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Matthew 4:2 — Word Study

Depth

N1904καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

BSAAndkai having fastednēsteuō [going without food, abstaining] dayshēmera [a 24-hour period, a period of time] fortytessarakonta [a period of testing] andkai nightsnux [the time of darkness, a period of rest] fortytessarakonta [a period of trial] afterwardhusteron He was hungry.peinaō [afterward, later, felt a strong need, was in need of food]

Word
Listen & take awayMatthew 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 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 (peinaō) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Matthew 4:2quick helps
In a sentenceJesus fasted for forty days and nights, and afterward He felt hunger.
Who is speakingThe narrator describes Jesus' experience in the wilderness.
Where we areThis verse is part of the account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.
The hard wordνηστεύω
Take awayFasting is a significant spiritual practice that can lead to physical hunger.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectνηστεύω verbνηστεύω 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 — Matthew 4:2

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 Temptation of Jesusgenerated

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.
3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Matthew 4:2 describes how Jesus, led by the Spirit, went into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days and nights. This period of fasting was a time of preparation before He faced temptation from the devil. The context emphasizes the physical and spiritual challenges Jesus endured, highlighting His humanity and reliance on God during this trial.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Exodus 24:18Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
2Exodus 34:28So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
3Deuteronomy 9:9–18When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.
4Deuteronomy 18:18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
51 Kings 19:8So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word νηστεύω, nēsteuōgenerated

The Greek word νηστεύω (nēsteuō) means 'to fast,' which involves abstaining from food for spiritual reasons. In this verse, it is presented as a participle, indicating the action Jesus undertook before experiencing hunger.

Fasting is often associated with prayer and seeking God, as seen in other New Testament passages. The act of fasting for forty days signifies a profound commitment and is reflective of similar periods of trial in biblical history.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In this study, the verse is read from the Berean Standard Bible, which states, 'After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.' This wording is consistent across several translations, including the KJV and ASV, which both convey the same meaning.

However, variations arise with the rendering of the verb νηστεύσας. The BSB uses 'fasting,' while others like the YLT employ 'having fasted.' For the phrase 'He was hungry,' translations like the KJV use 'hungered,' while the BSB opts for 'was hungry.'


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is νηστεύσας, having fasted, which governs the action of the sentence. This is followed by an adverbial clause ὕστερον, afterward, and concludes with the verb ἐπείνασεν, He was hungry.

The structure emphasizes the sequence of events: first, Jesus fasted, then afterward, He experienced hunger. The use of participial phrases and adverbials in Greek allows for a more nuanced understanding of the timing and relationship between these actions.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

νηστεύω is connected to the Hebrew word צוּם (H6684), which also means 'to fast.' This connection highlights the continuity of the practice of fasting from the Old Testament into the New Testament.

The concept of fasting as a spiritual discipline is well-established in the Septuagint, where it often accompanies significant events or divine encounters.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Matthew 4:2 tells us that Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, and afterward, He felt hunger. This moment marks a significant part of His preparation for the temptations He would face in the wilderness.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Why did Jesus fast for forty days?

Jesus fasted for forty days to prepare Himself spiritually before facing temptation, demonstrating His reliance on God.

What does fasting signify in the Bible?

Fasting signifies a time of seeking God, repentance, and spiritual preparation, often accompanied by prayer.

How does Jesus' experience relate to other biblical fasts?

Jesus' forty-day fast parallels other significant fasts in the Bible, such as Moses' fast on Mount Sinai, emphasizing the importance of fasting in seeking God's presence.

What can we learn from Jesus' hunger after fasting?

Jesus' hunger after fasting illustrates His humanity and the physical challenges He faced, reminding us of the importance of spiritual and physical nourishment.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does fasting mean to me, and how can I incorporate it into my spiritual life?
  2. In what ways can I prepare myself spiritually before facing challenges or temptations?
  3. How can I rely on God during times of physical or spiritual hunger?
  4. What lessons can I learn from Jesus' example of fasting and prayer?

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

Early church commentators have reflected on Jesus' fasting and temptation, drawing lessons from this significant event.

Origen of AlexandriaFRAGMENT 61.12 c. 185–253
For the number “forty days” is composed of four groups of ten. This may be akin to the four aspects of physical reality, because the sensible world is formed out of four elements.
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →
Hilary of Poitiers c. 310–367
The Devil’s snares are chiefly spread for the sanctified, because a victory over the saints is more desired than over others.
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 13 c. 347–407
Having then found Him in the wilderness, and in a pathless wilderness (for that the wilderness was such, Mark hath declared, saying, that He "was with the wild beasts"), behold with how much craft he draws near, and wickedness;
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Matthew 4:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And when he had fasted forty days..... As Moses did, when he was about to deliver the law to the Israelites, Exodus 34:28 and as Elijah did, when he bore his testimony for the Lord of hosts, 1 Kings

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

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights. Luke says, "When they were quite ended [ suntelestheisoon (G4931)].

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

He was in the wilderness, a place of solitude, and so fitter for Satan’ s purpose, and he was an hungred, which was another advantage Satan had. But he was not an hungred till he had fasted forty days and forty nights. Here was the Divine power miraculously seen, in upholding the human nature of Christ without any thing to eat: this was a miracle. The like did Moses before the law, Elijah under the law. Christ doth the same in the beginning of the gospel; nor did he fast as the Jews were wont, of whom we sometimes read that they kept fasts several days; they only fasted in the day time, but ate their food at night; or sometimes only forbare pleasant bread, as Daniel did, ,3, for three full…

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

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. Ver. 2. And when he had fasted forty days, &c.] All Christ’ s actions are for our instruction, not all for our imitation. We may not imitate the works miraculous of Christ, and proper to him as mediator. The ignorance of this caused some to counterfeit themselves Christ’ s: as one Moor in King Edward VI’ s time, and one Hacker in Queen Elizabeth’ s time, David George, and various others; according to Matthew 24:24. Neither need we seek to imitate him in his infirmities, which (though they were not sinful, but only natural, and therefore unblamable) yet import a weakness (as that he was hungry, weary, sleepy…

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

(2) Forty days and forty nights.—Here we have an obvious parallelism with the fasts of Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and we may well think of it as deliberately planned. Prolonged fasts of nearly the same extent have been recorded in later times. The effect of such a fast on any human organism, and therefore on our Lord’s real humanity, would be to interrupt the ordinary continuity of life, and quicken all perceptions of the spiritual world into a new intensity. It may be noted that St. Luke describes the Temptation as continuing through the whole period, so that what is recorded was but the crowning conflict, gathering into one the struggles by which it had been preluded.…

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

Verse 2. And when he had fasted forty days] It is remarkable that Moses, the great lawgiver of the Jews, previously to his receiving the law from God, fasted forty days in the mount; that Elijah, the chief of the prophets, fasted also forty days; and that Christ, the giver of the New Covenant, should act in the same way. Was not all this intended to show, that God's kingdom on earth was to be spiritual and Divine? - that it should not consist in meat and drink, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost? Romans 14:17. Relative to the forty days' fast of Moses, there is a beautiful saying in the Talmudists. "Is it possible that any man can fast forty days and forty nights? To…

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

2. he was afterward a hungred] The words imply that the temptation was not throughout the forty days, but at the end of the forty days.

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

Had fasted - Abstained from food. Forty days and forty nights - It has been questioned by some whether Christ abstained wholly from food, or only from the food to which he was accustomed. Luke says Luke 4:2 that he ate nothing.

Read Albert Barnes on Matthew 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

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

NETBNew English Translation2006

After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And when he had fasted fourtie dayes, and fourtie nights, he was afterward hungrie.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he hungered.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he did hunger.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He hungered.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

After fasting forty days and nights, he was hungry.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And after going without food for forty days and forty nights, he was in need of it.

