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Philemon 1:13 — Word Study

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N1904ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

BSAwhomhos, hē I myselfegō [the speaker] was wishingboulomai [desired, wished] withpros myselfemautou to keep,katechō [hold back, retain] so thathina on behalf ofhuper yousu [as a representative, in your place, for your sake] me he may servediakoneō [be able to, have the opportunity to, serve, attend to my needs] inen theho chainsdesmos [bonds or shackles] of theho gospel;euangelion [the good news of salvation]

Word
Listen & take awayPhilemon 1
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 13 is in this chapter.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (euangelion) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Philemon 1:13quick helps
In a sentencePaul expresses his desire to keep Onesimus with him to serve on Philemon's behalf while he is imprisoned.
Who is speakingPaul, writing to Philemon about Onesimus.
Where we areIn a personal appeal regarding Onesimus, who is returning to Philemon.
The hard wordκατέχω
Take awayPaul wishes to retain Onesimus to aid him during his imprisonment.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectἐγώ verbβούλομαι 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 — Philemon 1:13

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

Context — Paul's Appeal for Onesimusgenerated

12I am sending back to you him who is my very heart.
13I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel.
14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.
15For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good—

Philemon 1:13 shows Paul expressing a heartfelt desire to keep Onesimus, a runaway slave, with him while he is in chains. Paul sees Onesimus not just as a servant but as someone who could minister to him during his imprisonment for the gospel. This context highlights the relational dynamics between Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon, emphasizing the transformative power of the gospel in their lives.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Corinthians 16:17I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.
2Philippians 2:30because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.
3Philemon 1:1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,
4Ephesians 3:1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...
5Ephesians 4:1As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

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


The Key Word κατέχω, katechōgenerated

The verb κατέχω, transliterated as katechō, means to hold back or retain. It is built from the prefix κατ- and the verb ἔχω, which means to have or hold. This word conveys a sense of possession or control, indicating that Paul wished to keep Onesimus close, reflecting a deeper emotional connection.

The present active infinitive form suggests a continuous action or intention. Paul is not just expressing a fleeting wish; he is emphasizing a strong desire to maintain Onesimus' presence for ongoing support in his ministry.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In the Berean Standard Bible, Paul says, to keep Onesimus, which is echoed in the BSB, WEB, and BBE. The KJV and YLT use retain, highlighting a slightly different nuance.

The translations generally agree on the meaning of εὐαγγελίου as gospel, but the BBE, WEB, and YLT opt for good news, while others like the KJV maintain the term gospel.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb in the verse is ἐβουλόμην, I was wishing, which governs a series of phrases: a noun phrase for the object ὃν (whom), an infinitive phrase κατέχειν (to keep), and a purpose clause introduced by ἵνα (so that).

The structure shows a clear intention: Paul wishes to keep Onesimus for a specific purpose, which is to serve him during his imprisonment, underlining the relational aspect of their situation.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The word ἐγὼ (egō), meaning 'I myself', appears in the LXX 853 times and is used to translate the Hebrew words אֲנִי (ani) and אָֽנֹכִ֫י (anokhi), which also mean 'I'. This choice emphasizes the personal involvement of the speaker in the context of the verse.

The term ἐβουλόμην (boulomai), meaning 'was wishing', corresponds to the Hebrew words חָפֵץ (chafetz) and אָבָה (avah), which convey a sense of desire or willingness. This reflects the speaker's intent to keep the subject close for mutual benefit.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Philemon 1:13 reveals Paul's desire to keep Onesimus with him while he is in prison. Paul wants Onesimus to serve him and help him in his ministry for the gospel, which highlights the importance of companionship and support during difficult times.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Why does Paul want to keep Onesimus with him?

Paul wishes to keep Onesimus to serve him while he is imprisoned, indicating a close relationship and the value of support in ministry.

What does it mean for Onesimus to serve on behalf of Philemon?

By serving Paul, Onesimus would be acting as a representative for Philemon, fulfilling a role that honors Philemon even while he is away.

How does this verse reflect the theme of reconciliation?

Paul's desire to keep Onesimus suggests a desire for reconciliation and restoration, as he seeks to honor both Onesimus and Philemon in their relationships.

What can we learn about ministry from Paul's request?

Paul's request illustrates the importance of support and companionship in ministry, showing that relationships are vital to effective service.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How can I be a source of support for others in my community, especially those who are struggling?
  2. What does it mean to serve others on their behalf, as Onesimus was to serve Paul for Philemon?
  3. In what ways can I cultivate relationships that foster mutual support in my ministry?
  4. How does understanding the relational dynamics in this verse impact my view of service and ministry?

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

Several early church Fathers comment on this verse, discussing Paul's relational dynamics with Onesimus and Philemon.

John ChrysostomHomily on Philemon 2 c. 347–407
Dost thou see after how much previous preparation, he has at length brought him honorably before his master, and observe with how much wisdom he has done this. See for how much he makes him answerable, and how much he honors the other.
Early Church Fathers on Philemon 1 →
Theodore of MopsuestiaCOMMENTARY ON PHILEMON c. 350–428
Paul indicates that had he kept Onesimus, the result would have been that he could serve Paul as an extension of Philemon’s service and thus have been a source of gain for Philemon.
Early Church Fathers on Philemon 1 →
OecumeniusCOMMENTARY ON PHILEMON 6th c.
"so that he might serve me in the chains of the gospel on your behalf". Do you see that Paul has brought the master to the very place, little by little? For he says that "he serves me on your behalf".
Early Church Fathers on Philemon 1 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Philemon 1:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Whom I would have retained with me,.... At Rome, where the apostle was a prisoner: that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the Gospel; the apostle was in bonds, not for any

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

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: I - emphatic.

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

I have such an opinion of his sincerity, that I would willingly have kept him with me, that he might, while I am a prisoner for the gospel of Christ, have done those offices for me, which thou wouldst have done hadst thou been here.

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

13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: Ver. 13. In the bonds of the gospel] Which is bound after a sort, when the preachers thereof are imprisoned.

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

(13) Whom I would have retained.—In the original we have here a graceful distinction in two points between the two clauses. The verb in the first clause is “to wish;” in the second “to will.” The tense in the first clause is the imperfect: “I was wishing,” or “prepared to wish” (just as in Acts 25:22; and, in the case of a cognate verb, Romans 9:3), implying, perhaps, a suppressed condition; in the second it is the past definite: “I willed,” or “determined” finally. In thy stead.—Here, again, there is a certain delicacy of suggestion. A slave was his master’s property; he could act only on his master’s behalf and by his consent. St. Paul is sure that Philemon’s love for him would have…

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

Verse 13. That in thy stead he might have ministered unto me] As Philemon was one of Paul's converts, he became thereby his spiritual father, and had a right to his services when in need. This was a strong argument, not only to induce Philemon to forgive his servant, but to send him back to the apostle, that he might minister to him in his master's stead.

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

13. I would] Lit., “I was wishing”; the imperfect indicates a half-purpose, stopped by other considerations. Lightfoot compares for similar imperfects Romans 9:3; Galatians 4:20.me] Lit., myself.in thy stead] On thy behalf; as thy representative, substitute, agent. He assumes the loving Philemon’s personal devotion.ministered] as personal attendant; the habitual reference of the verb. Cp. e.g. Matthew 4:11; Matthew 8:15; Luke 17:8; Luke 22:26; John 12:2; 2 Timothy 1:18.of the gospel] “For the hope of Israel,” and of the world, “he was bound with this chain” (Acts 28:20). Cp. Philippians 1:13.On the word “Gospel” see note on Colossians 1:5.

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

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead - “That he might render me the service which I know you would if you were here.” The Greek is: “for thee” ὑπὲρσοῦ huper sou; that is, what he

Read Albert Barnes on Philemon 1 →

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

I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

NETBNew English Translation2006

I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

whom I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

RVARevised Version, American1894

whom I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered to me in the bonds of the gospel:

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Whom I woulde haue reteined with mee, that in thy steade he might haue ministred vnto me in the bondes of the Gospel.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

whom I was desirous of keeping with myself, that for thee he might minister to me in the bonds of the glad tidings;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

whom I intended to retain to myself, that in your behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

I wish I could have kept him with me, so he could serve me for you, while I am in chains for the sake of the gospel.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered to me in the bands of the gospel:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I'd have preferred to keep him here with me so that he could have helped me as you would have done while I am in chains for telling the good news.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Though my desire was to keep him with me, to be my servant in the chains of the good news, in your place:

Word by word, the decisions they made

κατέχειν,katechō to keep, G2722 2 different renderings
keepBBE BSB FBV MSB NETB WEB
retainLSV YLT
εὐαγγελίου·euangelion gospel; G2098 3 different renderings
gospelASV BSB DRA GNV KJV MSB NETB NWB RVA ULB
good newsBBE FBV LSV WEB YLT
glad tidingsDBY

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.

clauseverbπαρακαλῶI exhortobjectσεyouprepositional phrase · adverbialπερὶfornoun phrasenoun phraseτοῦ-noun phraseἐμοῦmyτέκνουchildclauseverbἐγέννησαI have begottenprepositional phrase · adverbialἐνinnoun phraseτοῖς-δεσμοῖςchainsnoun phrase · objectὃνwhomnoun phrasenoun phrasenoun phraseὈνήσιμονOnesimusnoun phraseτόν-adjective phraseadjective phraseποτέonceadjective phraseσοιto youἄχρηστονuselessδὲhoweveradjective phraseνυνὶnowadjective phrasenoun phraseκαὶbothσοὶto youκαὶandἐμοὶto meεὔχρηστονusefulclauseverbἀνέπεμψάI have sent backindirect objectσοιto younoun phrase · objectὃνwhomnoun phraseαὐτόνin personclausesubjectτοῦτ’he wholinking verbἔστινisnoun phrase · predicateτὰ-noun phraseἐμὰmyσπλάγχναvery heartclausesubjectἐγὼIverbἐβουλόμηνwas wishingclause · objectobjectὃνwhomprepositional phrase · adverbialπρὸςwithἐμαυτὸνmyselfverbκατέχεινto keepclauseἵναso thatclauseprepositional phrase · adverbialὑπὲρon behalf ofσοῦyouobjectμοιmeverbδιακονῇhe might serveprepositional phrase · adverbialἐνinnoun phraseτοῖςthenoun phraseδεσμοῖςchainsnoun phraseτοῦof theεὐαγγελίουgospel

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

quem ego volueram mecum detinere, ut pro te mihi ministraret in vinculis Evangelii :

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

ܨܒܐ ܗܘܝܬ ܓܝܪ ܕܠܘܬܝ ܐܚܕܝܘܗܝ ܕܢܗܘܐ ܡܫܡܫ ܠܝ ܚܠܦܝܟ ܒܐܣܘܪܐ ܕܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ

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

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου·

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse they differ
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

WordEditions carrying itMissing from
μοι meNA28, NA27, Tyn, SBL, WH, TregTR, Byz

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.

Philemon 1:13ὅςwhomwhomὅςἐγώI myselfI myselfἐγώβούλομαιwas wishingwas wishingβούλομαιπρόςwithwithπρόςἐγώmyselfmyselfἐγώκατέχωto keep,to keep,κατέχωἵναso thatso thatἵναὑπέρon behalf oon behalf ofὑπέρσύyouyouσύμοιmemeμοιδιακονέωhe may servhe may serveδιακονέωἐνininἐνthetheδεσμόςchainschainsδεσμόςof theof theεὐαγγέλιονgospel;gospel;εὐαγγέλιονArticle thArticle theκατάPrep. downPrep. down fromκατάδιάκονοςn.f. & n.mn.f. & n.m. a wδιάκονοςδέωv. I bindv. I bindδέωεὐαγγελίζωv. I bringv. I bring goodεὐαγγελίζωοὗAdv where,Adv where, whitοὗθέλωv. I will,v. I will, wishθέλωπρόPrep. befoPrep. beforeπρόἑαυτοῦRefl.pr. hRefl.pr. himselἑαυτοῦεἰςPrep. intoPrep. into, in,εἰςἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκπέμπωv. I sendv. I sendπέμπωἀγαπητόςAdj loved,Adj loved, beloἀγαπητόςἄνDisj.prt. Disj.prt. an unἄνἄχριAdv as farAdv as far as, ἄχριἀποκαλύπτωv. I uncovv. I uncover, bἀποκαλύπτωπάσχαAram. the Aram. the feastπάσχαἀλλήλωνRecip.pr. Recip.pr. one aἀλλήλων
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 Philemon 1:13

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.

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ὃνhos, hē whom G3739 Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · masculine
1,407× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Philemon as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The word which is a pronoun used to ask for or identify something, as seen in John 5:11. It can also be used to describe a person or thing, such as in Mark 15:23. This word helps to clarify or specify what is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
which
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

ὅς is a pronoun meaning 'who,' 'which,' 'what,' or 'that.' It serves as both a demonstrative and a relative pronoun, agreeing in gender with its antecedent. The New Testament uses it in various constructions, including phrases like ὃς μὲν... ὃς δέ to indicate contrasting subjects. Notably, it can express purpose or cause in certain contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

the postpositive article (ἄρθρον ὑποτακτικόν).

