὸς "Ata τὸν ποιμένα καὶ δέξαι παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ δραχμὰς διακοσίας, P Flor II. 180 (a.p. 253) ἐὰν γένηται πρός σε Διόσκορος, α΄. Γίνομαι sometimes supplies an aorist fir εἰμί : ἐγενόμην is normally ingressive (= became), but has to serve on occasion for summary (‘‘constative ’’) aorist as well—cf. Prolfeg. p. 109. Thus P. Flor III. 382% (cited ad 72.) might be translated ‘the son whom I neither have nor ever had,’’ as well as ‘‘ nor was ever born to me.” Lk 13? is an instance of this summary use. It appears in a very common technical usage, by which γενόμενος, with the tithe of an official, etc., denotes “ex-’’: where the title forms a verb, the aor, the perf.) partic. of this is used instead. arch” is γυμνασιαρχήσας. For the periphrasis cf. P Oxy I. 3811 (a.p. 49-50) (= Selections, p. 53) καθὰ π|ζα]ρῆλθον ἐπὶ τοῦ γενομένου τοῦ νομοῦ στρατηγοῦ Ilaciwyvos, “1…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

γίνομαι (ginomai) — to be.

γίγνομαι,

Ionic dialect and after [Refs 4th c.BC+] γίνομαι [ῑ], (Attic dialect Inscrr. have γιγν- in fifth and fourth cententury,[Refs]; Thess. γίνυμαι [Refs]; Boeotian dialect γίνιουμαι [Refs]future γενήσομαι: aorist ἐγενόμην (ἐγενάμην [LXX] (προ-) Decrees Byzantine cited in [Refs 4th c.BC+], Ionic dialect 2nd pers. singular γένευ [Refs 8th c.BC+], 3rd.pers. singular γενέσκετο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect γέντο [Refs 8th c.BC+] (gṇ-το): perfect γέγονα [Refs 8th c.BC+]: 3rd.pers. plural γέγοναν [NT]: pluperfect ἐγεγόνει [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect ἐγεγόνεε [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect forms (as if from perfect γέγᾰα), 2nd pers. plural γεγάᾱτε [Refs 8th c.BC+]pluperfect ἐκ-γεγάτην [ᾰ] [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive γεγάμεν [ᾰ] [Refs 8th c.BC+]; participle γεγᾰώς -ᾰυῖα, plural -ᾰῶτες, -ᾰυῖαι [Refs 8th c.BC+], contraction γεγώς, -ῶσα [Refs…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

γίνομαι

ginomai

a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be

("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used

with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):--arise, be

assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be)

come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be

finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen,

have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass,

be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it

was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

γίνομαι

v.

I come into being, am born

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

γίνομαι ginomai 669x

pluperfect, ἐγενόει (3rd sg), to come into existence; to be created, exist by creation, Jn. 1:3, 10; Heb. 11:3; Jas. 3:9; to be born, produced, grow, Mt. 21:19; Jn. 8:58, et al.; to arise, come on, occur, as the phenomena of nature, etc.; Mt. 8:24, 26; 9:16, et al.; to come, approach, as morning or evening, Mt. 8:16; 14:15, 23; to be appointed, constituted, established, Mk. 2:27; Gal.…

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PNM-2P — Verb · present · no voice stated · imperative · second person · plural
present no voice stated imperative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PNM-2P Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: middle or passive depoNent Mood: iMperative Person: second Number: Plural

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

be-kum':

(1) Greek ginomai, used in New Testament for a change of state, corresponding to Hebrew hayah of Old Testament. Compare Mt 18:3 with De 27:9.

(2) For what is fitting, suitable, proper, in New Testament: "prepei" (Mt 3:15; Eph 5:3; 1Ti 2:10); in Old Testament, na'awah, na'ah, Ps 93:5: "Holiness becometh thy house." in this sense, the adverb "becomingly" must be interpreted: "Walk becomingly toward them that are without" (1Th 4:12), i.e. in a way that is consistent with your profession.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
9%it came to pass
it came to pass9% · 64×became4% · 28×there was3% · 23×do be3% · 22×came3% · 19×having become3% · 18×was3% · 18×having been3% · 17×other renderings69% · 468×

677 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 180 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
verb57%linking verb42%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 668 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
θάλασσαthe sea, lakeἐκεῖthere, yonder, tεἰμίI am, exist
Article the
δύναμιςmight, power, maεἰμίI am, existαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
ὄψιοςlateοὗτοςὡςas, like as, how
μήNeg
ἵναin order that, sοὐNegθεόςGod, a god
αὐτός
ἱμάτιονouter garmentδιάκλάδοςa branch
γίνομαιdo become.668×
what comes after →
Article the
δύναμιςmight, power, maθέλημαwill, wish, desiἔσχατοςlast, at the las
ἐν
Article theσύεἷςone
δέbut, on the other ha
ἐνArticle theἡμέραa day
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὐNegἐκφύωI put forth, cau
εἰς
Article theκεφαλήthe headδένδρονa tree

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

Concordanceγίνομαι · 668× in the New Testament
Luke Acts Matthew Mark John 1 Corinthians Revelation Romans Hebrews 1 Thessalonians Galatians 2 Corinthians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 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 11c. AD 40

πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ γεγονὸς οἰκείωσις οὐδεμία τῷ μὴ πεποιηκότι.

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

ὡς ὁ κατακλυσμὸς ἐγένετο καὶ ὃν τρόπον Νῶχος σωθεὶς ἐν λάρνακι μετὰ τῶν συγγενῶν κατῴκησεν ἐν τῷ Σινάρῳ πεδίῳ.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.11c. AD 100

γενώμεθα πνευματικοί, γενώμεθα ναὸς τέλειος τῷ θεῷ.

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 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 22Thebais119 BC

ἔχω εἰς τὸν Ἑρμίου λόγον περὶ πῆς τοπογραμματείας τοῦ νγ ἔτους χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δέκα. γίνεται τάλαντα ι. καὶ περὶ τῆς κωμογραμματείας ὁμοίως χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δέκα. γίνεται τάλαντα ι. καὶ

P.Grenf. 1 37Thebais109 BC

ἀποστερέσαι … ησας ἀλλά … τας κατὰ κοινόν … ἐπίσκεψιν ποιησάσθαι. … τούτων γὰρ γενομένων ἐσόμεθα βεβοηθημένοι ὑφʼ ὑμῶν. ἔρρωσθε. ἔτους θ Φαρμοῦθι κζ, ἐπιλέγματος ἀναγνωσθέντος τοῦ ὑπομνήματος ἐκρίθη

P.Adl. 10Pathyris102 BC

λ εὐμεγέθης μελίχρως τετανὸς μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὐλὴ φαλάνθῳ ἀριστερῶι χαλκοῦ νομίσματος τάλαντα δέκα δύο, γίνεται τάλαντα ιβ, ἄτοκα, ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀπὸ μηνὸς Παῦνι ιθ. τὸ δὲ δάνειον τοῦτο ἀποδότω

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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