Word by word, the decisions they made

νηστεύσαςnēsteuō having fasted G3522 3 different renderings
having fastedDBY LSV YLT
fastingBSB FBV MSB
going without foodBBE
ἐπείνασεν.peinaō He was hungry. G3983 4 different renderings
afterwardASV GNV KJV LSV NWB RVA
he was hungryBSB DRA FBV MSB ULB WEB
hungeredDBY
hungerYLT

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.

clauseκαὶAndclauseclause · adverbialverbνηστεύσαςhaving fastednoun phrase · adverbialnoun phraseἡμέραςdaysτεσσεράκονταfortyκαὶandnoun phraseτεσσεράκονταfortyνύκταςnightsadverbialὕστερονafterwardverbἐπείνασενHe was hungry

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 cum jejunasset quadraginta diebus, et quadraginta noctibus, postea esuriit.

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

ܘܨܡ ܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܝܘܡܝܢ ܘܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܠܝܠܘܢ ܐܚܪܝܬ ܕܝܢ ܟܦܢ

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 νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

καὶ νηστεύσας ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν.

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.

Matthew 4:2καίAndAndκαίνηστεύωhaving fasthaving fastedνηστεύωἡμέραdaysdaysἡμέρατεσσεράκονταfortyfortyτεσσεράκοντακαίandandκαίνύξnightsnightsνύξτεσσεράκονταfortyfortyτεσσεράκονταὕστεροςafterwardafterwardὕστεροςπεινάωHe was hungHe was hungry.πεινάωνῆστιςAdj fastinAdj fasting, wiνῆστιςτέσσαρεςAdj fourAdj fourτέσσαρεςὑπόPrep. by, Prep. by, underὑπόὥραn.f. an hon.f. an hour, sὥραἑδραῖοςAdj firm, Adj firm, steadἑδραῖοςπένηςn.m. poorn.m. poorπένηςἑκατόνIndec.num.Indec.num. one ἑκατόνἔτοςn.n. a yean.n. a yearἔτοςνυμφίοςn.m. a brin.m. a bridegroνυμφίοςσόςPoss.pr. yPoss.pr. yours,σόςνύξn.f. the nn.f. the night,νύξτρεῖςAdj threeAdj threeτρεῖςκαθεύδωv. I sleepv. I sleep, am καθεύδωτεσσεράκονταIndec.num.Indec.num. fortτεσσεράκονταἐμπίπλημιv. I fill v. I fill up, sἐμπίπλημιδιψάωv. I thirsv. I thirst forδιψάω
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 Matthew 4:2

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 having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
καὶkai And G2532 Conjunction
8,978× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew 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 having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
νηστεύσαςnēsteuō having fasted G3522 Verb · aorist · active · participle · nominative · singular · masculine
20× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Matthew than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To fast or abstain from food for religious reasons, as Jesus did in Matthew 4:2 and as the disciples did in Matthew 6:16-18. Fasting was a common practice in the New Testament, as seen in Mark 2:18-20.
Amplified meaning
going without food, abstaining
Tyndale gloss
to fast
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word νηστεύω (nēsteuō) means 'to fast' and is derived from the root for 'hunger.' It covers the act of abstaining from food, often for religious reasons, and appears in several New Testament passages, including Matthew 4:2 and 6:16-18. Thayer notes that fasting can vary in duration and strictness.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

νηστεύω

(< νῆστις),

[in LXX for צוּם;]

to fast (Arist., Aristoph., al.): Mt 4:2 6:16-18 9:14, 15, Mk 2:18-20, Lk 5:33-35 18:12, Ac 13:2, 3.†

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

νηστεύω ; fut. νηστεύσω ; 1 aor. [inf. νηστεῦσαι (LK. v. 34 T WH Trtxt.)], ptep. νηστεύσας ; (fr. νῆστις, 4- V-) 5 to fast (Vulg. and eccles. writ. jejuno), i. 6. to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, Mt. vi. 16-18; ix. 14sq.; Mk. ii. 18-20; Lk. v. 33, [34, 35]; xviii. 12; Acts x.30 RG; xiii. 2,[3]; or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days, Mt. iv. 2, ef. xi. 18; νηστεύει συνεχῶς καὶ ἄρτον ἐσθίει μόνον μετὰ ἅλαTos καὶ τὸ ποτὸν αὐτοῦ ὕδωρ, Acta Thom. § 20. (Arstph., Plut. mor. p. 626 sq.; Ael. v. h. 5, 20; [Joseph. ec. Ap. 1, 34, 5 (where see Miiller)]; Sept. for sy.)

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

νηστεύω (nēsteuō) — to fast.

νηστ-εύω,

fast, [NT+5th c.BC+]; νηστεύσαντες, opposed to ἐδηδοκότες, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

2. with genitive, abstain from, κακότητος [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

νηστεύω

nesteuo

from 3523; to abstain from food (religiously):--fast.

see GREEK for 3523

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

νηστεύω

v.

I fast

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

νηστεύω nēsteuō 20x

to fast, Mt. 4:2; 6:16, 17, 18; 9:15

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

νηστεύω νηστεύω, φυτ. -σω to fast, Ar.

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

V-AAP-NSM Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Participle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
29%fasting
fasting29% · 6×fast?19% · 4×they will fast14% · 3×fast14% · 3×having fasted10% · 2×you may fast5% · 1×do fast5% · 1×i fast5% · 1×

21 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
verb75%object20%adverbial5%

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
τότεthen
καίand, even, also,νυμφίοςa bridegroom
Φαρισαῖοςa Pharisee
Article the
καίand, even, also, nam
κύριοςlord, Lord, mast
δέbut, on the other ha
ὅτανwhen, whensoeverσύ
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of the hu
Article the
νηστεύωhaving fasted20×
what comes after →
Article the
δέbut, on the othe
καίand, even, also, nam
ἔρχομαιI come, goπροσεύχομαιI pray, pray for
ἐν
ἐκεῖνος
ἡμέραa day
τεσσεράκονταIndec
μήNeg
γίνομαιI come into bein

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

Concordanceνηστεύω · 20× in the New Testament
Matthew Mark Luke Acts
Across the New Testament4 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 8 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
The Shepherd of Hermas Josephus The Epistle of Barnabas Philo of Alexandria The Didache
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Special Laws 2.197c. AD 40

τὸ μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ἐμφορεῖσθαι τῶν γεγονότων ἀπληστίας ὑπέλαβεν ἔργον εἶναι, τὸ δὲ νηστεῦσαι καὶ τροφῆς μὴ προσάψασθαι παντελοῦς εὐσεβείας, ἥτις ἀναδιδάσκει τὴν διάνοιαν μὴ πεποιθέναι τοῖς εὐτρεπισθεῖσι καὶ παρεσκευασμένοις ὡς ὑγείας ἢ ζωῆς αἰτίοις·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 5.159c. AD 75–95

παραγενόμενοι δὲ εἰς Βέθηλα πόλιν ἔγγιστα κειμένην καὶ νηστεύσαντες κατὰ τὴν ὑστεραίαν τὸν θεὸν ἱκέτευον διὰ Φινεέσου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως παύσασθαι τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ ταῖς δυσὶν αὐτῶν ἥτταις ἀρκεσθέντα δοῦναι νίκην καὶ κράτος κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.7c. AD 100

λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει νηστεύων ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν διαθήκην ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πλάκας λιθίνας γεγραμμένας τῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κυρίου.