As demonstr. pron. = οὗτος, ὅδε, this, that, also for αὐτός, chiefly in nom.: ὅς δέ, but he (cf. ἦ δὲ ὅς, freq. in Plat.), Mk 15:23, Jo 5:11; ὃς μὲν . . . ὃς δέ, the one . . . the other, Mt 21:35 22:5 25:15, Lk 23:33, Ac 27:14, Ro 14:5, I Co 11:21, II Co 2:16, Ju 22; neut., ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δέ, the one . . . the other, some . . . some, Mt 13:8, 23, Read the full entry →

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

ὅς 455 ὅς iii. 5 [RG], 6; Heb. vi. 10; ix. 20; Jas. ii. 5; 1 In. iii. 24; Jude 15; for other exx. see below; ἐν ὥρᾳ 7 οὐ γινώoxet, Mt. xxiv. 50; τῇ παραδύσει 9 παρεδώκατε, Mk. vii. 13 ; add, Lk. ii. 20; v. 9; ix. 435 xii. 46; xxiv. 25; Jn. xvii. 5; Acts ii. 22; xvii. 31; xx. 38; 2 Co. xii. 21; 2Th.i. 4; Rev. xviii. 6; ef. W. § 24,1; [B. as above]. Rarely attraction oceurs where the verb governs the dative [but see below]: thus, κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε θεοῦ for xarévavre θεοῦ, ᾧ ἐπίστευσε (See κατέναντι). Ro. iv. 17; φωνῆς, ἧς ἔκραξα (for 7 (al. ἥν, οἴ. W. 164 (154 sq.) Β. 287 (217)}7), Acts xxiv. 21, οἵ. Is. vi. 4; (7γετο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ τε πιστῶν, οἷς ἥδετο καὶ ὧν ἠπίστει πολλούς, for καὶ πολλοὺς τούτων, οἷς ἠπίστει, Xen. Cyr. ὅ, 4, 39; ὧν ἐγὼ ἐντετύχηκα οὐδείς; for οὐδεὶς τούτων, οἷς ἐντετ. Plato, Gorg. p. 509 ἃ.; Protag. p. 361 6.; derep.7 p.531e.; παρ᾽ ὧν βοηθεῖς, οὐδεμίαν λήψει…

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

ος is found as a demonstrative pronoun in P Ryl II. 14415 (complaint of assault—a.D. 38) ὃς δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἄλογον ἀηδίαν μοι ἐπιχειρήσας παρεχρήσατό μοι πολλὰ καὶ ἄσχημα, ‘“whereupon he opposing me made a brutal and odious attack upon me and subjected me to much shameful mishandling” (Edd.): cf. Mk 15%, Jn 51. For ὃς μέν... ὃς δέ, “the one . . the other,” as in Mt 21° a/., see P Oxy IX. 1189? (c. A.D. 117) ἐπιστολὰς δύο ds ἔγραψα ἣν μὲν σοὶ ἣν δὲ Σαβείνῳ, and for ὃς δέ solétarium see PSI. IV. 313° (iii/iv A.D.) with the editor’s note. Ὃς ἄν (ἐάν) c. conj. = ‘‘ whosoever ” may be illustrated Ly P Par 4622 (B.c. 153) (= Witkowski*, p. 87), περὶ dv ἂν βούληι γράφε, P Grenf I. 30% (B.c. 103) ἐφ} οἷς ἂν οὖν ὑμῶν προσδέωνται, P Oxy IV. 743%% (B.C. 2) ἐν ols ἐὰν σοῦ προσδέηται, °° ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐὰν θέλῃς. For the comparative usage of ὃς ἄν and ὃς ἐάν, see Thackeray Gr. i. p. 68, cited s.v. ἄν.…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὅς (hos, hē) — which.

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

genitive οὗ, ἧς, οὗ, etc.; dative plural οἷς, αἷς, οἷς, etc.: Epic dialect forms, genitive ὅου (probably replacing Οο) in the phrases ὅου κλέος οὔ ποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται [Refs 8th c.BC+]; feminine ἕης [Refs 8th c.BC+]; elsewhere only ἧς [Refs]; dative plural οἷς, οἷσι, ᾗς, ᾗσι (never αἷς or αἷσι in [Refs 8th c.BC+] — _pronoun_ used,

__A as demonstrative by the side of οὗτος, ὅδε, and the Article ὁ, ἡ, τό: in post-Homeric Gr. this use survived only in a few special phrases.

__B as a Relat. by the side of the Article ὅ, ἥ, τό (see. ὁ, ἡ, τό, c):—this demonstrative and Relat. pronoun must not be confounded with the Possess. ὅς, ἥ, ὅν. (With Gr. Relat. ὅς, ἥ, ὅ cf. Sanskrit Relat. yas, yā, yad, Lithuanian jis, ji (he, she), Oslav. i, ja, je (he, she…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὅς ἥ ὅ

hos

he hay, and neuter

ho ho

probably a primary word (or perhaps a form of the article 3588); the

relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what,

that:--one, (an-, the) other, some, that, what, which, who(-m, -se),

etc. See also 3757.

see GREEK for 3588

see GREEK for 3757

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ

Rel.pr.

who, which, what, that

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὅς hos 1x

who, which, what, that, Mt. 1:16, 23, 25; in NT interrog. ἐφ’ ὅ, wherefore, why, Mt. 26:50; in NT ὅς μὲν ... ὅς δέ, for ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, Mt. 21:35; 2 Cor. 2:16

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Rel-ASM — Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

R-ASM Part of Speech: Relative pronoun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
25%which
which25% · 356×whom20% · 291×who17% · 238×that14% · 199×what8% · 117×whatever2% · 30×whose2% · 29×other renderings10% · 145×other renderings2% · 25×

1,430 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 60 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
object40%subject29%adverbial26%indirect object3%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,407 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
ἐν
ἡμέραa dayαὐτόςἵναin order that, s
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςἔχωI have, hold, poυἱόςa son, descenden
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἀπόλλυμιI destroy, lose,δοῦλος (II)
διά
ἐκεῖνοςΧριστόςanointed, the Meαὐτός
εἰς
καίand, even, also,ἐγώοἰκίαa house, househo
ὅςwhom1407×
what comes after →
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theμεθερμηνεύωI translate, intκαίand, even, also,
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existἔξεστι(ν)it is permitted,γινώσκωI come to know,
Article the
θεόςGod, a godυἱόςa son, descendenκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
καίand, even, also, nam
σύποιέωI do, makeαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
ἄνDisjἑξήκονταIndecτριάκονταIndec

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

Concordanceὅς · 1,407× in the New Testament
Acts Luke John Matthew Romans Mark Hebrews Revelation 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Colossians Ephesians

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

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 33c. AD 40

ἵν’ οὖν μὴ αἰεὶ συμφερόμεναι στασιάζωσι καὶ πόλεμος ἀντ’ εἰρήνης ἐπικρατῇ τὴν ἀκοσμίαν ἐν κόσμῳ τιθείς, οὐ μόνον ἐχώρισε φῶς καὶ σκότος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρους ἐν μέσοις ἔθετο διαστήμασιν, οἷς ἀνεῖρξε τῶν ἄκρων ἑκάτερον·

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

πῶς τὸ Σοδομιτῶν ἔθνος θεὸς κατεστρέψατο χολωθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐφ' οἷς ἡμάρτανον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.8c. AD 100

Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἔριψεν τὰς δύο πλάκας ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ: καὶ συνετρίβη αὐτῶν ἡ διαθήκη, ἵνα ἡ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου Ἰησοῦ ἐγκατασφραγισθῇ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 2nd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ Ψενανοῦπιν καὶ … … ελθεῖν ἐπὶ προ … ους καὶ γραψάτωσαν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσπούδασας διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν παρακλήσεις καὶ ση

P.Adl. 15Pathyris (?)101 BC

ἐδάνεισεν Ὧρος Ὥρου Ὥρωι Νεχούτου ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως ὑποκλαστὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον πυροῦ ἀρτάβας τεσσαράκοντα ἓξ κριθῆς ἑξήκοντα ἐννέα , ἴσους ἀτόκους, ὧν ἀπόδοσιν

P.Adl. 17Krokodilopolis (Pathyrites)100 BC

τῆς ἐπιγονῆς τῶν ἐκ Παθύρεως ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως τετανὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον χαλκοῦ ταλάντων πέντε . προπωλητὴς καὶ βεβαιωτὴς τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὠνὴν ταύτην

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ἐγὼegō I myself G1473 Personal pronoun · first person · nominative · singular
2,567× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This is a pronoun meaning I or me, used by the speaker to refer to themselves. It is often used in the Bible to emphasize the speaker's identity.
Amplified meaning
the speaker
Tyndale gloss
I/we
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The first-person pronoun. A Greek verb already carries its person in the ending, so the pronoun is usually present for emphasis. Luke puts himself inside the “us” among whom these things were fulfilled: he writes as one of the people the events happened to, not as an observer standing outside them.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

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

pers. pron.

I.

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

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

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐγώ (egō) — I/we.

ἐγώ,

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

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

ego

a primary pronoun of the first person I (only expressed when

emphatic):--I, me. For the other cases and the plural see 1691, 1698,

1700, 2248, 2249, 2254, 2257, etc.

see GREEK for 1691

see GREEK for 1698

see GREEK for 1700

see GREEK for 2248

see GREEK for 2249

see GREEK for 2254

see GREEK for 2257

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐγώ

Pers.pr.

I

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

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

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐγώ

pron. of the first person, Lat ego

epic ἐγών before vowels

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-1NS — Personal pronoun · first person · nominative · singular
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-1NS Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: first Case: Nominative Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
47%i myself
i myself47% · 406×me myself21% · 180×me13% · 114×myself4% · 36×mine4% · 36×my3% · 26×i myself also3% · 26×other renderings5% · 42×

866 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 25 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
subject30%object26%adverbial26%indirect object10%predicate6%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,567 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
πατήρfather, Father, ance
Article theθεόςGod, a godκαίand, even, also,
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
Article theναίDisjδέbut, on the othe
ἐν
μένωI remain, abideεἰμίI am, existπατήρfather, Father,
καίand, even, also, nam
ὡςas, like as, howαὐτόςοὕτωthus, so, in thi
δίδωμιI offer, give
ὅςArticle theαὐτός
ἐγώI myself2567×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godπατήρfather, Father, ἐν
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theσύοὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,σύ
ἐν
Article theΧριστόςanointed, the Meαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
οὐNegλέγωI say, speakArticle the

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

Concordanceἐγώ · 2,567× in the New Testament
John Acts Luke Matthew 2 Corinthians Romans Mark 1 Corinthians Revelation Hebrews Galatians Philippians

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

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 853 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 17c. AD 40

ᾗ δὲ συνέστηκεν, εἰσόμεθα παρακολουθήσαντες εἰκόνι τινὶ τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν.

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

ὅπως Ἅβραμος ὁ πρόγονος ἡμῶν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς Χαλδαίων γῆς κατέσχε τὴν τότε μὲν Χαναναίαν νῦν δὲ Ἰουδαίαν λεγομένην.

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

συνγενόμενοι Ὥρωι Ψεν … λειτουργῶι μέχρι τοῦ ἀποδοθῆι τὸν ἐπεσταλμένον ἡμῖν κατὰ μῆνα πυρὸν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν. διʼ ἄλλων γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν βουλόμεθα μηδεμιᾶς

P.Adl. 14Pathyris101 BC

σφραγίδων, ἧς ἐτελειώθη ὠνῆς ἀποστασίου ἐν τῷ ιδ ἔτει Φαῶφι ι εἰς τὸ ἐνλιπὸν μοι ἄπρατον γῆς ἀρουρῶν γ, καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Κολλούθην μήδʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ

P.Cair. Goodspeed 9Pathyris100 BC–99 BC

παρὰ Πατῆτος τοῦ Πανεβχώνιος. ἐκμισθωθείσης μοι τῆς νήσου καλουμένης Περχμασσινηιτ εἰς τὸ ιϛ ἔτος πυροῦ ἀρτάβας τεσσαράκοντα πέντε γίνονται πυροῦ

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ἐβουλόμηνboulomai was wishing G1014 Verb · imperfect · no voice stated · indicative · first person · singular
37× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To be willing or to desire something, as in Mark 15:15 and Acts 5:28. It implies a deliberate choice or intention, like being minded to do something. This word is used in 2 Corinthians 1:15 and 1 Timothy 6:9.
Amplified meaning
desired, wished
Tyndale gloss
to plan
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

βούλομαι, transliterated as boulomai, means to will, wish, or desire, and implies a deliberate intention stronger than θέλω (thelo). It is often used with an infinitive or an accusative and infinitive construction. The New Testament employs it in various contexts, such as in Mark 15:15 and Acts 5:28. Lexicons note its use in expressing choice or preference, but there is some discussion about the nuances between βούλομαι and similar verbs.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

βούλομαι,

[in LXX for חפץ, אבה, יעץ, etc. ;]

to will, wish, desire, purpose, be minded, implying more strongly than θέλω (q.v.), the deliberate exercise of volition (v. Hort on Ja 1:18): c. inf. (M, Pr., 205; Bl., §69, 4), Mk 15:15, Ac 5:28, 33 12:4 15:37 17:20 18:15, 27 19:30 22:30 23:28 27:43 28:18, II Co 1:15, I Ti 6:9, He 6:17, II Jo 12, III Jo 10, Ju 5; c. acc.,

II Co 1:17; c. acc. et inf., Phl 1:12, I Ti 2:8 5:14, Tit 3:8,

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

βούλομαι, 2 pers. sing. βούλει Lk. xxii. 42 (Attic for βούλῃ, cf. W. 8 18, 2 a.; B. 42 (37)); impf. ἐβουλόμην (Attic [(cf. Veitch), yet commonly] ἠβουλύμην) ; 1 aor. ἐβυυλήθην (Mt. i. 19) and ἠβουλήθην (2 Jn. 12 RG; but al. ἐβουλήθ. cf. [WH. App. p. 162]; W.§ 12,1 ο.; B.33 (29)) ; Sept. for τιν, yan; [fr. Hom. down]; to will, wish; and 1. commonly, to will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded : foll. by an inf., Mk. xv. 15; Acts v. 28, 33 (L WH Tr txt. for RG T ἐβουλεύοντο) ; xii. 4; xv. 37 (L T Tr WH for R ἐβουλεύσατο) ; xviii. 27 ; xix. 30; Xxil. 30; xxiii. 28; xxvii. 43; xxviii. 18; 2 Co. i. 15; Heb. vi. 17; 2 Jn. 12; 3 Jn. 10 (τοὺς βουλομένους se. ἐπιδέχεσθαι τοὺς ἀδελφούς) ; Jude 5; Jas. i. 18 (βουληθεὶς ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς of his own free will he brought us forth, with which will it ill accords to say, as some do, that they are tempted to sin by God). with an acc. of the obj. τοῦτο…

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

βούλομαι. The Ptolemaic papyri show this word as freely as the late papyri, and Blass’s opinion that the word was ‘‘ adopted from the literary language” (Gr. p. 38, repeated in BlassDebrunner, p. 40) becomes more and more difficult to support. If the word was literary, the NT writers were not the first to popularize it. recurring phrases as γινώσκειν σε βούλομαι, βούλομαι μισθώσασθαι. The thought of ‘‘ purpose, intention, not mere will, but will with premeditation” (Hort on Jas 44), which frequently underlies its usage, comes out P Oxy NX. 1263" (A.D. 128-9) βούλομαι πρώτως... χρήσασθαι τῇ τῶν ἐργατῶν] ποταμοῦ τέχνῃ, “1 wish to begin . . . to practise the trade of a river-worker” (Edd.): cf. εὖ. 126719 (A.D. 209). See also the important official decree, P Lond 904°° (A.D. 104) (= III. p. 125) as revised Chest. I. p. 236, BovAop[at] πάνταϊς τ]οὺς εὔζ[λ]ογον δο[κοῦν]τα[ς] ἔχειν τοῦ ἐνθάδε…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

βούλομαι (boulomai) — to plan.