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
ἡμέραςhēmera days G2250 Noun · accusative · plural · feminine
389× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for day refers to a 24-hour period, used in Revelation 21:25 and Acts 9:24. It can also mean a period of time, like in Luke 21:37.
Amplified meaning
a 24-hour period, a period of time
Tyndale gloss
day
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

ἡμέρα is a feminine noun meaning 'day,' covering various usages from the natural day (sunrise to sunset) to a full 24-hour period. It appears in contexts contrasting day with night, as well as in metaphorical senses related to time and judgment. The New Testament references include specific phrases like 'by day' and 'every day,' with notable occurrences in Matthew and Revelation.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἡμέρα, -ας, ἡ,

[in LXX chiefly (very freq.) for יוֹם;]

day;

as distinct from night: gen. ἡμέρας, by day (WM, §30, 11), Re 21:25; ἡ. κ. νυκτός (ν. κ. ἡ.), Ac 9:24, I Th 2:9, II Th 3:8, Re 4:8 (Bl., §36, 13); ἡμέρας μέσης, at mid-day, Ac 26:13; acc. durat., τ. ἡμέρας, Lk 21:37; ὅλην τὴν ἡ., Ro 8:36; ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, Jo 11:9, Ro 13:13; ἡμέρας ὁδός, a day's journey,

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

ἡμέρα, -ας, ἡ, (fr. ἥμερος, -ον, prop. ἡμέρα ὥρα the mild time, cf. Lob. Paral. p. 359; [but cf. Curtius p. 594 sq.; Vanitek p. 9487); Hebr. ny; day; used 1. of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished fr. and contrasted with night; a. prop. ἡμέρας, by day, in the daytime, [ef. collog. Eng. of a day; W. § 30,11; B. § 132, 26], Rev. xxi. 25; ἡμέpas k. νυκτός, day and night [ef. W. 552 (513 sq.); Lob. Paralip. p. 62 sq.; Ellic. on 1 Tim. v. 5], Mk. v.5; Lk. xvili. 7; Actsix. 24; 1 ΤῊ. 11. 9; iii.10; [2 Th. iii.8 L txt. T Tr WH]; 1 Tim. v.5; 2 Tim.i.3; Rev. iv. 8; vii. 15; xii. 10; xiv. 11; xx.10; ἡμέρας μέσης, at midday, Acts xxvi. 13; νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν [ W. 230 (216); B.§ 131, 11], Mk. iv. 27; Acts xx. 31; 2 Th.iii.8 RG; hyperbolically i. q. without intermission, λατρεύειν, Lk. ii. 37; Acts xxvi. 7; ἡμέρας ὁδός, a day’s journey, Lk. ii. 44 (Gen. xxxi.…

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

ἡμέρα. P Par 133} (8.6. 117) ἡμέρας, “during the day,” 7d. 275} (B.C. 160) τῆς ἡμέρας, ‘‘every day,” 23. 497° (B.c. 164-158) τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἀσχοληθείς, P Tebt I. 17° (B.c. 114) ἅμ᾽ ἡμέραι, ‘‘at daybreak,” P Giss I. 1710 (time of Hadrian) καθ᾽ ἡμέραν, P Oxy VII. 10296 (A.D. 107) els τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἡμέραν, 74. τοῦ814 (iii/A.D.) ἡμερῶν ἀνοχὴν ἔχω, 26. X. 127513 (iii/A.D.) ἐφ᾽ ἡμέρας ἑορτῶν πέντε. In P Giss I. 197 (ii/A.D.) a wile writes to her husband—ovv]exas ἀγρυπνοῦσα γυκτὸς ἡϊμέρας μ]ήίαν μέριμναν ἔχω τὴν περὶ [τῆς σωτ]ηρίας σου. The noun is used of ¢ime generally, as in Jn 14°°, Ac 933 a/., in P Amh II. 304° (ii/B.c.) where a woman, who has been ordered to vacate a house, asks ‘‘ for time’”’—‘pépas αἰτοῦσα, promising that she will quit—ev ἡ[μ]έραις 4, “ within ten days.’ For the parenthetic nominative of time, as Mt 1532, Mk 85, Lk 928, we may perhaps cite P Lond 417} (c. A.D. 346)…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἡμέρα (hēmera) — day.

ἡμέρα,

Epic dialect and Ionic dialect ἡμέρη [Refs], Doric dialect ἀμέρα [Refs 8th c.BC+], Locrian dialect ἀμάρα [Refs] (aspirated perhaps only in Attic dialect and West Ionic dialect, compare ἐπάμερος [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.; usually unaspirated in early Attic dialect Inscrr., [Refs]; aspirated in codices even in dialects: original ἀμέρα probably took aspirate from ἑσπέρα): ἡ:—day, less frequently than ἦμαρ in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τίς νύ μοι ἡ. ἥδ; [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μῆνές τε καὶ ἡ[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἡ σήμερον ἡ., see at {σήμερον· ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ} or ἅμα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ at daybreak, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ. διέλαμψεν, ἐξέλαμψεν, ὑπέφαινε, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τῆς ἡ. ὀψέ late in the day, [Refs]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἡμέρα

hemera

feminine (with 5610 implied) of a derivative of hemai (to sit; akin to

the base of 1476) meaning tame, i.e. gentle; day, i.e. (literally) the

time space between dawn and dark, or the whole 24 hours (but several

days were usually reckoned by the Jews as inclusive of the parts of

both extremes); figuratively, a period (always defined more or less

clearly by the context):--age, + alway, (mid-)day (by day, (-ly)), +

for ever, judgment, (day) time, while, years.

see GREEK for 5610

see GREEK for 1476

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἡμέρα, ας, ἡ

n.f.

a day

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἡμέρα hēmera 389x

day, a day, the interval from sunrise to sunset, opp. to νύξ, Mt. 4:2; 12:40; Lk. 2:44; the interval of twenty-four hours, comprehending day and night, Mt. 6:34; 15:32; from the Hebrew, ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ, day by day, every day, 2 Cor. 4:16; ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας, from day to day, continually, 2 Pet. 2:8; καθ’ ἡμέραν, every day, daily, Acts 17:17; Heb. 3:13; a point or period of time, Lk. 19:42; Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἡμέρα day, Hom., etc.:—phrases for day-break, ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ or ἅμα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Xen.; ἡμ. διαλάμπει or ἐκλάμπει Ar.; ἡμ. ὑποφαίνεται Xen.; γίγνεται or ἐστὶ πρὸς ἡμέραν id. Xen.

with Adjs. to describe a state or time of life, ἐπίπονος ἡμ. a life of misery, Soph.; λυπρὰν ἄγειν ἡμ. Eur.; αἱ μακραὶ ἡμέραι length of days, Soph.; νέα ἡμ. youth, Eur.

poet. for time, ἡμ. κλίνει τε κἀνάγει πάλιν ἅπαντα τἀνθρώπεια Soph.

absol. usages,

in gen., τριῶν ἡμερέων within three days, Hdt.; ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων within a few days, Thuc.: —also, ἡμέρας by day, Plat.; δὶς τῆς ἡμέρης ἑκάστης twice every day, Hdt.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-APF — Noun · accusative · plural · feminine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-APF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Plural Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
56%day
day56% · 220×days40% · 158×other renderings4% · 14×

392 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 13 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
adverbial76%subject14%object7%predicate4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 389 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
ἐνἐκεῖνοςδέbut, on the othe
ἐν
εἰμίI am, existἐκεῖνοςαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
γίνομαιI come into beinἔρχομαιI come, goArticle the
κατά
Article theἐγώαὐτός
τρεῖςthree
μετάἐνδιά
ἡμέραdays389×
what comes after →
Article the
σάββατονthe Sabbath, a wκύριοςlord, Lord, mastἄζυμοςunleavened, the
ἐκεῖνος
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐξέρχομαιI go out, come o
καίand, even, also, nam
νύξthe night, nightτρεῖςthreeArticle the
ἐν
Article theὅςἐμπαιγμόςmockery
οὗτος
πορεύομαιI travel, journeἐξέρχομαιI go out, come oκαίand, even, also,

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

Concordanceἡμέρα · 389× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Matthew John Mark Revelation Hebrews 2 Peter Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians 1 Thessalonians

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 1,082 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 The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 13c. AD 40

Ἓξ δὲ ἡμέραις δημιουργηθῆναί φησι τὸν κόσμον, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ προσεδεῖτο χρόνων μήκους ὁ ποιῶν — ἅμα γὰρ πάντα δρᾶν εἰκὸς θεόν, οὐ προστάττοντα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ διανοούμενον —, ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ τοῖς γινομένοις ἔδει τάξεως.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.28c. AD 75–95

καὶ γενομένου τούτου κατανοήσας τὴν ὅλην ὕλην διεχώρισε τό τε φῶς καὶ τὸ σκότος καὶ τῷ μὲν ὄνομα ἔθετο νύκτα, τὸ δὲ ἡμέραν ἐκάλεσεν ἑσπέραν τε καὶ ὄρθρον τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν προσαγορεύσας.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.1c. AD 100

Ἡμερῶν οὖν οὐσῶν πονηρῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος ἔχοντος τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὀφείλομεν ἑαυτοῖς προσέχοντες ἐκζητεῖν τὰ δικαιώματα κυρίου,

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 6th c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Amh. 2 50Pathyris107 BC

Πέρσαις τῆς ἐπιγονῆς τῶν ἐκ Παθύρεως, χαλκοῦ νομίσματος τάλαντα πέντε δραχμὰς δισχιλίας ἄτοκα εἰς ἡμέρας τριάκοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ Μεσορὴ τοῦ προκειμένου ἔτους. τὸ δὲ δάνειον τοῦτο ἀποδότωσαν οἱ δεδανεισμένοι

P.Adl. 10Pathyris102 BC

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 ὁ δεδανεισμένος Πανᾶς Ἀγαθίνωι

P.Adl. 19Pathyris99 BC

ἀποτεισάτω ἐν τῶι ἐχομένωι μηνὶ παραχρῆμα τὰ τοῦ σιδήρου μνᾶς δισχιλίας χμ καὶ ἐπίτιμον ἡμέρας ἑκάστης ἧς ἐὰν μὴ ἀποδῶι τὸν σίδηρον χαλκοῦ δραχμὰς σ τῆς ἡμέρας ἑκάστης· ἡ

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
τεσσεράκονταtessarakonta forty G5062 Adjective · nominative
22× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means the number forty, often symbolizing a period of testing or trial. It appears in Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, and other passages, describing Jesus' time in the wilderness or other events lasting forty days.
Amplified meaning
a period of testing
Tyndale gloss
forty
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

τεσσεράκοντα (transliterated as tessarakonta) means 'forty' and is indeclinable. It appears in several New Testament verses, including Matthew 4:2 and John 2:20. The word has variations in spelling, notably τεσσαράκοντα, which is more common in earlier texts. Additionally, in classical contexts, it refers to a body of justices known as 'the Forty'.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

τεσσεράκοντα (Rec. τεσσαρ-, v, WH, App., 150; M, Pr., 45 f.; Thackeray, Gr., 62 f., 73 f.), οἱ, αἱ, τά, indecl.,

forty: Mt 4:2, Mk 1:13, Lk 4:2, Jo 2:20, Ac 1:3, al

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

τεσσεράκοντα. The spelling τεσσεράκοντα for τεσσαράκοντα is adopted in all the NT occurrences of the word, but is by no means common in the papyri during i-iii/a.p.: see however P Flor I. 61% (A.D. 85) (= Chrest. II. p. 89) διὰ τεσ[σ]εράκοντα ἐτῶν, 26. 869 (i/a.p.), P Gen I. 241} (A.D. 96), P Tebt II. 388819 (A.D. 98), P Oxy XIV. 1685'® (a.p. 158), and BGU III. 916* (Vespasian) ὡς ἐτῶν τεσεράκοντία. For the spelling τεσσαράκοντα, which is universal in Ptolemaic times and predominant till the Byzantine age, it is sufficient to note P Lond 2628 (A.D. 11) (=II. p. 177) ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα τριῶν (but τεσσερακόστου in /. +), and P Fay 12218 (c. A.D. 100) ὑποδείγματα μεγάλων Teco apaκοντα, ‘‘ forty specimens of the large sort.” The two forms τεσσ]αράκοντα and τεσσεράκοντα are found in the same document P Meyer 61718 (Α. Ὁ. 125), evidence, as Deissmann has pointed out (ad ἃ. p- 43f.), that in…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

τεσσαράκοντα (tessarakonta) — forty.

τεσσᾰράκοντα [ρᾰ],

Attic dialect τεττᾰράκοντα [Refs]; Ionic dialect τεσσεράκοντα (which see); Sicilian Ionic τετράϟοντα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τετρώκοντα [Refs 4th c.BC+] and see at {τεσσαρακοστός}; once Doric dialect τεταράκοντα [Refs]; Boeotian dialect πετταράκοντα (which see): οἱ, αἱ, τά, indeclinable:—forty, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

II. οἱ τ. the Forty, a body of justices who went round the Attic demes to hear all causes up to ten drachmae, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also cases of assault, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: changed from Thirty to “Forty” after the expulsion of the Thirty Tyrants, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

τεσσεράκοντα

tessarakonta

the decade of 5064; forty:--forty.

see GREEK for 5064

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

τεσσαράκοντα

Indec.num.

forty

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

τεσσεράκοντα tesserakonta 22x

forty, indecl., Mt. 4:2; Jn. 2:20; Acts 1:3; 23:13, 21; Heb. 3:9; Rev. 11:2; 21:17

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

τεσσαράκοντα τέσσαρες forty, Hom., etc.

οἱ τ. the Forty, a body of justices who went round the Attic demes to hear causes, Dem.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-NUI — Adjective · nominative
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-NUI Indeclinable NUmeral (Adjective)

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for'-ti ('arba`im; tessarakonta).

See FOUR (5); NUMBER.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Remarkable coincidences in the number

→ DAYS

Of rain, at the time of the flood Ge 7:17

Of flood, before sending forth the raven Ge 8:6

For embalming Ge 50:3

Of fasting

By Moses Ex 24:18; 34:28; De 9:9,25

By Elijah 1Ki 19:8

By spies in the land of promise Nu 13:25

Of probation, given to the Ninevites Jon 3:4

By Jesus Mt 4:2

Christ's stay after the resurrection Ac 1:3

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%forty
forty90% · 19×than forty10% · 2×

21 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
adverbial64%subject18%predicate9%object9%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 22 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
ἔτοςa year
πληρόωI fill, fulfill,ἔρημοςdeserted, desolaἐγώ
ἑκατόνIndec
αὐτόςσφραγίζωI set a seal upoArticle the
ἡμέραa day
νηστεύωI fastδιά
πολύςmuch, many, often
εἰμίI am, existδέbut, on the otheἀνήρa male human bei
μήν (II)a month
πατέωI tread, trampleποιέωI do, make
τεσσεράκονταforty22×
what comes after →
τέσσαρεςfour
χιλιάςa thousandπῆχυςa cubit
καίand, even, also, nam
τεσσεράκονταIndecἕξIndec
Article the
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of thοὗτος
ἔτοςa year
διόwhereforeοὐχίIrg
δύο

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

Concordanceτεσσεράκοντα · 22× in the New Testament
Acts Revelation Hebrews Matthew 2 Corinthians John Luke Mark
Across the New Testament8 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 62 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
The Epistle of Barnabas
The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 14.2c. AD 100

λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς νηστεύων ἐν ὄρει Σινᾶ, τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν διαθήκην κυρίου πρὸς τὸν λαόν, ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα.