βούλομαι

(Epic dialect also βόλομαι, which see), Doric dialect βώλ- (which see), Aeolic dialect βόλλ- (see. βόλομαι), Thess. βέλλ- [Refs], Boeotian dialect βείλ- [Refs]βήλ- [Refs 3rd c.BC+], Locrian dialectand Delph. δείλ- [Refs], Coan, etc. δήλ- (which see), Ionic dialect 2nd pers. singular βούλεαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: imperfect ἐβουλόμην [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἐβουλέατο codices in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future βουλήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; later future βουληθήσομαι variant in [Refs 2nd c.AD+] 13.636: aorist ἐβουλήθην, also ἠβ- (see. below), βουληθείς [Refs 5th c.BC+]., but Epic dialect aorist subjunctive 3rd.pers. singular βούλεται (from *βόλσ-ε-ται) [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect βεβούλημαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]; also βέβουλα (προ-) [Refs 8th c.BC+] uncertain in epigram in [Refs] — forms with augment ἠ- are found in Attic…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

βούλομαι

boulomai

middle voice of a primary verb; to "will," i.e. (reflexively) be

willing:--be disposed, minded, intend, list, (be, of own) will (-ing).

Compare 2309.

see GREEK for 2309

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

βούλομαι

v.

I will, intend, desire

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

βούλομαι boulomai 37x

to be willing, disposed, Mk. 15:15; Acts 25:20; 28:18; to intend, Mt. 1:19; Acts 5:28; 12:4; 2 Cor. 1:15; to desire, 1 Tim. 6:9; to choose, be pleased, Jn. 18:39; Acts 18:15; Jas. 3:4; to will, decree, appoint, Lk. 22:42; Jas. 1:18; Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

βούλομαι The Root is ΒΟΛ, which appears in epic βόλομαι, Lat.volo: hence βουλή. Dep.

to will, wish, be willing, Hom., etc.:—mostly c. inf. or c. acc. et inf., id. Hom., etc.: when βούλομαι is foll. by acc. only, an inf. may be supplied, Τρώεσσιν ἐβούλετο νίκην he willed victory to the Trojans, or Τρώεσσιν ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι, — both in Il.

attic usages:

βούλει or βούλεσθε foll. by subj., adds force to the demand, βούλει λάβωμαι would you have me take hold, Soph.

εἰ βούλει, a courteous phrase, like Lat. sis (si vis), if you please, id. Soph.

ὁ βουλόμενος, Lat. quivis, the first that offers, Hdt., attic

βουλομένωι μοί ἐστι, nobis volentibus est, c. inf., it is according to my wish that . . , Thuc.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-INI-1S — Verb · imperfect · no voice stated · indicative · first person · singular
imperfect no voice stated indicative — a continuing action in past time.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-INI-1S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Imperfect Voice: middle or passive depoNent Mood: Indicative Person: first Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
14%desiring
desiring14% · 5×i want11% · 4×intending5% · 2×shall choose5% · 2×you intend3% · 1×they were desiring3% · 1×planning3% · 1×we resolve3% · 1×other renderings54% · 20×

37 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 28 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
verb97%adverbial3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 37 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
δέbut, on the other ha
ΒαρναβᾶςBarnabasΠαῦλοςPaulArticle the
ἐγώ
ἀκοήhearing, facultyἀνακρίνωI examine, inquiὅς
ἐάνCond
ὅς
εἰCond
πατήρfather, Father, λέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also, nam
σύδιαπρίωI cut to the qui
βούλομαιwas wishing37×
what comes after →
Article the
υἱόςa son, descendenὄχλοςa crowdθεόςGod, a god
οὖνtherefore, then
ἀπολύωI release, let gγινώσκωI come to know, προσεύχομαιI pray, pray for
λάθρᾳsecretly
ἀπολύωI release, let g
παραφέρωI turn aside, carry
οὗτος
ἐπάγωI bring upon
ἐπί

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

Concordanceβούλομαι · 37× in the New Testament
Acts 1 Timothy James 2 Corinthians Luke Matthew 1 Corinthians 2 John 2 Peter 3 John Hebrews John
Across the New Testament17 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 53 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 16c. AD 40

προλαβὼν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἅτε θεὸς ὅτι μίμημα καλὸν οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο δίχα καλοῦ παραδείγματος οὐδέ τι τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἀνυπαίτιον, ὃ μὴ πρὸς ἀρχέτυπον καὶ νοητὴν ἰδέαν ἀπεικονίσθη, βουληθεὶς τὸν ὁρατὸν κόσμον τουτονὶ δημιουργῆσαι προεξετύπου τὸν νοητόν,…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.21c. AD 75–95

τοῦτο δὴ παιδεῦσαι βουληθεὶς Μωυσῆς τὸ παίδευμα τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πολίτας τῆς τῶν νόμων θέσεως οὐκ ἀπὸ συμβολαίων καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικαίων ἤρξατο τοῖς ἄλλοις παραπλησίως, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου κατασκευὴν τὰς γνώμας αὐτῶν ἀναγαγὼν καὶ…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.5c. AD 100

πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι, οὐδ̓ ἂν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι, τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησεν ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν;

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 6th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Amh. 2 50Pathyris107 BC

δὲ πρᾶξις ἔστω Ἐριενούφει ἔκ τε αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ ὁποτέρου οὗ ἂν βούληται καὶ ἐκ τῶν τούτοις ὑπαρχόντων πάντων καθάπερ ἐκ δίκης.

P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

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

P.Grenf. 2 29Pathyris103 BC

ἔστω Παήρι ἐκ τῶν δεδανεισμένων καὶ ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ ὁποτέρου αὐτῶν καὶ οὗ ἂν βούληται καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῖς πάντων, πράσσοντι καθάπερ ἐκ δίκης. Ἑρμίας ὁ παρὰ Πανίσκου

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
πρὸςpros with G4314 Preposition
700× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
A preposition showing direction or relationship, like towards or with something, as seen in Mark 5:11 and John 18:16. This means indicating movement or direction. It's about showing proximity or connection.
Tyndale gloss
to/with
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

πρός is a preposition that indicates direction, proximity, or relation. It can be used with the genitive to denote motion from a place, with the dative for local proximity, and with the accusative to express motion towards a place or object. In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, such as Acts 27:34 for benefit and Mark 5:11 for proximity.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

πρός,

prep. c. gen., dat., acc.

C. gen., of motion from a place, from the side of, hence metaph., in the interests of, Ac 27:34 (cf. Page, in l.).

C. dat., of local proximity, hard by, near, at: Mk 5:11, Lk 19:37, Jo 18:16 20:11, 12, Re 1:13.

C. acc., of motion or direction towards a place or object, to, towards.

Of place,

after verbs of motion or of speaking and other words with the idea of direction: ἔρχομαι, ἀναβαίνω, πορεύομαι, λέγω, ἐπιστολή, etc., Mt 3:14, Mk 6:51, Lk 11:5, Jo 2:3,

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

πρός, a preposition, i.q. Epic mpori, from πρό and the adverbial suffix τι, (cf. the German vor . . . hin [Curtius § 381]); it is joined I. with the AccusaTIvE, to, towards, Lat. ad, denoting direction towards athing, or position and state looking towards a thing (W. § 49h. p. 404 (378)): it is used 1. of the goal or limit towards which a movement is directed: πρός twa or τι, a. prop. after verbs of going, departing, running, coming, ete.: ἄγω, Jn. xi. 15; ἀναβαίνω, Mk. vi. 51; Jn. xx. 17; Acts xv. 2; ἀνακάμπτω, Mt. ii. 12; Acts xvili. 21; ἀνέρχομαι, Gal. i. 17 [1]. Tr mrg. arépy.]; ἀπέρχομαι, Mt. » xiv. 25 [Rec.]; Mk. iii. 13, etc.; πρὸς ἑαυτόν, to his house, Lk. xxiv. 12 [T om. L Trbr. WH reject the ys.; Tr reads mp. αὐτόν ; some connect the phrase w. θαυμάζων (see 2 Ὁ. below) ]; Jn. xx. 10 [Ὁ Tr αὐτούς, WH air. (cf. s. v. αὑτοῦ sub fin.)]; γίνεσθαι πρός τινα, to come to one, 1 Co.…

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

πρός reference to place PSI IV. 31178 (iv/A.D.?) πρ]ὸς τὴν Aavitk.ay τῆς κοίλης Dupials. Headlam (on Herodas VII. 123) holds that τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν in Mk 2? ‘‘is surely idiomatic (not vulgar as Moulton thinks) ‘spots which commanded the door’”: cf. Mt 310, Lk 35. For πρός, ‘‘with,” as in Jn ΤΡ, Heb 41%, cf. Epict. iv. 9. 13 πρὸς ὃν οὐδείς ἐστί σου πιθανώτερος (see Sharp Ξε, p. 92). And for the possibility that the difficult πρός in Mk 63, οἷ", 14%, Jn 1}, 1 Jn 1?, is to be explained as an Aramaism, see Rendel Harris Prologue to S. John’s Gospel p. 8f., and Burney Avamaic Origin of the Fourth Gospel p. 28 f. (6) of time = ‘‘for’’ (a time) and no longer—BGU I. 1131? (A.D. 143) βουλόμενος παρεπιδημεῖν πρὸς καιρόν (cf. Lk 818), P Oxy I. 6714 (A.D. 338) πρὸς ὀλίγον εἰσχύει, ‘‘withstands but for a short time” (cf. Jas 4), and P Flor III. 282° (A.D. 520) πρὸς ὅλον χρόνον. (c) of mental…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

πρός (pros) — to/with.

πρός,

preposition, expressing direction,

__A on the side of, in the direction of, hence with genitive, dative, and accusative, from, at, to: Epic dialect also προτί and ποτί, in [Refs 8th c.BC+] usually with accusative, more rarely with dative, and each only once with genitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—dialectal forms: Doric dialectποτί (which see) and ποί, but Cretan dialect πορτί [Refs], Argive προτ(ί) [Refs 7th c.BC+] πός [Refs 4th c.BC+]., also sometimes in Asia Minor in compounds, see at {ποσάγω},{ποσφέρω}; Aeolic dialect πρός [Refs 7th c.BC+]; πρές [Refs 6th c.AD+]; Pamphylian περτ (ί) [Refs] (With προτί, πρός cf. Sanskrit práti 'towards, near to, against, back, etc.', Slavonic protiv[ucaron], Lett. pret 'against', Latin pretium: ποτί (which see) and πός are not cognate) [Refs 4th c.BC+] refers to that from which something…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

πρός

pros

a strengthened form of 4253; a preposition of direction; forward to,

i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to;

with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the

accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the

destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is

predicated):--about, according to , against, among, at, because of,

before, between, (where-)by, for, X at thy house, in, for intent, nigh

unto, of, which pertain to, that, to (the end that), X together, to

(you) -ward, unto, with(-in). In the comparative case, it denotes

essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession

to, or nearness at.

see GREEK for 4253

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

πρός

Prep.

to, towards, with

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

πρός pros 700x

from; met. for the benefit of, Acts 27:34; with a dative, near, by, at, by the side of, in the vicinity of, Mk. 5:11; Lk. 19:37; with an accusative, used of the place to which anything tends, to, unto, towards, Mt. 2:12; 3:5, 13; at, close upon, Mt. 3:10; Mk. 5:22; near to, in the vicinity of, Mk. 6:45; after verbs of speaking, praying, answering to a charge, etc., to, Mt. 3:15; 27:14; of place where, with, in, among, by, at, etc., Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

πρός prep. with gen., implying motion from a place; with dat., abiding at a place; with acc., motion to a place

WITH GEN.,

of Place, from, from forth, Hom., Soph.

on the side or quarter of, νήσοισι πρὸς Ἤλιδος islands looking (as it were) from Elis, i. e. towards Elis, Od.; πρὸς τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου ἵδρυται μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Στρύμονος lies more towards (i. e. nearer) the Hellespont than the Strymon, Hdt.; ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο πρὸς Ὀλύνθου Thuc., etc.:—often with words denoting the points of the compass, δύω θύραι εἰσίν, αἱ μὲν πρὸς βορέαο, αἱ δ᾽ αὖ πρὸς νότου one looking north wards, the other south wards, Od.; so, οἰκέουσι πρὸς νότου ἀνέμου Hdt., etc.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
69%to
to69% · 506×with7% · 48×for6% · 42×toward4% · 30×against3% · 21×at3% · 20×unto2% · 18×other renderings5% · 37×other renderings1% · 10×

732 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 32 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
adverbial93%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 700 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
ἔρχομαιI come, go
καίand, even, also,Article theνύξthe night, night
λέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also,δέbut, on the otheἸησοῦςJesus
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakArticle theπαραγίνομαιI appear, come,
αὐτός
ἄγωI leadφέρωI carry, bear, bμαθητήςa learner, disci
ἐγώ
ὑπέρσῶμαbody, fleshυἱόςa son, descenden
πρόςwith700×
what comes after →
Article the
πατήρfather, Father, θεόςGod, a godμαθητήςa learner, disci
αὐτός
Article theλέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,
σύ
καίand, even, also,ἐνἔρχομαιI come, go
ἐγώ
καίand, even, also,Article theοὐNeg
ἀλλήλων
τίςIrgλέγωI say, speakμήNeg