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.Fam.Tebt. 2Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 92

Φαρμοῦθι ἑβδόμηι ἐν Τεπτύνει τῆς Πολέμωνος μερίδος τοῦ Ἀρσινοείτου. ὁμολογοῦσιν Χαιρήμων Ἁρμιύσιος ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσεράκοντα ἑπτά , οὐλὴ καρπῶι ἀριστερῶι, καὶ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς Ὀρσενοῦφις ὡς ἐτῶν εἴκοσι ἑνός

P.Fam.Tebt. 9Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 107

τοῦ Ἡρώδου, ἡ Ἀπία μετὰ κυρίου τοῦ ἑαυτῆς ἀνδρὸς Διδύμου τοῦ Λυσιμάχου ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσεράκοντα ἓξ οὐλὴ μήλωι δεξιῶι οἱ δύο Θαήσι Ψενκήβκιος τοῦ καὶ Κρονίωνος τοῦ Μαρσισούχου ὡς

P.Alex.Giss. 4Euhemeria (Arsinoites)AD 140

ἐπιμίξω ἑτέροις πρόβασι ὧν ποιμὴν ἐγὼ ὁ Λύκος. ἀπεγραψάμην παρὰ στρατηγῷ πρόβατα ρμ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα αἶγας θ ἐννέα. ἔτους γ Ἀντωνίνου Καίσαρος τοῦ κυρίου Μεχεὶρ ε. ἀπεγραψάμην παρὰ βασιλικῷ

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
καὶkai and G2532 Conjunction
8,978× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew 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,

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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 having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
νύκταςnux nights G3571 Noun · accusative · plural · feminine
61× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Night is the time of darkness, as in Matthew 12:40 and Mark 6:48. It can be literal or figurative, like in 1 Thessalonians 5:7.
Amplified meaning
the time of darkness, a period of rest
Tyndale gloss
night
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word νύξ, transliterated as nux, means 'night' and can refer to the night-time or a specific night. It appears in various contexts in the New Testament, often indicating a time frame for events, such as 'by night' or 'through the night.' The word can also carry metaphorical meanings, such as moral darkness, as seen in Romans 13:12 and 1 Thessalonians 5:5.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

νύξ, gen. νυκτός, ἡ,

[in LXX chiefly for לַיְלָה;]

night: Mt 12:40, Mk 6:48, Jo 13:30, al.; gen. temp. (of the time within which something happens; M, Pr., 73; B1., § 36, 13), νυκτός, by night, Mt 2:14, Jo 3:2, I Th 5:7, al.; ν. κ. ἡμέρας, Mk 5:5, I Th 2:9, al.; ἡμέρας κ. ν., Lk 18:7, Re 4:8, al.; μέσης ν., Mt 25:6; dat., νυκτί, in ans. to the question, "when?" (rare in cl.; Hdt., Soph.), ταύτῃ τ.…

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

νύξ, zen. νυκτός, ἡ, [fr. a root meaning ‘to disappear’; ef. Lat. nox, Germ. nacht, Eng. night; Curtius § 94], (Sept. for 9

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

νύξ (nux) — night.

νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ,

night: either generally, mght-season (opposed to day), or a night, ν. ἀμβροσίη [Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ν. ὀλοή[Refs 8th c.BC+], III; νυκτός by night, as adverb, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; νυκτὸς ἔτι while it was still night, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἄκρας ν. at dead of night, [Refs]night-fall, [Refs 4th c.BC+] on the verge of dawn, [Refs]; ἀωρὶ νυκτός, τῶν νυκτῶν, see at {ἀωρί}: in plural, τῶν νυκτῶν at nights, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; νύκτα the night long, νύκτα φυλάσσειν to watch the night through, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: in Attic dialect, ὅλην τὴν ν. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; νύκτα ἡμέραν ποιούμενος ἀπόστειλον (κατάπεμψον), i. e. without delay, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; μέσαι νύκτες midnight, [Refs 7th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

νύξ

nux

a primary word; "night" (literally or figuratively):-- (mid-)night.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ

n.f.

the night, night-time

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

νύξ nyx 61x

night, Mt. 2:14; 28:13; Jn. 3:2; met. spiritual night, moral darkness, Rom. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:5

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

νύξ νύξ, νυκτός, Lat. nox, night, i. e. either the night-season or a night, Hom., Hes., etc.; νυκτός by night, Lat. noctu, Od., attic; νυκτὸς ἔτι while it was still night, Hdt.; ν. τῆσδε Soph.; ἄκρας ν. at deadof night, id. Soph.; also, νυκτί Hdt., Soph.;— νύκτα the night long, the livelong night, Hom.; νύκτας by nights, id. Hom.;— μέσαι νύκτες midnight, Plat.

with Preps., ἀνὰ νύκτα by night, Il.; διὰ νύκτα Od.; εἰς νύκτα, εἰς τὴν ν. towards night, Xen.; ὑπὸ νύκτα just at night-fall, Thuc., Xen.; διὰ νυκτός in the course of the night, Plat.; ἐκ νυκτός just after night-fall, Xen.; πόρρω τῶν νυκτῶν far into the night, id. Xen.:— ἐπὶ νυκτί by night, Il.; ἐν νυκτί, ἐν τῇ ϝ. Aesch., etc.

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

N-APF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Plural Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
92%night
night92% · 60×nights5% · 3×other renderings3% · 2×

65 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 4 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
adverbial85%subject10%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 61 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
οὗτοςφυλακήa watching, guarἐν
καίand, even, also, nam
ἡμέραa dayτέDisj
αὐτός
μαθητήςa learner, disciπρόςμήτηρa mother
διά
κύριοςlord, Lord, mastὅραμαa spectacle, visεὐθέωςimmediately, soo
δέbut, on the other ha
μέσοςmiddle, in the mArticle theεἰμίI am, exist
νύξnights61×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
ἡμέραa dayἀναχωρέωI return, retireμακροθυμέωI suffer long, h
Article the
ψυχήthe soul, life, πρῶτοςfirst, beforeΠαῦλοςPaul
ἔρχομαιI come, go
πρόςκλέπτωI steal
οὕτωthus, so, in this ma
εἰμίI am, existἔρχομαιI come, go
πρίνformerly, before
ἀλέκτωρa cock, roosterDisj

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

Concordanceνύξ · 61× in the New Testament
Acts Matthew Revelation Luke 1 Thessalonians John Mark 1 Corinthians 1 Timothy 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy Romans
Across the New Testament12 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 129 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 Clement of Rome The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 30c. AD 40

τοσούτῳ γὰρ τὸ νοητὸν τοῦ ὁρατοῦ λαμπρότερόν τε καὶ αὐγοειδέστερον ὅσῳπερ ἥλιος, οἶμαι, σκότους καὶ ἡμέρα νυκτὸς καὶ [τὰ κριτήρια] νοῦς, ὁ τῆς ὅλης ψυχῆς ἡγεμών, ὀφθαλμῶν σώματος.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.28c. AD 75–95

καὶ γενομένου τούτου κατανοήσας τὴν ὅλην ὕλην διεχώρισε τό τε φῶς καὶ τὸ σκότος καὶ τῷ μὲν ὄνομα ἔθετο νύκτα, τὸ δὲ ἡμέραν ἐκάλεσεν ἑσπέραν τε καὶ ὄρθρον τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν προσαγορεύσας.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.7c. AD 100

λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει νηστεύων ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν διαθήκην ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πλάκας λιθίνας γεγραμμένας τῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κυρίου.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 2nd c. BC 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Bour. 14Ptolemais Euergetis (ArsinoitesAD 126