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

Concordanceπρός · 700× in the New Testament
Luke Acts John Mark Matthew 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Hebrews Romans Ephesians 1 Thessalonians Galatians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 3c. AD 40

ἡ δ’ ἀρχή, καθάπερ ἔφην, ἐστὶ θαυμασιωτάτη κοσμοποιίαν περιέχουσα, ὡς καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῦ νόμου τῷ κόσμῳ συνᾴδοντος καὶ τοῦ νομίμου ἀνδρὸς εὐθὺς ὄντος κοσμοπολίτου πρὸς τὸ βούλημα τῆς φύσεως τὰς πράξεις ἀπευθύνοντος, καθ’ ἣν καὶ ὁ σύμπας…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.4c. AD 75–95

τὸν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον ἡμῖν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις γενόμενον καὶ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ πράξεις καὶ τὸ τέλος οἷον ἀπέβη πείρᾳ μαθὼν ἐβιάσθην ἐκδιηγήσασθαι διὰ τοὺς ἐν τῷ γράφειν λυμαινομένους τὴν ἀλήθειαν,

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.3c. AD 100

τούτων οὖν μενόντων τὰ πρὸς κύριον ἁγνῶς, συνευφραίνονται αὐτοῖς σοφία, σύνεσις, ἐπιστήμη, γνῶσις.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Grenf. 1 28Krokodilopolis (Pathyrites)109 BC

r … πυρὸν νέον καθαρὸν ἄδολον μέτρωι ὧι καὶ παρείληφεν καὶ ἀποκαθεστάμενον εἰς οἶκον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰδίοις ἀνηλώμασιν. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀποδῶι ἐν τῶι ὡρισμένωι χρόνωι ἢ μὴ ποιῆ

P.Amh. 2 48Pathyris107 BC

παρεχέτω τὸν οἶνον μόνιμον ἕως Ἁθὺρ λ τοῦ δεκάτου ἔτους, καὶ ἀποκαταστησάτω εἰς οἶκον πρὸς αὐτὴν τοῖς ἰδίοις. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀποδῷ ἐν τῷ ὡρισμένῳ χρόνῳ ἀποτεισάτω ἑκάστου κεραμίου

P.Grenf. 1 30Pathyris104 BC

πᾶσι χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρωμένοις διὰ παντὸς εὐημερεῖν. ὑγιαίνομεν δὲ καὶ αὐτοί. μεταλαβόντες τοὺς συντετελεσμένους πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς Ἑρμωνθίτας ἀγῶνας μεγάλως ἐχάρημεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν προκεχειρίκαμεν προστάτην τοῦ μεγίστου θεοῦ Νεχθφαραῦτος

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ἐμαυτὸνemautou myself G1473 Reflexive pronoun · first person · accusative · singular · masculine
2,567× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This is a pronoun meaning I or me, used by the speaker to refer to themselves. It is often used in the Bible to emphasize the speaker's identity.
Tyndale gloss
I/we
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The first-person pronoun. A Greek verb already carries its person in the ending, so the pronoun is usually present for emphasis. Luke puts himself inside the “us” among whom these things were fulfilled: he writes as one of the people the events happened to, not as an observer standing outside them.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

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

pers. pron.

I.

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

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

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐγώ (egō) — I/we.

ἐγώ,

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

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

ego

a primary pronoun of the first person I (only expressed when

emphatic):--I, me. For the other cases and the plural see 1691, 1698,

1700, 2248, 2249, 2254, 2257, etc.

see GREEK for 1691

see GREEK for 1698

see GREEK for 1700

see GREEK for 2248

see GREEK for 2249

see GREEK for 2254

see GREEK for 2257

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐγώ

Pers.pr.

I

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

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

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐγώ

pron. of the first person, Lat ego

epic ἐγών before vowels

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
F-1ASM — Reflexive pronoun · first person · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

F-1ASM Part of Speech: reFlexive pronoun Person: first Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
47%i myself
i myself47% · 406×me myself21% · 180×me13% · 114×myself4% · 36×mine4% · 36×my3% · 26×i myself also3% · 26×other renderings5% · 42×

866 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 25 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
subject30%object26%adverbial26%indirect object10%predicate6%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,567 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
πατήρfather, Father, ance
Article theθεόςGod, a godκαίand, even, also,
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
Article theναίDisjδέbut, on the othe
ἐν
μένωI remain, abideεἰμίI am, existπατήρfather, Father,
καίand, even, also, nam
ὡςas, like as, howαὐτόςοὕτωthus, so, in thi
δίδωμιI offer, give
ὅςArticle theαὐτός
ἐγώmyself2567×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godπατήρfather, Father, ἐν
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theσύοὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,σύ
ἐν
Article theΧριστόςanointed, the Meαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
οὐNegλέγωI say, speakArticle the

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

Concordanceἐγώ · 2,567× in the New Testament
John Acts Luke Matthew 2 Corinthians Romans Mark 1 Corinthians Revelation Hebrews Galatians Philippians

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

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 853 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 17c. AD 40

ᾗ δὲ συνέστηκεν, εἰσόμεθα παρακολουθήσαντες εἰκόνι τινὶ τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν.

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

ὅπως Ἅβραμος ὁ πρόγονος ἡμῶν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς Χαλδαίων γῆς κατέσχε τὴν τότε μὲν Χαναναίαν νῦν δὲ Ἰουδαίαν λεγομένην.

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

συνγενόμενοι Ὥρωι Ψεν … λειτουργῶι μέχρι τοῦ ἀποδοθῆι τὸν ἐπεσταλμένον ἡμῖν κατὰ μῆνα πυρὸν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν. διʼ ἄλλων γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν βουλόμεθα μηδεμιᾶς

P.Adl. 14Pathyris101 BC

σφραγίδων, ἧς ἐτελειώθη ὠνῆς ἀποστασίου ἐν τῷ ιδ ἔτει Φαῶφι ι εἰς τὸ ἐνλιπὸν μοι ἄπρατον γῆς ἀρουρῶν γ, καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Κολλούθην μήδʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ

P.Cair. Goodspeed 9Pathyris100 BC–99 BC

παρὰ Πατῆτος τοῦ Πανεβχώνιος. ἐκμισθωθείσης μοι τῆς νήσου καλουμένης Περχμασσινηιτ εἰς τὸ ιϛ ἔτος πυροῦ ἀρτάβας τεσσαράκοντα πέντε γίνονται πυροῦ

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
κατέχειν,katechō to keep, G2722 Verb · present · active · infinitive
18× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To hold back means to keep or restrain something, like in Luke 8:15 and Romans 1:18. It can also mean to possess or have control over something, like in 1 Corinthians 7:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
Amplified meaning
hold back, retain
Tyndale gloss
to hold back/fast
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

κατέχω is built from the prefix κατ- and the verb ἔχω, meaning to hold or possess. It encompasses a range of meanings including to hold fast, restrain, and detain. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts such as retaining faith (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and restraining evil (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). The lexicons do not show significant disagreement.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κατ-έχω,

[in LXX for אחז, חזק hi., etc.;]

perfective of ἔχω (M, Pr., 116; M, Th., 155),

to possess, hold fast: Lk 8:15, Jo 5:[4], Ro 1:18 (Lft., Notes, 251), I Co 7:30 11:2, II Co 6:10, I Th 5:21, He 3:6, 14 10:23;

to lay hold of, get possession of: Lk 14:9.

to hold back, detain, restrain (M, Th., 156 f.): c. acc. seq. τοῦ μή c. inf., Lk 4:42; seq. πρός, c. acc., Phm 13; absol., τὸ κατέχον (ὁ κ.), II Th…

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

κατέχω; impf. κατεῖχον; 2 aor. subjunc. κατάσχω; impf. pass. κατειχόμην ; 1. to hold back, detain, retain; a. τινά, from going away, foll. by τοῦ μή w. inf., Lk. iv. 42 [B. § 140, 16 8.; οἵ. W. 604 (561)]; τινὰ πρὸς ἐμαυτόν, Philem. 13. Pass. (as often in Grk. writ. fr. Hom. down; ef. Passow 8. v. p. 1677*; [L. and 5. 5. ν. II. 67), of some troublesome condition or circumstance by which one is held as it were bound: νοσήματι, Jn. v. 4[GT Tr WHom. the passage]; ἔν τινι, Ro. vii. 6. b. to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of): τ. ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ, Ro. i. 18; absol. τὸ κατέχον, that which hinders, se. Antichrist from making his appearance (see avrixpiotos); the power of the Roman empire is meant; 6 κατέχων he that hinders, checks, sc. the advent of Antichrist, denotes the one in whom that power is lodged, the Roman emperor: 2 Th. ii. 6 sq. (cf., besides De Wette and Liinemann ad…

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

κατέχω royal ordinance—s.c. 118) κρατεῖν ὧν κατεσχήκασι κλή(ρων), ‘shall have the legal ownership of the lands which they have possessed ” (Edd.), P Oxy II. 237 Vili 22 (a.p, 186) διαζητοῦντί μοι μαθεῖν ἐκ τίνος ὑποθέσεως ἐτελεῖτο τὰς Αἰγυπτιακὰς γυναῖκας κατὰ ἐνχώριον νόμιμα (/ νόμισμα) κατέχειν τὰ ὑπάρχοντα τῶν ἀνδρῶν διὰ τῶν γαμικῶν συνγραφῶν κτλ., ‘when I wished to know on what pretext it came about that Egyptian wives have by native Egyptian law a claim upon their husbands’ property through their marriage contracts” etc. (Edd.). Cf. also P Oxy IV. γ7γ1315 (A.D. 97) where the parents κατέσχον τῇ ἐξ ἀλλήλων γενεᾷ τὰ ἑαυτῶν πάντα, ‘settled upon their joint issue the whole of their property” (Edd.). (2) From this it is an easy transition to the meaning ‘‘ lay hold of,” ‘* take possession of,’ as in Lk 14%: see e.g. P Amh II. 3076 (ii/B.c.) where in an official report regarding the…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κατέχω (katechō) — to hold back/fast.

κατέχω,

future καθέξω (of duration) [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist κατέσχον, poetry

__A κατέσχεθον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect 3rd.pers. singular κάσχεθε [Refs 8th c.BC+], Aeolic dialect κατέσκ [εθε] [Refs 7th c.BC+]; late aorist κατέσχα [Refs 4th c.AD+]

__A.I transitive, hold fast, καλύπτρην χείρεσσι [Refs 8th c.BC+]

__A.I.b hold back, withhold, εἴ με βίῃ ἀέκοντα καθέξει [Refs 8th c.BC+]: check, restrain, bridle, ἑωυτόν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; [γυναῖκε] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀργήν, θυμόν, ὕβριν, etc., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τὴν ἀγωγήν put it off, [Refs]; κ. τὸ πλῆθος ἐλευθέρως, ἰσχύϊ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὖρον hold in, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἑαυτὸν κατέχει μὴ ἐπιπηδᾶν restrains himself from.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, to be held down, γλῶσσα κατείχετο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to be bound…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

κατέχω

katecho

from 2596 and 2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications

(literally or figuratively):--have, hold (fast), keep (in memory),

let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.

see GREEK for 2596

see GREEK for 2192

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κατέχω

v.

I hold fast, bind, restrain

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κατέχω katechō 17x

(1) transitive, to hold down; to detain, retain, Lk. 4:42; Rom. 1:18; Phlm. 13; to hinder, restrain, 2 Thess. 2:6, 7; to hold downright, hold in a firm grasp, to have in full and secure possession, 1 Cor. 7:30; 2 Cor. 6:10; to come into full possession of, seize upon; to keep, retain, 1 Thess. 5:21; to occupy, Lk. 14:9; met. to hold fast mentally, retain, Lk. 8:15; 1 Cor. 11:2; 15:2…

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Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

κατέχω fut. καθέξω fut. κατασχήσω aor2 κατέσχον poet. κατέσχεθον epic 3rd sg. κάσχεθε trans. to hold fast, Hes.

to hold back, withhold, Hom.:— to check, restrain, control, bridle, Hdt., attic: —Pass. to be held down, to be bound, kept under, Hdt.

to detain, id. Hdt., Xen.:—Pass. to be detained, to stay, stop, tarry, Hdt., Soph.

to have in possession, possess, occupy, Trag.

of sound, to fill, ἀλαλητῷ πεδίον κατέχουσι Il.; κ. στρατόπεδον δυσφημίαις to fill it with his grievous cries, Soph.