ἄλλο μηδὲν ἀσυμφόρως αὐτῷ ἐπιτελεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τούτου προσήκουσαν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι διά τε νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας … υουσα ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρʼ ἕκαστα. ἐὰν δὲ ἀπορρίψῃ ἢ ἄλλο τι

P.Col. 8 224Philadelphia (Arsinoites)AD 171–AD 176

στρατηγῷ Ἀρσινοίτου Ἡρακλείδου μερίδος παρὰ Ὀρσενούφεως … δημοσίου γεωργοῦ κ … ἀπὸ κώμης Φιλαδελφείας· νυκτὶ τῇ φερούσῃ εἰς τὴν σήμερον ἥτις ἐστὶν κε τοῦ ὄντος μηνὸς … Πασίων Θ

P.Lond. 2 p. 271-272 no. 245Philagris (Arsinoites)AD 343

κύριε, ἐμοῦ μὴ παρόντος ἀλλὰ τῆς γυναικὸς μόνης μενούσης ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, τινὲς κακοῦργοι νυκτὸς λῃστρικῷ τρόπῳ ἐπῆλθαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ καὶ ὑπόρυγμα πεποιηκότες καὶ εἴ τι καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
τεσσεράκονταtessarakonta forty G5062 Adjective · nominative
22× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means the number forty, often symbolizing a period of testing or trial. It appears in Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, and other passages, describing Jesus' time in the wilderness or other events lasting forty days.
Amplified meaning
a period of trial
Tyndale gloss
forty
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

τεσσεράκοντα (transliterated as tessarakonta) means 'forty' and is indeclinable. It appears in several New Testament verses, including Matthew 4:2 and John 2:20. The word has variations in spelling, notably τεσσαράκοντα, which is more common in earlier texts. Additionally, in classical contexts, it refers to a body of justices known as 'the Forty'.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

τεσσεράκοντα (Rec. τεσσαρ-, v, WH, App., 150; M, Pr., 45 f.; Thackeray, Gr., 62 f., 73 f.), οἱ, αἱ, τά, indecl.,

forty: Mt 4:2, Mk 1:13, Lk 4:2, Jo 2:20, Ac 1:3, al

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

τεσσεράκοντα. The spelling τεσσεράκοντα for τεσσαράκοντα is adopted in all the NT occurrences of the word, but is by no means common in the papyri during i-iii/a.p.: see however P Flor I. 61% (A.D. 85) (= Chrest. II. p. 89) διὰ τεσ[σ]εράκοντα ἐτῶν, 26. 869 (i/a.p.), P Gen I. 241} (A.D. 96), P Tebt II. 388819 (A.D. 98), P Oxy XIV. 1685'® (a.p. 158), and BGU III. 916* (Vespasian) ὡς ἐτῶν τεσεράκοντία. For the spelling τεσσαράκοντα, which is universal in Ptolemaic times and predominant till the Byzantine age, it is sufficient to note P Lond 2628 (A.D. 11) (=II. p. 177) ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα τριῶν (but τεσσερακόστου in /. +), and P Fay 12218 (c. A.D. 100) ὑποδείγματα μεγάλων Teco apaκοντα, ‘‘ forty specimens of the large sort.” The two forms τεσσ]αράκοντα and τεσσεράκοντα are found in the same document P Meyer 61718 (Α. Ὁ. 125), evidence, as Deissmann has pointed out (ad ἃ. p- 43f.), that in…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

τεσσαράκοντα (tessarakonta) — forty.

τεσσᾰράκοντα [ρᾰ],

Attic dialect τεττᾰράκοντα [Refs]; Ionic dialect τεσσεράκοντα (which see); Sicilian Ionic τετράϟοντα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τετρώκοντα [Refs 4th c.BC+] and see at {τεσσαρακοστός}; once Doric dialect τεταράκοντα [Refs]; Boeotian dialect πετταράκοντα (which see): οἱ, αἱ, τά, indeclinable:—forty, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

II. οἱ τ. the Forty, a body of justices who went round the Attic demes to hear all causes up to ten drachmae, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also cases of assault, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: changed from Thirty to “Forty” after the expulsion of the Thirty Tyrants, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

τεσσεράκοντα

tessarakonta

the decade of 5064; forty:--forty.

see GREEK for 5064

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

τεσσαράκοντα

Indec.num.

forty

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

τεσσεράκοντα tesserakonta 22x

forty, indecl., Mt. 4:2; Jn. 2:20; Acts 1:3; 23:13, 21; Heb. 3:9; Rev. 11:2; 21:17

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

τεσσαράκοντα τέσσαρες forty, Hom., etc.

οἱ τ. the Forty, a body of justices who went round the Attic demes to hear causes, Dem.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-NUI — Adjective · nominative
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-NUI Indeclinable NUmeral (Adjective)

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for'-ti ('arba`im; tessarakonta).

See FOUR (5); NUMBER.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Remarkable coincidences in the number

→ DAYS

Of rain, at the time of the flood Ge 7:17

Of flood, before sending forth the raven Ge 8:6

For embalming Ge 50:3

Of fasting

By Moses Ex 24:18; 34:28; De 9:9,25

By Elijah 1Ki 19:8

By spies in the land of promise Nu 13:25

Of probation, given to the Ninevites Jon 3:4

By Jesus Mt 4:2

Christ's stay after the resurrection Ac 1:3

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%forty
forty90% · 19×than forty10% · 2×

21 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
adverbial64%subject18%predicate9%object9%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 22 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
ἔτοςa year
πληρόωI fill, fulfill,ἔρημοςdeserted, desolaἐγώ
ἑκατόνIndec
αὐτόςσφραγίζωI set a seal upoArticle the
ἡμέραa day
νηστεύωI fastδιά
πολύςmuch, many, often
εἰμίI am, existδέbut, on the otheἀνήρa male human bei
μήν (II)a month
πατέωI tread, trampleποιέωI do, make
τεσσεράκονταforty22×
what comes after →
τέσσαρεςfour
χιλιάςa thousandπῆχυςa cubit
καίand, even, also, nam
τεσσεράκονταIndecἕξIndec
Article the
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of thοὗτος
ἔτοςa year
διόwhereforeοὐχίIrg
δύο

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

Concordanceτεσσεράκοντα · 22× in the New Testament
Acts Revelation Hebrews Matthew 2 Corinthians John Luke Mark
Across the New Testament8 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 62 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
The Epistle of Barnabas
The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 14.2c. AD 100

λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς νηστεύων ἐν ὄρει Σινᾶ, τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν διαθήκην κυρίου πρὸς τὸν λαόν, ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσεράκοντα.

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.Fam.Tebt. 2Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 92

Φαρμοῦθι ἑβδόμηι ἐν Τεπτύνει τῆς Πολέμωνος μερίδος τοῦ Ἀρσινοείτου. ὁμολογοῦσιν Χαιρήμων Ἁρμιύσιος ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσεράκοντα ἑπτά , οὐλὴ καρπῶι ἀριστερῶι, καὶ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς Ὀρσενοῦφις ὡς ἐτῶν εἴκοσι ἑνός

P.Fam.Tebt. 9Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 107

τοῦ Ἡρώδου, ἡ Ἀπία μετὰ κυρίου τοῦ ἑαυτῆς ἀνδρὸς Διδύμου τοῦ Λυσιμάχου ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσεράκοντα ἓξ οὐλὴ μήλωι δεξιῶι οἱ δύο Θαήσι Ψενκήβκιος τοῦ καὶ Κρονίωνος τοῦ Μαρσισούχου ὡς

P.Alex.Giss. 4Euhemeria (Arsinoites)AD 140

ἐπιμίξω ἑτέροις πρόβασι ὧν ποιμὴν ἐγὼ ὁ Λύκος. ἀπεγραψάμην παρὰ στρατηγῷ πρόβατα ρμ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα αἶγας θ ἐννέα. ἔτους γ Ἀντωνίνου Καίσαρος τοῦ κυρίου Μεχεὶρ ε. ἀπεγραψάμην παρὰ βασιλικῷ

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
ὕστερονhusteron afterward G5306 Adverb
2× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Matthew than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means later or afterwards, used in the New Testament to describe events happening at a future time, such as in Matthew 4:2 and 1 Timothy 4:1.
Tyndale gloss
later
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ὕστερος (husteros) means 'later' or 'latter,' and is used to describe something that comes after in time or place. It appears in various contexts in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 21:31 and 1 Timothy 4:1. The word can also function adverbially, meaning 'afterwards' or 'later on,' as seen in several verses including Matthew 4:2.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὕστερος, -α, -ον

[in LXX for אַחֲרוֹן and cogn. forms ;]

latter, later: ἐν ὑ. καιροῖς, I Ti 4:1 (on the reading ὁ ὕ., WH, for ὁ πρῶτος, v. WH, App., in l.). Neut., τὸ ὕ., used adverbially instead of ὑστέρως, afterwards, later: Mt 4:2 21:29, 32, 37 25:11 26:60, Mk 16:14, Lk 20:32, Jo 13:36, He 12:11; c. gen., Mt 22:27.†

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

ὕστερος, -a, -ov, latter, later, coming after: ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς, 1 Tim. iv. 1; ὁ vor. i. 4. the second, Mt. xxi. 31 LTr WH, but ef. Fritzsche’s and Meyer’s crit. notes [esp. WH. App.] ad loe. Neut. ὕστερον, fr. Hom. down, adverbially, afterward, after this, later, lastly, used alike of a shorter and of a longer period: Mt. iv. 2; xxi. 29, 32, 37; xxv. 11; xxvi. 60; Mk. xvi. 14; Lk. iv. 2 Rec.; [xx. 32 LT Tr WH]; Jn. xiii. 36; Heb. xii. 11; with a gen. after one, Mt. xxii. 27; Lk. xx. 32 [RG].

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

ὕστερος. For the prepositional phrase εἰς ὕστερον cf. P Lond 908%? (A.D. 139) (= III. p. 133) ὅσα ἐὰν εἰς ὕστερον μεταδώ, P Oxy II. 237}}1:-40. (ap. 186) εἴ τις γένοιτο ζήτησις εἰς ὕστερον, ‘if any inquiry be made hereafter,” and for ἐξ ὑστέρου cf. P Hib I. 522° (c. B.C. 245) ὅπως μηθὲν δι[ά]πτωμα ἐξ ὑστέρου γίνηται, ‘in order that there may be no subsequent loss” (Edd.), P Oxy VIII. 1178! (i/ii A.D.) ἐξ ὑστέρου, ‘for the future.” For a form torépw for ὑστέρως see Radermacher G7.?, p- 64. The superl. ὕστατον (cf. 3 Macc 543) occurs in P Iand 278 (A.D. 100-101).

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὕστερος (husteros) — later.

ὕστερος,

ὕστᾰτος, latter, last, comparative and superlative without any Posit. adjective in use. (The Posit. must be looked for in Sanskrit úd 'up'; with ὕστερος, ὕστατος cf. Sanskrit comparative and superlative úttaras, uttamás 'higher, (later)', 'highest, (latest)'; compare ὑστέρα.)

__A ὕστερος, α, ον, latter:

I. of Place, coming after, behind, ὑστέρῳ ποδί [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὑστέρας ἔχων πώλους keeping them behind, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ὕ. the latter clauses, [Refs 1st c.AD+] behind us, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐδὲν ὑστέρα νεώς not a whit behind (slower than) a ship, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. of Time, next, ὁ δ᾽ ὕστερος ὄρνυτο χαλκῷ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῷ ὑ. ἔτει in the next year, X [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὑ. χρόνῳ in after time, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δεκάτῃ ὑ. or…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὕστερος

husteros

comparative from 5259 (in the sense of behind); later:--latter.

see GREEK for 5259

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὕστερος, α, ον

Adj

later

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὕστερος hysteros 12x

posterior in place or time; subsequent, later, last, finally, Mt. 21:31; 1 Tim. 4:1

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὕστερος latter, last, comp. and Sup. without any Posit. adj. in use.

ὕστερος, η, ον latter,

of Place, latter, coming after, following, Eur., Xen.:—c. gen., ὕστεροι ἡμῶν behind us, Plat.; ὑστέρα νεώς behind (slower than) a ship, Aesch.

of Time, next, Il.; τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἔτει in the next year, Xen.; ὑστέρῳ χρόνῳ in after time, Aesch., etc.:—c. gen. pers. later than, after, Il., Plat.; also ὑστέρῳ χρόνῳ τούτων Hdt.

later, too late, Il., Soph.

c. gen. rei, too late for, Hdt., Ar.

as Subst. οἱ ὕστεροι =Lat. posteri, Eur.

of inferiority in Age, Worth, or Quality, γένει ὕστερος, i. e. younger, Il.:— c. gen., οὐδενὸς ὕστ. second to none, Soph., Thuc.; ὕστερος τῶν νόμων below the laws, Aeschin.

neut. ὕστερον as adv. behind, c. gen., Xen.

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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

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
69%afterward
afterward69% · 9×finally23% · 3×later8% · 1×

13 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.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
λέγωI say, speak
ἐν
ὅτιthat, since, bec
ὕστεροςafterward
what comes after →
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτός
καιρόςfitting season, oppo
ἀφίστημιI lead away, sed

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

Concordanceὕστερος · 2× in the New Testament
1 Timothy Matthew
Across the New Testament2 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Embassy to Gaius 286c. AD 40

κἀγώ τίς εἰμι τῶν εἰδότων μὲν ὅτι δεσπότην ἔχω καὶ κύριον, κεκριμένων δὲ ἐν τῇ τάξει τῶν ἑταίρων, ἀξιώματος μὲν ἕνεκα οὐ πολλῶν ὕστερος, εὐνοίας δὲ οὐδενὸς δεύτερος, ἵνα μὴ λέγω πρῶτος.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 5.31c. AD 75–95

τῆς δὲ ἀρᾶς τὸ θεῖον οὐκ ἠμέλησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐν τοῖς ὑστέροις ἀπαγγελοῦμεν τὸ περὶ αὐτὴν πάθος γενόμενον.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. BC
P.Turku 14Theadelphia (Arsinoites)151 BC

οντας σοι οὖν … ἐπιγεγραφέναι … ων ουτε π … ων … … ν υστερος ἃ ἐπέταξαςων καὶ … … ω … σ … ν … ος ὁ γρ

And having fasted days forty and nights forty afterward He was hungry.
ἐπείνασεν.peinaō He was hungry. G3983 Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
23× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Matthew than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To hunger means to feel a strong need or craving for food, like when Jesus fasted for 40 days in Matthew 4:2. It can also be used figuratively to describe a deep desire or longing, as in Matthew 5:6 where it refers to hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
Amplified meaning
afterward, later, felt a strong need, was in need of food
Tyndale gloss
to hunger
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

πεινάω is a Greek verb meaning 'to hunger' or 'to be hungry,' derived from the concept of pinching toil. It encompasses both physical hunger and a metaphorical craving, such as longing for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). The term appears frequently in the New Testament, indicating both literal need and spiritual desire. Notably, the lexicons do not present significant disagreement on its meanings.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

πεινάω, -ῶ,

[in LXX chiefly for = רָעֵב;]

to hunger, be hungry: Mt 4:2 12:1, 3 21:18 25:35, 37, 42, 44, Mk 2:25 11:12, Lk 1:53 4:2 6:3, Ro 12:20(LXX), I Co 4:11 11:21, 34, Phl 4:12, Re 7:16; metaph., Mt 5:6, Lk 6:21, 25, Jo 6:35.†