βιοτὰν κ. to continue a life, id. Soph.

to occupy, be spread over, cover, νὺξ κάτεχ᾽ οὐρανόν Od.; ἡμέρα κατέσχε γαῖαν Aesch.:—in Mid., κατέσχετο πρόσωπα covered her face, Od.

of the grave, to confine, cover, Hom.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAN — Verb · present · active · infinitive
present active infinitive — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAN Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: iNfinitive TVM equivalent: G5721

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
11%possessing
possessing11% · 2×restraining11% · 2×keep11% · 2×they were making6% · 1×suppressing6% · 1×we were bound6% · 1×you are keeping6% · 1×you hold fast6% · 1×other renderings39% · 7×

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

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 18 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
νῦνnow, already, atμόνοςalone, but, only
βέβαιοςfirm, steadfast, end
τέλοςan end, purpose,
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτός
λόγοςa word, speech, divi
Article the
τόποςa place
ἔσχατοςlast, at the las
κατέχωto keep,18×
what comes after →
αὐτός
Article the
καίand, even, also, nam
καρποφορέωI bear fruit
νόσημαa trouble, disease
εἰς
Article the
ὥστεso that, therefore
δουλεύωI am a slave, am

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

Concordanceκατέχω · 18× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians Hebrews Luke 2 Thessalonians Romans 1 Thessalonians 2 Corinthians Acts John Philemon
Across the New Testament10 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaOn Flight and Finding 151c. AD 40

ἀπέστειλεν οὖν τὸν ἔριφον κομίσασθαι τὸν ἀρραβῶνα παρὰ τῆς γυναικός, οὐ τοῦτο προῃρημένος πάντως ἀπολαβεῖν, ἀλλ’ εἴ ποτε ἀναξία τοῦ κατέχειν ἐκείνη γένοιτο.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.21c. AD 75–95

οὕτως δʼ αὐτοὺς Ῥουβῆλος ὁρῶν ἔχοντας ὁ πρεσβύτατος αὐτῶν καὶ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν ὡμονοηκότας ἐπειρᾶτο κατέχειν ὑποδεικνὺς τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ τολμήματος καὶ τὸ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ μύσος,

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD
BGU 4 1148Alexandria14 BC

προσεληλυθέναι αφ … τῇ κατοχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀκολούθως τοῖς τῆς χώρας νόμοις διὰ τὸ αὐτὴν κατέχειν τὴν Διονυσίου συγγραφὴν Αἰγυπτίαν καὶ εἶναι αὐτόθεν ἀκύρους τὰς δύο συνχωρήσεις, μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι δὲ

P.Oxy. 49 3466OxyrhynchosAD 81–AD 96

δὲ Δημητρίας ὡσαύτως μετερχομένης τὸν Φανίαν ἀργυρίου δραχμὰς τρισχιλίας ἑξακοσίας … ν … οκα κατείχετο παρʼ ἑαυτῇ μέχρι τῆς τοῦ δανείου κομιδῆς, ἀποπεφηνότος τοῦ Κάρου ἀκολούθως τοῖς γενομένοις ὑπʼ

διαζητοῦντί μοι μαθεῖν ἔκ τινος ὑποθέσεως ἐγένετο τὰς Αἰγυπτίας γυναῖκας κατὰ τὰ ἐνχώρια νόμιμα κατέχειν τὰ ὑπάρχοντα τῶν ἀνδρῶν διὰ τῶν γαμικῶν συνγραφῶν ἑαυταῖς τε καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις, πλειστάκις

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ἵναhina so that G2443 Conjunction
669× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'in order that' or 'to', showing purpose or result, as seen in Acts 19:4 and Romans 11:31. It's used to express a goal or outcome. In Ephesians 1:17, it's used to describe a purpose.
Tyndale gloss
in order that/to
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἵνα is primarily a conjunction meaning 'in order that' or 'that,' indicating purpose or intention. It can also function as an adverb of place, meaning 'where' or 'whither.' In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, often introducing clauses that express purpose, such as in Matthew 1:22. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings or usages.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἵνα,

adverb (poët., Hom., al.),

of place, where, whither.

of circumstance, when.

Conjunction,

prop., final, denoting purpose or end (cl.), that, in order that, usually the first word in the clause, but sometimes (cl. also) preceded by an emphatic word (Ac 19:4, Ro 11:31 (?), Ga 2:10, al.);

c. optat. (so in cl. after historic tenses): after a pres., Eph 1:17 (but WH, mg., subjc.; v. Burton, § 225, Rem., 2);

c. subjc.: after a pres., Mk 4:21, Lk 6:34, Jo 3:15, Ac 2:25,

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

ἵνα, I. an adv. of Place. fr. Hom. down, esp. in the poets; a. where; in what place. b. to what place; whither. Of the former signification C. F. A. Fritzsche (on Mt. p. 836; differently in Fritzschiorum Opusce. p. 186 sqq-.) thought he had found two examples in bibl. Greek, and H. A. W. Meyer agrees with him. The first viz. iva μὴ φυσιοῦσθε, 1 Co. iv. 6, they explain thus: where (i. e. in which state of things viz. when ye have leatned from my example to think humbly of yourselves) the one is not exalted to the other’s disadvantage; the second, iva αὐτοὺς ζηλοῦτε, Gal. iv. 17, thus: where ye zealously court them; but see II. 1 d. below. “ iva I. a final Conjunction (for from local direction, indicated by the adverb, the transition was easy te mental direction or intention) denoting pur pose and end: to the intent that; to the end that, in order that; ἵνα pn, that not, lest; it is used…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἵνα (hina) — in order that/to.

ἵνα,

adverb,

I. of Place,

I.1. in that place, there, once in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

I.2. elsewhere relative, in which place, where,[Refs 8th c.BC+]: rarely in Attic dialect Prose, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἵ. ἡ Νίκη (i.e. ἐστίν) [Refs 8th c.BC+] [same place]; ἵν᾽ ἄν with subjunctive, wherever, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; as indirect interrogative, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. b after [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔμαθε ἵ. ἦν κακοῦ in what a calamity, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἵν᾽ ἕσταμεν χρείας[Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. c with Verbs of motion, whither, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

II. of circumstance, γάμος.., ἵ. χρή at which, when, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἵ. μὲν ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς.., ἐνταῦθα.. when it was in their power, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.2. ={ἐάν}, uncertain in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἵνα

hina

probably from the same as the former part of 1438 (through the

demonstrative idea; compare 3588); in order that (denoting the purpose

or the result):--albeit, because, to the intent (that), lest, so as,

(so) that, (for) to. Compare 3363.

see GREEK for 1438

see GREEK for 3588

see GREEK for 3363

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἵνα

Cj.

in order that, so that

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἵνα hina 663x

that, in order that, Mt. 19:13; Mk. 1:38; Jn. 1:22; 3:15; 17:1; ἵνα μή, that not, lest, Mt. 7:1; in NT equivalent to ὥστε, so that, so as that, Jn. 9:2; also, marking a simple circumstance, the circumstance that, Mt. 10:25; Jn. 4:34; 6:29; 1 Jn. 4:17; 5:3

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἵνα Adverb,

of Place,

demonstr. in that place, there, only in Il. 10. 127.

relat., = ὅπου, in which place, where, Hdt., etc.;—so, ἵνα τε Il.; ἵνα περ Hom.:—c. gen., ἵνα γῆς in whatever part of the land, Hdt.; ἔμαθε ἵνα ἦν κακοῦ in what a calamity, id. Hdt.; οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἵν᾽ εἶ κακοῦ Soph.

= ὅποι, with Verbs of motion, whither, Od.; ὁρᾷς ἵν᾽ ἥκεις Soph.

of circumstance, when, at which, Od.

Final Conjunction, = ὅπως, that, in order that, Lat. ut, Hom.:

with subj.,

after principal tenses of ind., id. Hom., etc.

after historical tenses, in similes, where the aor. refers to any possible time, Od.

after opt. and ἄν, ἔδωκε μένος, ἵνα γένοιτο she gave him vigour, that he might become, Il.

with opt., after historical tenses, Hom., etc.

Read the full entry →
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

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

so (co', although the Hebrew might be pointed cewe'; Assyrian Sib'u; Septuagint Segor, Soa; Manetho, Seuechos; Latin Sevechus; Herodotus (ii. 137 ff), Sabakon): In all probability the "Sabaeo" of Herodotus, the Shabaka, who founded the Ethiopian dynasty, the XXVth of Egyptian kings. His date is given as 715-707 BC (Flinders Petrie, History of Egypt, III, 281 ff), but we may suppose that before his accession to the throne he was entitled to be designated king, as being actually regent. To this So, Hoshea, king of Israel, made an appeal for assistance to enable him to throw off the yoke of the Assyrian Shalmaneser IV (2Ki 17:3). But Hoshea's submission to So brought him no advantage, for Shalmaneser came up throughout all the land and laid siege to Samaria. Not long after the fall of Samaria, So ventured upon an eastern campaign, and…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

So

(Nubian, Sabako), an Ethiopian king who brought Egypt under his sway. He was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy that had been successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

"So, king of Egypt," is once mentioned in the Bible -- (2 Kings 17:4) So has been identified by different writers with the first and second kings of the Ethiopian twenty-fifth dynasty, called by Manetho, Sabakon (Shebek) and Sebichos (Shebetek).

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

King of Egypt, made an alliance with Hoshea king of Israel, and promised him assistance; but was unable to prevent Shalmaneser king of Assyria from taking Samaria and subverting the kingdom, B. C. 721, 2Ki 17:4. See PHARAOH.

So is believed to have been the Servetus or Sabaco II of secular history, the second king of the Ethiopian or twenty-fifth dynasty, and the predecessor of Trihakah. A singular fact has been brought to light by the recent explorations at Nineveh, corroborating the Scripture record the more forcibly, because unexpected and direct. The Bible shows that Egypt and Assyria, though remote, were often in conflict during the height of the Assyrian ruins power, and that So was at war with Shalmaneser. After war comes the treaty of peace; and as the Bible prepares us to suppose such treaties were made, the Assyrian ruins…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
56%that
that56% · 382×so that40% · 271×other renderings4% · 24×

677 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 10 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
adverbial8%object3%subject3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 669 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
παρακαλέωI summon, entreaἐπιτιμάωI rebuke, chide,δίδωμιI offer, give
σύ
λαλέωI speak, sayδιάδίδωμιI offer, give
ἐγώ
δίδωμιI offer, giveὑπέρπερί
ἀλλάbut, except
αὐτόςκόσμοςthe world, univeἐγώ
εἰμίI am, exist
τίςIrgἐγώἱκανόςsufficient, wort
ἵναso that669×
what comes after →
μήNeg
Article theτὶςεἰς
Article the
γραφήa writing, passaχαράjoy, gladnessλόγοςa word, speech,
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theσύαὐτός
ἐν
αὐτόςἐγώὅς
εἰμίI am, exist
μετάεἷςoneἅγιοςset apart, holy,

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

Concordanceἵνα · 669× in the New Testament
John Mark 1 Corinthians Luke 2 Corinthians Revelation Matthew Romans Ephesians Hebrews 1 John Acts

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 300 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 15c. AD 40

ἑκάστῃ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀπένειμεν ἔνια τῶν τοῦ παντὸς τμημάτων τὴν πρώτην ὑπεξελόμενος, ἣν αὐτὸς οὐδὲ πρώτην, ἵνα μὴ ταῖς ἄλλαις συγκαταριθμῆται, καλεῖ, μίαν δ’ ὀνομάσας ὀνόματι εὐθυβόλῳ προσαγορεύει, τὴν μονάδος φύσιν καὶ πρόσρησιν ἐνιδών τε καὶ…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.71c. AD 75–95

ἵνα καὶ τῆς πλινθίνης ἀφανισθείσης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπομβρίας ἡ λιθίνη μείνασα παράσχῃ μαθεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα δηλοῦσα καὶ πλινθίνην ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἀνατεθῆναι.

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

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

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Edg. $1Alexandria259 BC–257 BC

καὶ θεῶν μὴ ὀκνήσῃς διελθὼν εἰς ἐμπόριον καὶ ἀγοράσας, οὐθὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἡμᾶς ἐπικωλύει, ἵνα μὴ ὑστερήσωμεν τῆς ἐργασίας. τὰς δὲ τιμὰς τούτων λαβὲ παρὰ Ἀπολλοφάνους. τὸ γύναιον ἐπίτοκον

vestiges … ἵνα μηθὲν ἐν τούτοις ἀγνοηθῆι … … Ἑρμίαι τῶν διαδόχων καὶ ἐπιμελητῆι, παρὰ Δρύτωνος τοῦ

P.Bour. 11Pathyris89 BC

ἕκαστος τῶν παρὰ σοὶ σιτοποιησάμενος πυροῦ ἀρτάβην μίαν ἐν ἑτοίμωι ἔσται αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄρτος, ἵνα δὲ καὶ κριθὴ ὑπάρξηι ἐπιμε … … ηγησαιἐμμέτρως αἴτησαιἐμμε … … τησαι ἔρρωσο ἔτους

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ὑπὲρhuper on behalf of G5228 Preposition
154× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Above or for something, often used to describe doing something for someone's benefit. In Matthew 5:44 and Romans 10:1, it means praying for or on behalf of others.
Tyndale gloss
above/for
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ὑπέρ (transliterated as *huper*) is a preposition meaning 'over' or 'above' when used with the genitive case, and it can imply 'for' or 'on behalf of' in various contexts. It appears frequently in the New Testament, particularly in discussions of Christ's sacrificial death, such as in Matthew 5:44 and Romans 5:6-8. The word can also express excess or superiority when used with the accusative case.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — ὑπέρ, ἀντι from a scan

Ir has been often claimed, and in the interests of an all-important truth, namely the vicarious character of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, that in such passages as Met. 4i;-93 Tit. i. 14: 1 Tim. 11. 6; Gal. 111: 13+ Luke REM 19, 203 1 Pet. 11. 21: 11.133 iv.1; Rom. v.38; John x. 15, in all of which Christ is said to have died ὑπὲρ πάντων, UTEP ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, and the like, ὑπέρ shall be accepted as equipollent with ἀντί. And then, it is further urged that, as ἀντί is the preposition first of equivalence (Homer, Jl. ix. 116, 117) and then of exchange (1 Cor. xi. 15; Heb. xii. 2, 16; Matt. v. 38), ὑπέρ must in all those passages be regarded as having the same force. Each of these, it is evident, would thus become a dictum probans for a truth, in itself most vital, namely that Christ suffered, not merely on our behalf and for our good, but also in our stead, and bearing…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὑπέρ (when following subst.—poët.—ὕπερ; so as adv., II Co 11:23),

prep. c. gen., acc.