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

πεινάω, -@, inf. πεινᾶν (Phil. iv. 12); fut. πεινάσω (Lk. vi. 25; Rev. vii. 16); 1 aor. ἐπείνασα, ---- for the earlier forms πεινῆν, πεινήσω, éreivnoa; cf. Lob. ad Phryn. pp. 61 and 204; W.§13, 3b.; [B. 37 (32); 44 (38)]; see also διψάω ; (fr. πεῖνα hunger; [see πένης }) ; fr. Hom. down; Sept. for 31; to hunger, be hungry; a. prop. : Mt. iv. 2; xii. 1,3; xxi. 18; xxv. 85, 37,42, 44; Mk. ii. 25; xi. 12; Lk. iv. 2; vi. 3, 25; i.q. to suffer want, Ro. xii. 20; 1 Co. xi. 21, 34; to be needy, Lk. i. 53; vi. 21; Phil. iv. 12; in this same sense it is joined with διψᾶν, 1 Co. iv. 11; in figurative disc. οὐ πεινᾶν x. οὐ διψᾶν is used to describe the condition of one who is in need of nothing requisite for his real (spiritual) life and salvation, Jn. vi. 35; Rev. vii. 16. b. metaph. to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire: w. ace. of the thing, τὴν δικαιοσύνην, Mt. v. 6 (in the better Grk.…

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

πεινάω, “hunger”: cf. P Flor I. 615 (a.p. 85) (= Chrest. 11. p- £9) λειμοῦ γεν[ομ]ένου πε[ι]νῶν οὐκ ἀπή[τ]εις [τὸ]ν πυρόν ; The construction c. acc. in Mt 5° appears to be unique. For the reading πίνων not πινῶν in P Par 4723 see σιν. πίνω, and for the disappearance of the —qw verbs from the Kowy see Proleg. p. 54, Thackeray Gr. i. p. 242.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

πεινάω (peinaō) — to hunger.

πειν-άω,

forms in αε contraction into η not ᾱ (as in διψάω,[Refs 2nd c.AD+], πεινῇς, -ῇ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive πεινῆν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect πεινήμεναι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: imperfect ἐπείνων [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future πεινήσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; later πεινάσω [ᾱ] [LXX+NT]: aorist ἐπείνησα [LXX+5th c.BC+]: perfect πεπείνηκα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: later we find the contraction of αε into ᾱ, ἐπείνας, πεινᾷ, -ᾶν, [LXX+NT]: (πεῖνἀ):—to be hungry, πεινάων, of a lion, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κακῶς π. to be starved, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; thrice in Trag., πεινῶσα [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. with genitive, hunger after, σίτου δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἔφη πεινήμεναι [Refs 8th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

πεινάω

peinao

from the same as 3993 (through the idea of pinching toil; "pine"); to

famish (absolutely or comparatively); figuratively, to crave:--be an

hungered.

see GREEK for 3993

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

πεινάω

v.

I am hungry, needy

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

πεινάω peinaō 23x

to hunger, be hungry, Mt. 4:2; Mk. 11:12; to be exposed to hunger, be famished, 1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12; met. to hunger after, desire earnestly, long for, Mt. 5:6

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

πεινάω forms in αε contr. into η not α_, as in διψάω πεῖνα to be hungry, suffer hunger, be famished, Lat. esurio, Hom., etc.: πεινᾶντι (doric for -ῶντι) μὴ προσενθῆις don't go near a hungry man, Theocr.

c. gen. to hunger after, Od.: —metaph., π. χρημάτων, ἐπαίνου Xen., NTest.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-AAI-3S — Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
aorist active indicative — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

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

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
22%hungering
hungering22% · 5×he was hungry17% · 4×hungry13% · 3×hungered9% · 2×i hungered9% · 2×shall hunger4% · 1×we hunger4% · 1×hunger4% · 1×other renderings17% · 4×

23 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 12 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
verb91%predicate4%object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 23 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
ἔχωI have, hold, poὥραan hour, seasonχορτάζωI feed, satisfy
Article the
μακάριοςhappy, blessed
αὐτός
μαθητήςa learner, disciσυντελέωI fulfill, accom
ὁράωI see, look upon, ex
σύ
ὕστεροςlastly, afterward
νύξthe night, night
πεινάωHe was hungry.23×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
διψάωI thirst for, deArticle theἄρχωI begin
γάρfor
καίand, even, also,
αὐτός
καίand, even, also,
Disj
διψάωI thirst for, de
ἐμπίπλημιI fill up, satisfy
ἀγαθόςgood

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

Concordanceπεινάω · 23× in the New Testament
Matthew Luke 1 Corinthians Mark John Philippians Revelation Romans
Across the New Testament8 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 31 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 Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn Husbandry 36c. AD 40

ἡ δὲ πρὸς πᾶσαν σιτίων τε καὶ ποτῶν ἀπόλαυσιν ἄφετος εὐθὺς ὁρμήσασα τά τε ἤδη εὐτρεπισθέντα ἐπιλέγεται καὶ πεῖναν ἄληκτον καὶ ἄπληστον ἴσχει τῶν ἀπόντων, ὡς, κἂν αἱ τῆς γαστρὸς ἀποπληρωθῶσι δεξαμεναί, σπαργῶσαν ἔτι καὶ μαιμῶσαν τὴν ἀεὶ κενὴν…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 10.3c. AD 100

τὸ οὖν χοιρίον πρὸς τοῦτο εἶπεν: οὐ κολληθήσῃ φησίν, ἀνθρώποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινές εἰσιν ὅμοιοι χοίρων: τουτέστιν ὅταν σπαταλῶσιν, ἐπιλανθάνονται τοῦ κυρίου, ὅταν δὲ ὑστεροῦνται, ἐπιγινώσκουσιν τὸν κύριον, ὡς καὶ ὁ χοῖρος ὅταν τρώγει τὸν κύριον οὐκ…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 59.4c. AD 96

τοὺς ἐν θλίψει ἡμῶν σῶσον, τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἐλέησον, τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἔγειρον, τοῖς δεομένοις ἐπιφάνηθι, τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἴασαι, τοὺς πλανωμένους τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἐπίστρεψον: χόρτασον τοὺς πεινῶντας, λύτρωσαι τοὺς δεσμίους ἡμῶν, ἐξανάστησον τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας,…

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 5th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Oxy. 50 3555OxyrhynchosAD 1–AD 200

παρὰ Θερμουθίου τῆς Πλουτάρχου τῶν ἀπʼ Ὀξυρύγχων πόλεως. θεραπαινίδιόν μου οἰκογενές, οὗ ἔστιν ὄνομα Πεῖνα, ἠγάπησα καὶ ἐτημέλησα ὡς θυγάτριον ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι τοῦ ἡλικίας γενόμενον ἔχειν με γηροβοσκόν, γυναῖκα

O.Krok. 2 309KrokodiloAD 98–AD 117

παρά τι ποιῶ. καλῶς ποιήσεις ποιήσασά μοι ἄρτων ἡμιαρτάβιον ὅτι ὁ κλίβανος πέπτωκε καὶ πεινῶμεν· ἀθήραν ἔσθομεν. ἀσπάζου Παράβολον. ἔρρωσο.

O.Krok. 2 311KrokodiloAD 98–AD 117

Ζωσείμῃ τῇ ἀδελφῇ χαίρειν. διὰ τί μοι οὐκ ἀπεστάλκατε τοὺς ἄρτους, ἀλλὰ ἀφήκατε με πεινᾶν; καλῶς ποιήσετε … πέμψατέ μοι … … αισυ … … … … μοι

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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