C. gen., primarily of place (rest or motion), over, above, across, beyond, hence, metaph.,

for, on behalf of: of prayer, Mt 5:44, Ac 8:24, Ro 10:1, Ja 5:16, al.; of laying down life, Jo 10:11, Ro 9:3, al.; esp. of Christ giving his life for man's redemption, Mk 14:24, Jo 10:15, Ac 21:13, Ro 5:6-8, al.; opp. to κατά,

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

ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν (μὴ γνόντα is said agreeably to the judgment of ὁ ποιήσας), 2 Co. ν. 21 (τὸν οὐ γνόντα would be equiv. to ἀγνοοῦντα). in predictions, where it expresses the opinion of those who predict: ἔσῃ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι, Lk. i. 20; ἔσῃ τυφλὸς μὴ βλέπων, Acts xiii. 11. where the writer or speaker does ποῦ regard the thing itself so much as the thought of the thing, which he wishes to remove from the mind of the reader or hearer (Klotz ad Devar. ii. 2 p. 666), — to be rendered without ete. (Germ. ohne zu with inf.) [ef. B. § 148, 7 b.]: ἐξῆλθε μὴ ἐπιστάμενος, ποῦ ἔρχεται, Heb. xi. 8; add, Mt. xxii. 12; Lk. xiii. 11 [(but ef. B. § 148, 7¢.)]; Acts v. 7; xx. 22; Heb.ix.9. where the participles have a conditional, causal, or concessive force, and may be resolved into clauses introduced by if, on condition that, etc. : θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι, Gal. vi. 9; μὴ…

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

ὑπέρ. From its original locative meaning ‘‘ over” (as in P Par 1145 (B.C. 117) τὰ μὲν ὑπὲρ [γῆς], ταῦθ᾽ ὑπὸ γῆς), ὑπέρ came to be applied in a variety of ways. I. c. gen. (a) = ‘‘for,” ‘‘on behalf of,” ‘‘in the place of”: P Tebt I. 6% (B.c, 140-139) ἐπιτ]ελεῖν τὰ νομιζόμενα τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν Kal τῶν τ[έκ]νων, ‘to pay the customary offerings to the gods on behalf of us and our children” (Edd.), P Oxy IV. 743°° (B.c. 2) συνπροσγενέσθαι αὐτῶι ὡς ἀνθομολογη(σομένῳ᾽ ὑπέρ cov οὕτως ὡς ὑπίέρ) pov, ‘‘stand by him, as he will agree in everything for you just as for me”’ (Edd.), and BGU I. 246} (ii/iii a..) γυκτὸς Kal ἡμέρας ἐντυνχάνω TO θεῷ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Cf. also crane, ὑπερ with Mk 9*° the Christian P Iand I. 168 (v/vi A.D.) τὸ νόμιμον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν, and with 1 Cor 152% A/iche/ 1001: 10 (will of Epicteta—c. B.C. 200) τοῦ kal κατασκεναξαμένου τὸ μουσεῖον ὑπὲρ τοῦ μεταλλαχότος ἁμῶν υἱοῦ…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὑπέρ (huper) — above/for.

ὑπέρ [ῠ],

Epic dialect also ὑπείρ, used by [Refs 8th c.BC+] ὁπέρ (which see): in Aeolic dialect replaced by περί (see. περί [Refs 4th c.BC+] also dative (Cf. Sanskrit upaári 'above', Gothic ufar, O[Refs 5th c.BC+] ofer 'over':—from it are formed the comparative and superlative ὑπέρτερος, -τατος, also adverb ὕπερθεν, and Nouns ὑπέρα, ὕπερος.)

__A WITH GENIT.,

__A.I of Place, over;

__A.I.1 in a state of rest, over, above, frequently in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; χιτωνίσκους ἐνεδεδύκεσαν ὑ. γονάτων not reaching to the knees, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; στῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑ. κεφαλῆς stood over his head as he lay asleep, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὑ. κεφαλῆς οἱ ἐγίνετο διεξελαύνοντι over head, i. e. over the gateway, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ὑ. κεφαλῆς the higher ground, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ἰονίας ὑ. ἁλὸς οἰκέων on the Ionian sea…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὑπέρ

huper

a primary preposition; "over", i.e. (with the genitive case) of place,

above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding;

with the accusative case superior to, more than:--(+ exceeding,

abundantly) above, in (on) behalf of, beyond, by, + very chiefest,

concerning, exceeding (above, -ly), for, + very highly, more (than),

of, over, on the part of, for sake of, in stead, than, to(-ward),

very. In the comparative, it retains many of the above applications.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὑπέρ

Prep.

in behalf of, above

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὑπέρ hyper 150x

(1) gen., above, over; met. in behalf of, Mt. 5:44; Mk. 9:40; Jn. 17:19; instead of beneficially, Phlm. 13; in maintenance of, Rom. 15:8; for the furtherance of, Jn. 11:4; 2 Cor. 1:6, 8; for the realization of, Phil. 2:13; equivalent to περί, about, concerning, with the further signification of interest or concern in the subject, Acts 5:41; Rom. 9:27; Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὑπέρ over, above, w. gen, over, beyond, w. acc.

Lat. super:—hence are formed comp. and Sup. ὑπέρτερος, -τατος.

WITH GENIT.,

of Place, over, above:

in a state of rest, στέρνον ὑπὲρ μαζοῖο Il.; ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς στῆναί τινι to stand over his head, Hom.: of countries, above, further inland, οἰκέοντες ὑπὲρ Ἁλικαρνησσοῦ μεσόγαιαν Hdt.

in a state of motion, over, across, ὑπὲρ θαλάσσης καὶ χθονὸς ποτωμένοις Aesch.

over, beyond, ὑπὲρ πόντου Od.

metaph., from the notion of standing over to protect, for, for defence of, in behalf of, ἑκατόμβην ῥέξαι ὑπὲρ Δαναῶν Il.; θύειν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως Xen.; ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἀμύνειν to fight for one's country, etc.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

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

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

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

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

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

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

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

Lamentations 3:1.

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

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

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

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

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
65%for
for65% · 102×above7% · 11×on behalf of5% · 8×concerning5% · 8×beyond3% · 5×about3% · 5×on behalf3% · 4×other renderings4% · 6×other renderings6% · 9×

158 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 17 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
adverbial87%predicate8%subject3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 154 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
ἐγώὑστερέωI am lacking, faσῶμαbody, flesh
θεόςGod, a god
Article theχάριςgrace, favor, ki
ἐγώ
κατάψυχήthe soul, life, θλῖψιςpersecution, aff
σύ
κατάψυχήthe soul, life, δέομαιI request, beg
ἀποθνῄσκωI am dying, am about
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of thἸησοῦςJesusτὶς
ὑπέρon behalf of154×
what comes after →
Article the
ὄνομαname, character,ψυχήthe soul, life, σύ
ἐγώ
πρόςἵναin order that, sοὐNeg
σύ
καίand, even, also,καυχάομαιI boast, gloryἐν
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
ἀποθνῄσκωI am dying, am aArticle theσύ
ὅς
ἐγώΧριστόςanointed, the MeγράφωI write

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

Concordanceὑπέρ · 154× in the New Testament
2 Corinthians Romans John Ephesians Hebrews 1 Corinthians Acts Colossians Philippians Luke Matthew Galatians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament22 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria Ignatius of Antioch The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 5c. AD 40

οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦθ’ ἡσυχαστέον, ἀλλ’ ἕνεκα τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐπιτολμητέον λέγειν, οἴκοθεν μὲν οὐδέν, ὀλίγα δ’ ἀντὶ πολλῶν, ἐφ’ ἃ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην διάνοιαν φθάνειν εἰκὸς ἔρωτι καὶ πόθῳ σοφίας κατεσχημένην.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.70c. AD 75–95

ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ μὴ διαφυγεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ ηὑρημένα μηδὲ πρὶν εἰς γνῶσιν ἐλθεῖν φθαρῆναι, προειρηκότος ἀφανισμὸν Ἀδάμου τῶν ὅλων ἔσεσθαι τὸν μὲν κατʼ ἰσχὺν πυρὸς τὸν ἕτερον δὲ κατὰ βίαν καὶ πλῆθος ὕδατος, στήλας δύο ποιησάμενοι τὴν μὲν ἐκ πλίνθου…

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

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

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

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

P.Grenf. 2 33Pathyris101 BC

τριακοσίων · καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Ψενενοῦπιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἁρσιῆσιν μήτʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ διασαφουμένου μέρους γῆς τρόπῳ μηδενί. εἰ δὲ μή, ἀποτεισάτω Ἁρσιήσει ἐπίτιμον

P.Adl. 14Pathyris101 BC

μοι ἄπρατον γῆς ἀρουρῶν γ, καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι μήτʼ αὐτὸν Κολλούθην μήδʼ ἄλλον μηδένα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Ὧρον μήδʼ ἐπʼ ἄλλον μηδένα τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν ἀρουρῶν

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
σοῦsu you G4771 Personal pronoun · second person · genitive · singular
2,892× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'you' and is used to address someone directly, like in John 1:30 and Matthew 26:64. It's a way to emphasize or contrast the person being spoken to. The KJV Bible translates it as 'thou'.
Amplified meaning
as a representative, in your place, for your sake
Tyndale gloss
you
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σύ,

pron. of 2nd pers.,

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σύ (su) — you.

σύ [ῠ],

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σύ

su

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

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

see GREEK for 4675

see GREEK for 4571

see GREEK for 4671

see GREEK for 5209

see GREEK for 5210

see GREEK for 5213

see GREEK for 5216

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ

Pers.pr.

you

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σύ sy 2x

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-2GS — Personal pronoun · second person · genitive · singular
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-2GS Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: second Case: Genitive Number: Singular

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

3,073 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 37 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject28%object24%adverbial23%indirect object20%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,892 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
λέγωI say, speak
ἀμήνHebrδέbut, on the otheἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώοὕτωthus, so, in thiμήNeg
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, existγίνομαιI come into bein
πρός
ἔρχομαιI come, goἐγώπέμπωI send
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaθέλωI will, wish, de
σύyou2892×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐνἁμαρτίαa sin
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theεἰρήνηpeace, peace of οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐν
ἐν
Article theποῖοςIrgΧριστόςanointed, the Me

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

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

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

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 450 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.48c. AD 40

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

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.101c. AD 75–95

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

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

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

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

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

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

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

P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

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

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
μοι me G3165
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

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

pers. pron.

I.

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

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

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μέ (me) — me.

ἐγώ,

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

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

me

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

see GREEK for 1691

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

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

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

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

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
διακονῇdiakoneō he may serve G1247 Verb · present · active · subjunctive · third person · singular
37× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To serve means to attend to someone's needs, like a host or teacher, as Jesus did in Mark 10:45. It is about helping others and doing good for them.
Amplified meaning
be able to, have the opportunity to, serve, attend to my needs
Tyndale gloss
to serve
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

διακονέω (diakoneo) means to serve or minister, often in the context of providing assistance or care for others. It can refer to serving at a table or fulfilling the duties of a deacon, as seen in verses like Matthew 20:28 and 1 Timothy 3:10. The word is derived from the noun διάκονος (diakonos), meaning 'deacon' or 'servant.'

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

* διακονέω, ῶ

(< δίακονος);

generally, to minister, serve, wait upon, especially at table, to do one a service, care for one's needs: absol., Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45, Lk 10:40 22:26, 27, Jo 12:2, I Pe 4:11; ὅσα διηκόνησεν, II Ti 1:18; c. dat. pers., Mt 4:11 8:15 25:44 27:55, Mk 1:13, 31 15:41, Lk 4:39 8:3 12:37 17:8, Jo 12:26, Ac 6:2 19:22, Ro…

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

διακονέω, -d; impf. διηκόνουν (as if the verb were compounded of διά and axovéw, for the rarer and earlier form ἐδιακόνουν, cf. B. 35 (31) ; Ph. Bttm. Ausf. Spr. §86 Anm. 6; Kriiger § 28, 14, 13); [fut. διακονήσω]: 1 aor. διηκόynoa (for the earlier ἐδιακύόνησα) : Pass., pres. ptep. διακονούμενος ; 1 aor. inf. διακονηθῆναι. ptcp. διακονηθείς : (διάκονος, q. v-) ; in Grk. writ. fr. [Soph.], Hdt. down ; to be a servant, attendant, domestic; to serve, wait upon; 1. univ.: [absol. ὁ διακονῶν, Lk. xxii. 26]; with dat. of pers. to minister to one; render ministering offices to : In. xii. 26; Acts xix. 22; Philem. 13; Pass. to be served, ministered unto (W. § 39,1; [B. 188 (163)]): Mt. xx. 28; Mk. x. 45. 2. Like the Lat. ministrare, to wait at table and offer food and drink to the quests, (cf. W. 593 (552)]: with dat. of pers., Mt. iv. 11; viii. 15; Mk.i. 13, 31; Lk. iv. 39; xii. 37; xvii. 8…

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

διακονέω. In P Oxy 11. 275! (a.p. 66) (= Selections, p. 55) ἃ lad is apprenticed by his father—S®.akovod(v)ra καὶ ποιοί[ῦ]ντα πάντα τὰ ἐπιτασσόμενα αὐτῷ, ‘to serve and to do everything commanded him.” For the construction with the dat., see BGU I. 261 (Ὁ ii/iii a.p.) ἔγραψες ‘Hpate . . ἵνα διακονέσσι (/. διακονήσει) ipiv (Δ ἡμῖν). The pass. is found OGTS 383° (middle of i/b.c.) τοῖς τε ἐκπώμασιν οἷς ἐγὼ καθειέρωσα διακονείσθωσαν.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

διακονέω (diakoneō) — to serve.

διᾱκον-έω,

Ionic dialect διηκ-, imperfect ἐδιακόνουν [NT+7th c.BC+]: future -ήσω[Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist διηκόνησα [Refs 1st c.AD+]; infinitive -ῆσαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect δεδιακόνηκα [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, imperfect διηκονούμην [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: future -ήσομαι[Refs]: aorist διηκονησάμην [Refs]:—passive, future δεδιακονήσομαι [Refs 1st c.AD+]: aorist ἐδιακονήθην [Refs 4th c.BC+]perfect δεδιακόνημαι, see below 11: (διάκονος):—minister, do service, absolutely, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with dative person, serve [Refs 4th c.BC+]; δ. ὑποθήκαις τινός [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δ. παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; δ. πρὸς ὠνήν τε καὶ πρᾶσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, minister to one's own needs, serve oneself, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; διακονοῦντες καὶ διακονούμενοι ἑαυτοῖς acting as servants and serving themselves, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also simply like active…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

διακονέω

diakoneo

from 1249; to be an attendant, i.e. wait upon (menially or as a host,

friend, or (figuratively) teacher); technically, to act as a Christian

deacon:--(ad-)minister (unto), serve, use the office of a deacon.

see GREEK for 1249

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

διακονέω

v.

I wait at table, serve

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

διακονέω diakoneō 37x

to wait, attend upon, serve, Mt. 8:15; Mk. 1:31; Lk. 4:39; to be an attendant or assistant, Acts 19:22; to minister to, relieve, assist, or supply with the necessaries of life, provide the means of living, Mt. 4:11; 27:55; Mk. 1:13; 15:41; Lk. 8:3; to fill the office of διάκονος, deacon, perform the duties of deacon, 1 Tim. 3:10, 13; 1 Pet. 4:11; to convey in charge, administer…

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Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

διακονέω διάκονος to minister, serve, do service, absol., Eur.; τινι to a person, Dem.; δ. πρός τι to be serviceable towards, Plat.:—Mid. to minister to one's own needs, Soph.; αὑτῶι διακονεῖσθαι Ar.

to be a deacon, NTest.

c. acc. rei, to furnish, supply, Lat. ministrare, τί τινι Hdt.:—Pass. to be supplied, Dem.

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

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

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
19%ministering
ministering19% · 7×serving11% · 4×being administered5% · 2×they were ministering5% · 2×be served5% · 2×serve5% · 2×shall serve5% · 2×attend3% · 1×other renderings41% · 15×

37 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 23 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
verb97%adverbial3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 37 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
ὡςas, like as, howοὗτοςDisj
καίand, even, also, nam
προσέρχομαιI come near, conἐγείρωI wake, arouse, πυρετόςa fever
ἔρχομαιI come, go
οὐNeg
ἀλλάbut, except
διακονέωI wait at table,
τὶς
ἐγώεἰCond
διακονέωhe may serve37×
what comes after →
αὐτός
καίand, even, also,ἐκΤιμόθεοςTimothy
Article the
ἅγιοςset apart, holy,δέbut, on the othe
ὑπό
ἐγώ
ἀλλάbut, except
διακονέωI wait at table,
καίand, even, also, nam
δίδωμιI offer, give

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

Concordanceδιακονέω · 37× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Mark 1 Peter 2 Corinthians John 1 Timothy Acts Hebrews 2 Timothy Philemon Romans
Across the New Testament12 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 3.128c. AD 75–95

ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτου λίνεον ἦν ἰσομέγεθες φάρσος ἐφελκόμενον ἀπὸ κάλων ἐπὶ θάτερα, τῶν κρίκων τῷ τε ὕφει καὶ τῷ κάλῳ διακονούντων πρός τε τὸ ἐκπετάννυσθαι καὶ συνελκόμενον ἵστασθαι κατὰ γωνίαν ἐμποδὼν οὐκ ἐσόμενον πρὸς τὸ κατοπτεύεσθαι καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ταῖς…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 42.5c. AD 96

καὶ τοῦτο οὐ καινῶς: ἐκ γὰρ δὴ πολλῶν χρόνων ἐγέγραπτο περὶ ἐπισκόπων καὶ διακόνων.

The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 7.1.6c. AD 140

ὁ οὖν οὕτως ἁπλῶς διακονῶν τῷ θεῷ ζήσεται.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 2nd c. BC 5th c. AD 0th c. BC 2nd c. AD

μή τι ἓν καὶ ἕν. ἐν γὰρ τῷ Θεσμοφορίῳ οὔσης Ῥοδοκλήας ἀναγκάζομαι ἐκεῖ αὐτῇ διακονεῖν, οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν οὐθένα. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως. σὺ δὲ χαριῇ μοι μεγάλως, οὐ

πθ Φαμενὼθ πθ Φαρμοῦθι πθ Παῦνι ροζ Ἐπὶφ μθ Μεσορὴ μ γίνονται ω Σ διακόνων ἐλαιώνων Ἁθὺρ κε τετρώβολον Χοίακ ιϛ Τῦβι λγ τριώβολον Μεχεὶρ κζ ὀβολὸν Φαρμοῦθι κε

100050Fundort: Narmouthis (Arsinoites)AD 176–AD 225

αὐτοῦ τὴν ζακω … καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ὃν κεκαυκε εἰς τὴν λυχναψίαν τ τωτῶν διακόνων 8 rt καὶ περὶ τῆς γυναικός σου μηλεκεμ … ιϛ

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
ἐνen in G1722 Preposition
2,743× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Philemon as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a preposition that means in, on, or among something. It's used in many places, like Matthew 7:3 and Luke 7:37, to describe a location or relationship. It can also mean by, with, or during.
Tyndale gloss
in/on/among
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The most frequent preposition in the New Testament, 2,752 occurrences. In, on, at, among, within — its force comes almost entirely from the word it is attached to. What it does here is put the events inside a community rather than at a distance: they were fulfilled among us.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐν,

prep, (the most freq. of all in NT), c. dat. (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, c. abl.).

Of place, c. dat. rei, pers., in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Lk 7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mt 7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mt 12:40; τ. ὄρει, II Pe 1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Re 3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Ro 8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν , Lk 1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Ga 3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mt 12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103)…

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

ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, ἐν κυρίῳ, (οἴ. Fritzsche, Com. on Rom. vol. ii. p. 82 544.; W. 389 (364); Weiss, Bibl. Theol. des N. T. §§ 84 b., 149 c.), ingrafied as it were in Christ, in fellowship and union with Christ, with the Lord: Ro. iii. 24; vi. 11, 23; viii. 39; 1Co.i.4; 2 Co. iii. 14; Gal. ii. 4; iii. 14, 26, 28; v. 6; Eph.i. 3 [Rec. om. ἐν]; ii. 6 sq. 10,13; 1 Tim.i.14; 2 Tim.i. 1,13; ii-1; 1 Pet. iii. 16; v.10; στήκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, Phil. iv. 1; iva εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ, that I may be found (by God and Christ) most intimately united to him, Phil. iii. 9; εἶναι ἐν Χριστῷ "Inc. 1 Co. i. 30; οἱ ἐν Xp. "Ina. Ro. viii. 1; 1 Pet. v. 14; κοιμᾶσθαι ἐν Χριστῷ, θνήσκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, to fall asleep, to die, mindful of relationship to Christ and confiding in it [W. u.s.], 1 Co. xv. 18; Rey. xiv. 13. Since such union with Christ is the basis on which actions and virtues rest, the expression is…

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

ἐν 210 contract—time of Augustus) ἱμάτια γυναικεῖα ἐν apyv(plov) δραχμαῖς ἑκατόν, P Oxy IV. 7247 (A.D. 155) ἐξ ὧν ἔσχες τὴν πρώτην δόσιν ἐν δραχμαῖς τεσσαράκοντα, 70. I. 565 (A.D. 211) δανειζομένη. .. ἀργύριον ἔντοκον ἐν δραχμαῖς ἑξακισχειλίαις, and P Grenf II. 778 (iii/iv a.p.) (=Selections, Pp. 120) το]ὺς μισθοὺς. . ὄντας ἐν δραχμαῖς τριακοσίαις τεσσαράκοντα. Similar are P Oxy IV. 7084 (a.p. 188) yopou . . ἐν (1vpod)(apraBats) ’B, BGU 1. 724 (a.p. 191) ἐξέκοψαν πλεῖστον τόπον ἐν ἀρούραις πέντε: with which may be compared Eph 2!° τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν, “consisting in.” In P Lond 9215 (ii/iii a.p.) (ΞΞ 111. P- 134) γεγονέναι ἐν ἀμπέλῳ = ‘to be planted with vines.” A predicative use of ἐν is seen in P Hib I. 421° (B.c. 262) δώσομεν Λευκίωι ἐν ὀφειλήματι, ‘asa debt,” P Petr I. 1215 (cf. II. p. 22) ὅσα δὲ ᾿Αξιοθέα προσενήνεγκται ἐμ φερνῆι, “ἐᾷς dowry,” and P Tebt I. 120 135…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐν (en) — in/on/among.

ἐν,

poetry ἐνί, εἰν, εἰνί [Refs 8th c.BC+], forms used by Epic dialect and Lyric Poets as the metre requires, but only as falsa lectio in Trag., εἰν [Refs 5th c.BC+] ἰν [Refs]

__PREP. WITH DAT. AND ACC. Radical sense, in, into.

__A WITH DAT.

__A.I OF PLACE,

__A.I.1 in, νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; with names of cities or islands, as ἐν Ἀθήνῃς, ἐν Τροίῃ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; where ἐν is used, it = in the district of.., ὲν Ἐλευσῖνι [Refs] in my arms, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐν αὑτῷ εἶναι to be in one's senses, be oneself, ἔτ᾽ ἐν σαυτῷ (variant -τοῦ) γενοῦ [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__A.I.1.b ἐν τοῖς ἰχθύσιν in the fish-market, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so ἐν τοῖν δυοῖν ὀβολοῖν ἐθεώρουν ἄν in the two-obol seats, [Refs 4th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐν

en

a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or

state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or

constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519

and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, +

almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+

all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to,

-wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly,

one, X quickly,

X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on),

through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while,

with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same

import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate

direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different)

preposition.

see GREEK for 1519

see GREEK for 1537

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐν

Prep.

in, on, among

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐν en 2x

followed by the dat., in, Mt. 8:6; Mk. 12:26; Rev. 6:6,; upon, Lk. 8:32; among, Mt. 11:11; before, in the presence of, Mk. 8:38; in the sight, estimation of, 1 Cor. 14:11; before, judicially, 1 Cor. 6:2; in, of state, occupation, habit, Mt. 21:22; Lk. 7:25; Rom. 4:10; in the case of, Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐν

e)nprepe)ni/prep ei)nprep ei)ni/prep in, among. c. dat.

Lat. in.

PREP. WITH DAT.:

OF PLACE

in, ἐν νήσῳ, ἐν Τροίῃ, etc., Hom., etc.:—elliptic, ἐν Ἀλκινόοιο (sc. οἴκῳ) Od.; εἰν Ἀΐδαο Il.; ἐν παιδοτρίβου at the school of the training master, Ar.

in, upon, ἐν οὔρεσι Hom., etc.

in the number of, amongst, ἐν Δαναοῖς, etc., Hom.; and with Verbs of ruling, ἄρχειν, ἀνάσσειν ἐν πολλοῖς to be first or lord among many, i. e. over them, id. Hom.; cf. ὁ, τό B. III. 3.

in one's hands, within one's reach or power, Lat. penes, Hom., etc.; ἐν σοὶ γάρ ἐσμεν Soph.; ἐν τῷ θεῷ τὸ τέλος ἦν Dem.

in respect of, ἐν γήρᾳ in point of age, Soph.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

A principal thing to notice about this preposition, which in the King James Version represents about 16 Hebrew and as many Greek words and prepositions, is that, in hundreds of cases (especially in the Old Testament, but frequently also in the New Testament) in the Revised Version (British and American) the rendering is changed to more exact forms ("to," "unto," "by," "upon," "at," "with," "among," "for," "throughout," etc.; compare e.g. Ge 6:16; 13:8; 17:7,9,12; 18:1; Ex 8:17; Le 1:9, etc.); while, nearly as often, "in" is substituted for divergent forms of the King James Version (e.g. Ge 2:14; 17:11; 31:54; 40:7; 49:17; Ex…

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
τοῖςho the G3588 Article · dative · plural · masculine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Philemon as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

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

As demonstr. pron.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

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

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

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

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

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

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

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

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

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-DPM — Article · dative · plural · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-DPM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Dative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

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

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

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

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

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

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

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

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

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

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

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

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

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

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

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

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
δεσμοῖςdesmos chains G1199 Noun · dative · plural · masculine
18× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
A chain or shackle is a device used to restrain someone, like a prisoner, as seen in Luke 8:29 and Acts 26:29. It can also refer to a figurative impediment or disability.
Amplified meaning
bonds or shackles
Tyndale gloss
chain
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

δεσμός refers to a bond or chain, derived from the verb δέω, meaning to bind. It encompasses both literal and metaphorical meanings, such as physical bonds and impediments, as seen in passages like Luke 13:16 and Mark 7:35. The plural form δεσμοί is often used in the New Testament, particularly in the writings of Luke. There is some debate among lexicographers regarding the nuances of the singular and plural forms, particularly in their application to imprisonment versus physical bindings.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

δεσμός, -οῦ, ὁ

(< δέω),

[in LXX chiefly for אסר ;]

a band, bond: metaph., Lk 13:16; ὁ δεσμὸς τ. γλώσσης, Mk 7:35 (for this expression in π., v. Deiss., LAE, 306 ff.; of actual bonds, v. Ruth., Gr., 9). Pl., δεσμοί, Phl 1:13; δεσμά (as also in cl.), Lk 8:29, Ac 16:26 20:23; gen., dat., Ac 23:29 26:29, 31, Phl 1:7, 14, 17, Col 4:18, II Ti 2:9, Phm 10, He 11:36, Ju 6; ἐν τοῖς δ. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Phm 13.†

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

δεσμός, -οῦ. ὁ. (δέω). [fr. Hom. down], a band or bond: Mk. vii. 35 (ἐλύθη ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, i. 6. the impediment in his speech was removed); Lk. xiii. 16 (λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ. of a woman bowed together, held fast as it were by a bond). The plur. form ra δεcpa, the more com. form in Grk. writ. (W. 63 (62) [cf. B. 23 (21); see below]), is found in Lk. viii. 29; Acts xvi. 26; xx. 23; the other form oi δεσμοί in Phil. i. 13 (ὥστε τοὺς δεσμούς μου φανεροὺς ἐν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι, so that my captivity became manifest as made for the cause of Christ), [“ δεσμά sunt vincula quibus quis constringitur, sed δεσμός est in carcerem conjectio et captivitas in vinculis ... Utraque forma et ceteri Graeci omnes et Attici utuntur, sed non promiscue ut inter se permutari possint.” Cobet as quoted in Rutherford, New Phryn. p. 353]; the gen. and dat. in Acts xxii. 30 Rec.; xxiii. 29; xxvi. 29, 31…

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

δεσμός. For the full force of ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης, ‘ the bond or the tongue,” in Mk 73°, reference may be made to Deissmann LAE, p. 306 ff., where it is shown that the expression has a κε technical”? meaning derived from the old belief that a man was ‘‘ bound” by daemonic influences. The man was not merely made to speak, but daemonic fetters were broken, and Satan’s work undone. The plur. τὰ δεσμά, which in the NT is characteristic of the Lucan writings, would seem to be more literary than ot δεσμοί, the general LXX form: see Thackeray Gr. i. p. 154. According to Mayser Gr. p- 285 the neuter plur. is never found in the Ptolemaic papyri, nor can we supply any instance from a later period. In the Attic inscriptions both forms are found (see Meisterhans Gr. p. 143) with apparently no distinction of meaning, so that Cobet’s distinction (A/nemosyne, 1858, p. 74 ff.) that the neuter refers…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

δεσμός (desmos) — chain.

δεσμός, ὁ,

plural δεσμά [Refs 6th c.BC+], and so mostly in Trag., [Refs 5th c.BC+]: both forms in Attic dialect Inscrr., δεσμοί [Refs] the latter preferred by [Refs 6th c.AD+], Attic dialect accusative to [Refs 5th c.AD+]:—band, bond, anything for tying and fastening, as halter, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; mooring-cable, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; door-latch, [Refs]; yoke-strap, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: metaphorically, any bond of union or connexion, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the vowels, [Refs]; δεσμοὶ πολιτείας, of the laws, [Refs]; εἰς τὰ δεσμοῦ for binding material, [Refs 1st c.BC+]

2. in plural (never δεσμά in this sense), bonds, chains, ἐκ δεσμῶν λυθῆναι [Refs 4th c.BC+]; πρὶν ἂν ἐξ ἀγρίων δ. χαλάσῃ[Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν δ., ={δεσμοφύλαξ}, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: in singular, collectively, bonds, imprisonment, δ. ἀχλυόεις…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

δεσμός

desmon

or desmos des-mos'

neuter and masculine respectively from 1210; a band, i.e. ligament (of

the body) or shackle (of a prisoner); figuratively, an impediment or

disability:--band, bond, chain, string.

see GREEK for 1210

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

δεσμός, οῦ, ὁ

n.m. & n.n.

a bond, chain

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

δεσμός desmos 18x

a bond, anything by which one is bound, a cord, chain, fetters, etc.; and by meton. imprisonment, Lk. 8:29; Acts 16:26; 20:23; a string or ligament, as of the tongue, Mk. 7:35; met. an impediment, infirmity, Lk. 13:16

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-DPM — Noun · dative · plural · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-DPM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ (Used as ornaments)

→ Worn by princes Ge 41:42; Da 5:7,29

→ Worn on ankles Nu 31:50; Isa 3:19

→ Worn on the breastplate of high priest Ex 28:14; 39:15

→ As ornaments on camels Jud 8:26

→ A partition of, in the temple 1Ki 6:21; 7:17

→ Used to confine prisoners Ps 68:6; 149:8; Jer 40:4; Ac 12:6,7; 21:33; 28:20;

Across the New Testament9 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 26 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome Polycarp
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 2.72c. AD 40

ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἄμφω ταῦτα συνελθεῖν ἔδει πρὸς κατάληψιν τῶν ὑποκειμένων, τίς αὐτὰ συνήγαγεν ὅτι μὴ δεσμὸς τρίτος ἔρωτος καὶ ἐπιθυμίας, ἀρχούσης καὶ δυναστευούσης ἡδονῆς, ἣν συμβολικῶς ὄφιν ὠνόμασε;

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.60c. AD 75–95

Ἰώσηπος μὲν οὖν πάντʼ ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ποιησάμενος τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν οὔτʼ εἰς ἀπολογίαν οὔτʼ ἐπʼ ἀκριβῆ τῶν γεγονότων δήλωσιν ἐτράπη, τὰ δεσμὰ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην σιγῶν ὑπῆλθεν ἀμείνονα ἔσεσθαι τῶν δεδεκότων θαρρῶν τὸν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συμφορᾶς καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 14.7c. AD 100

λέγει οὖν ὁ προφήτης: Ἐγὼ κύριος, ὁ θεός σου, ἐκάλεσά σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ κρατήσω τῆς χειρός σου καὶ ἐνισχύσω σε, καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν καὶ ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δεσμῶν πεπεδημένους καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς…

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

r … τινα … δεσμῶν ε … … … … κοσιαι Διὸς ἦσαν. ὥστε περί γε τούτου ἀναγώνιος ἴσθι.

P.Ryl. 2 142Euhemeria (ArsinoitesAD 37

χόρτον τεθηκοποιημένον εἰς τὸν λόγον τοῦ νομάρχου ἰδιοσπορίᾳ δημόσιον, ἤροσαν διὰ ὄνων εἰς λόγον δεσμῶν ἑξακοσίων . διὸ ἀξιῶ γράψαι τῷ τῆς κώμης ἀρχεφόδῳ ἀναζητῆσαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέρους. εὐτύχει.

P.Mich. 2 128 col. 2Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 46

παλαιοῦ κεραμίου α. ἀργυρίου δραχμαὶ ϛ τιμῆς νέου κεραμίου α. ὀβολοὶ ιη τιμῆς χόρτου δεσμῶν γ. ὀβολοὶ δ 𐅵 ἐφοδίου μαχαιροφόρῳ διὰ Εὐτυχᾶτος. ὀβολοὶ η ἱερεῖ ἐληλυθότι ἐπʼ ἐμὲ

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
τοῦho of the G3588 Article · genitive · singular · neuter
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Philemon as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

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

As demonstr. pron.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

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

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

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

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

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

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

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

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

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-GSN — Article · genitive · singular · neuter
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-GSN Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Genitive Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

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

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

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

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

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

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

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

Lamentations 3:1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

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

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

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

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

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

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

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

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

whom I myself was wishing with myself to keep, so that on behalf of you me he may serve in the chains of the gospel;
εὐαγγελίου·euangelion gospel; G2098 Noun · genitive · singular · neuter
76× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Philemon than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The gospel, or good news, refers to the message of salvation through Christ, as in Mark 1:15 and Romans 1:16. This word describes the core of Christian teaching. It is the good news of God's love and redemption.
Amplified meaning
the good news of salvation
Tyndale gloss
gospel
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (i.e., *euangelion*) means 'good news' or 'gospel.' It is derived from the concept of a reward for bringing good tidings. In the New Testament, it specifically refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. The term is used in various contexts, often accompanied by phrases indicating its subject, such as the gospel of Christ or the gospel of the kingdom.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

εὐαγγέλιον, -ου, τό

[in LXX for בְּשׂוֹרָה, בְּשׂרָה, II Ki 4:10 18:22 18:25 * ;]

in cl.,

בְּשׂוֹרָה, a reward for good tidings (Hom.; pl., LXX, II Ki 4:10);

in pl., εὐ. θύειν, to make a thank-offering for good tidings (Xen., al.).

Later (Luc., Plut., al.), good tidings, good news; in NT of the good tidings of the kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, the gospel: Mk 1:15, Ac 15:7, Ro 1:16, Ga 2:2, I Th 2:4, al.; c. gen. obj., τ. βασιλείας, Mt 4:23; τ. Χριστοῦ, Ro…

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

εὐαγγέλιον, -ov, τό, (εὐάγγελος [cf. εὐαγγελίζω), Hebr. mwa and ΤΠ3 ; 1. a reward for good tidings (cf. ra διδασκάλια, the fees given the διδάσκαλος), Hom. Od. 14, 152; Οἷς. ad Att. 2,3 and 12; 13,40; Plut. Demetr. 17; Ages. 33; Sept. 2S. iv. 10. 2. good tidings: Leian. asin. 26; App. Ὁ. civ. 4,20; Plut.; al.; plur. Sept. 2S. xviii. 22, 25, com. txt.; but in each place εὐαγγελία should apparently be restored, on account of vs. 20 ἀνὴρ εὐαγγελίας. Inthe N.T.spec. a. the glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus, the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom: ME. i. 155 viii. 35; x. 29; xiii. 10; xiv.9; xvi.15; Mt. xxvi. 13; w. agen. of the obj. added: τῆς βασιλείας, Mt. iv. 23; ix. 85; xxiv. 14; Mk.i.14 ΒΤ, τ. After the death of Christ the term τὸ εὐαγγέλιον comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the…

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

εὐαγγέλιον. For the very rare use of this word in the singular outside the NT and early Christian literature, see the iii/A.D. pap. letter cited s.v. γνώστης ad iit., and cf. Archiv v. p. 406f. The plur. is found = ‘‘ good tidings” in the striking calendar inscr. from Priene of date about B.C. 9 with reference to the birthday of the Emperor Augustus—jptev δὲ τῶι κόσpo τῶν δι᾿ αὐτὸν εὐανγελίζων ἡ γενέθλιος, ‘* but the birthday of the god was for the world the beginning of tidings of joy on his account” (OG/S 458%, Deissmann LAZ, p. 370f.) For the more ordinary usage = ‘‘sacrifices,” “thank-offerings,’’ cf. OG/ZS 4%* (iv/B.c.) εὐαγγέλια Kal σωτήρια ἔ[θ]υσε, Michel 13257 εὐαγγέλια θύσω, and the new literary instance in Menandrea p. 90*'*. On the history of the word and its cognates, see Harnack Constitution and Law, p. 278f., and Milligan Zhess. p. 141 ff. MGr Bayγέλιο, ‘ gospel.”…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) — gospel.

εὐαγγέλ-ιον, τό,

reward of good tidings, given to the messenger, εὐαγγέλιον δέ μοι ἔστω [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀπολήψῃ τὸ εὐ. [Refs 1st c.AD+] to make a thank-offering for good-tidings, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐβουθύτει ὡς εὐ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; εὐ. στεφανοῦν, ἀναδῆσαί τινα, to crown one for good news brought, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. good tidings, good news, in plural, [LXX+1st c.BC+]

II.2. in Christian sense, the gospel, [NT]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

εὐαγγέλιον

euaggelion

from the same as 2097; a good message, i.e. the gospel:--gospel.

see GREEK for 2097

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

εὐαγγέλιον, ου, τό

n.n.

the good news, the gospel

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

εὐαγγέλιον euangelion 76x

glad tidings, good or joyful news, Mt. 4:23; 9:35; the Gospel; doctrines of the Gospel, Mt. 26:13; Mk. 8:35; meton. the preaching of, or instruction in, the Gospel, 1 Cor. 4:15; 9:14

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

εὐαγγέλιον εὐαγγέλιον, ου, τό, from εὐάγγελος the reward of good tidings, given to the messenger, Od.; in pl., εὐαγγέλια θύειν to make a thankoffering for good tidings, Xen., etc.; εὐαγγελίων θυσίαι Aeschin.; εὐαγγέλια στεφανοῦν τινα to crown one for good news, Ar.

in Christian sense, the Glad Tidings, i. e. the Gospel (Saxon gode-spell), NTest.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-GSN — Noun · genitive · singular · neuter
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-GSN Part of Speech: Noun Case: Genitive Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

gos'-pel (to euaggelion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant "the story concerning God." In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means "good news." It proclaims tidings of deliverance. The word sometimes stands for the record of the life of our Lord (Mr 1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Ac 20:24. But the word "gospel" now has a peculiar use, and describes primarily the message which Christianity announces. "Good news" is its significance. It means a gift from God. It is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins and sonship with God restored through Christ. It means remission of sins and reconciliation with God. The gospel is not only a message of salvation, but also the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works (

Signifies good news, and is that revelation and dispensation which God has made known to guilty man through Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. Scripture speaks of "the gospel of the kingdom," Mt 24:14, the gospel "of the grace of God," Ac 20:24, "of Christ," and "of peace," Ro 1:16 10:15. It is the "glorious" and the "everlasting" gospel, 1Ti 1:11 Re 14:6, and well merits the noblest epithets that can be given it. The declaration of this gospel was made through the life and teaching, the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Called

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM Mt 4:23; 24:14

GOSPEL OF GOD Ro 1:1; 15:16; 1Th 2:8; 1Ti 1:11; 1Pe 4:17

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST Mr 1:1

GOSPEL OF CHRIST Ro 1:16; 1Co 9:12,18; Ga 1:7; Php 1:27; 1Th 3:2

THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD Eph 3:2

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
95%gospel
gospel95% · 71×glad tidings3% · 2×other renderings3% · 2×

75 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
adverbial46%object40%subject12%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 76 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
κηρύσσωI proclaim, heraἐνδιά
θεόςGod, a god
Article the
εἰς
ἀφορίζωI rail off, sepa
Disj
λαμβάνωI receive, take
ἕτεροςanother, different
εἰς
εὐαγγέλιονgospel;76×
what comes after →
Article the
Χριστόςanointed, the MeθεόςGod, a godβασιλείαkingship, sovere
ἐγώ
διάκαίand, even, also,σύ
ὅς
εὐαγγελίζωI bring good newκηρύσσωI proclaim, heraἀκούωI hear, listen
εἰς
ὅλοςall, the whole, Article the
οὗτος
ἐν

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

Concordanceεὐαγγέλιον · 76× in the New Testament
Philippians Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Mark Galatians 1 Thessalonians Ephesians Matthew 2 Timothy 2 Thessalonians Acts
Across the New Testament17 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Ignatius of Antioch The Didache Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas Josephus
JosephusThe Jewish War 2.420c. AD 75–95

Φλώρῳ μὲν οὖν δεινὸν εὐαγγέλιον ἦν, καὶ προῃρημένος ἐξάπτειν τὸν πόλεμον οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 5.9c. AD 100

ὅτε δὲ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀποστόλους τοὺς μέλλοντας κηρύσσειν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ ἐξελέξατο, ὄντας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνομωτέρους, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς, τότε ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ.

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 47.2c. AD 96

τί πρῶτον ὑμῖν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἔγραψεν ;

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 3rd c. AD
P.Oxy. 38 2853 RoThinites oder HerakleopolitesAD 245–AD 246

Ἰουλίωι Ἀμμωνίωι τῶι καὶ Εὐαγγελίῳ στρα … παρὰ Αὐρηλίων Ἀρείου Τριαδέλφου καὶ Ἀμμωνίου Διονυσίου ἐπιμελητῶν διώρυγος Χιλιαρουρῶν. σήμερον ἥτις

PSI 9 1041OxyrhynchitesAD 226–AD 300

Φιλάδελφον καὶ Πεκῦσιν καὶ Νααρωοῦν κατηχουμένους τῶν συναγομένων καὶ Λέωνα κατηχούμενον ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πρόσδεξαι ὡς καθήκει· διʼ ὧν σὲ καὶ τοὺς σὺν σοὶ ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ σὺν

P. Princ. 3 180Hermopolites (?)AD 501–AD 600

βαστακτὴ φοινίκων … … ὅμοια πεντήκοντα καὶ βιβλίον … … ἀπόστολον καὶ τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον … … ζῷα βοικὰ δύο συντιμηθέντα

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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