μέν, a weakened form of μήν, and hence, properly a particle of affirmation: truly, certainly, surely, indeed its affirmative force being weakened, yet retained most in Ionic, Epic, and Herodotus, and not wholly lost in Attic and Hellenistic writers (μέν 'confirmative'; cf. 4Ma_18:18). Owing to this its original meaning it adds a certain force to the terms and phrases with which it is connected, and thus contrasts them with or distinguishes them from others. Accordingly, it takes on the character of a concessive and very often of a merely distinctive particle, which stands related to a following δέ or other adversative conjunction, either expressed or understood, and in a sentence composed of several members is so placed as to point out the first member, to which a second, marked by an adversative particle, is added or opposed. It corresponds to the Latinquidem, indeed, German zwar (i. e. properly,zu Wahre, i. e. in Wahrheit (in truth)); but often its force cannot be reproduced. Its use in classic Greek is exhibited by Devarius i., p. 122ff, and Klotz on the same ii. 2, p. 656ff; Viger i., p. 531ff, and Hermann on the same, p. 824f; others; Matthiae, § 622; Kühner, ii., p. 806ff, § 527ff; p. 691ff; § 503; (Jelf, § 729, 1, 2; § 764ff); Passow, and Pape (and Liddell and Scott), under the word. I. Examples in which the particle μέν is followed in another member by an adversative particle expressed. Of these examples there are two kinds: 1. those in which μέν has a concessive force, and δέ (or ἀλλά) introduces a restriction, correction, or amplification of what has been said in the former member, indeed ... but, yet, on the other hand. Persons or things, or predications about either, are thus correlated: Mat_3:11, cf. Mar_1:8 (where T Tr WH omit; L brackets μέν); Luk_3:16 (where the meaning is, 'I indeed baptize as well as he who is to come after me, but his baptism is of greater efficacy'; cf. Act_1:5); Mat_9:37 and Luk_10:2 (although the harvest is great, yet the laborers are few); Mat_17:11 f (rightly indeed is it said that Elijah will come and work the ἀποκατάστασις, but he has already come to bring about this very thing); Mat_20:23; Mat_22:8; Mat_23:28; Joh_16:22; Joh_19:32; Act_21:39 (although I am a Jew, and not that Egyptian, yet etc.); Act_22:3 (R); Rom_2:25; Rom_6:11; 1Co_1:18; 1Co_9:24; 1Co_11:14; 1Co_12:20 (R G L brackets Tr brackets WH marginal reading); (R. G L brackets); 2Co_10:10; Heb_3:5; 1Pe_1:20, and often. μέν and δέ are added to articles and pronouns: οἱ μέν ... οἱ δέ, the one indeed ... but the other (although the latter, yet the former), Php_1:16 f (according to the critical text); ὅς μέν ... ὅς δέ, the one indeed, but (yet) the other etc. Jud_1:22 f; τινες μέν ... τινες δέ καί, Php_1:15; with conjunctions: εἰ μέν οὖν, if indeed then, if therefore ... εἰ δέ, but if, Act_18:14 f R G; L T Tr WH (εἰ μέν οὖν ... νυνί δέ, Heb_8:4 f (here R G εἰ μέν γάρ)); εἰ μέν ... νῦν δέ, if indeed (conceding or supposing this or that to be the case) ... but now, Heb_11:15; κἄν μέν ... εἰ δέ μήγε, Luk_13:9; μέν γάρ ... δέ, 1Co_11:7; Rom_2:25; μέν οὖν ... δέ, Luk_3:18; εἰς μέν ... εἰς δέ, Heb_9:6 f μέν ... ἀλλά, indeed ... but, although ... yet, Rom_14:20; 1Co_14:17; μέν ... πλήν, Luk_22:22. (Cf. Winers Grammar, 443 (413); Buttmann, § 149, 12 a.) 2. those in which μέν loses its concessive force and serves only to distinguish, but δέ retains its adversative power: Luk_11:48; Act_13:36; Act_23:8 (here WH text omits; Tr brackets μέν); 1Co_1:12; 1Co_1:23; Php_3:1; Heb_7:8; ἀπό μέν ... ἐπί δέ, 2Ti_4:4; ὁ μέν οὖν (German er nun (he, then)) ... οἱ δέ, Act_28:5 f; ὅς μέν ... ὅς δέ, and one ... and another, 1Co_11:21; οἱ μέν ... ὁ δέ (he, on the contrary), Hebrews 7:20 f, 23 f; ἐκεῖνοι μέν οὖν ... ἡμεῖς δέ, 1Co_9:25; εἰ μέν οὖν ... εἰ δέ, Act_18:14 f (R G); (L T Tr WH); and this happens chiefly when what has already been included in the words immediately preceding is separated into parts, so that the adversative particle contrasts that which the writer especially desires to contrast: ἑκάστῳ ... τοῖς μέν ζητοῦσιν ... τοῖς δέ ἐξ ἐριθείας etc. Rom_2:6-8; πᾶς ... ἐκεῖνοι μέν ... ἡμεῖς δέ etc. 1Co_9:25; add, Matthew 25:14 f, 33 ; Rom_5:16; Rom_11:22. 3. μέν ... δέ serve only to distribute a sentence into clauses: both ... and; not only ... but also; as well ... as: Joh_16:9-11; Rom_8:17; Jud_1:8; πρῶτον μέν ... ἔπειτα δέ, Heb_7:2; ὁ μέν ... ὁ δέ ... ὁ δέ, some ... some ... some, Mat_13:8; (ἕκαστος ... ὁ μέν ... ὁ δέ, each ... one ... another, 1Co_7:7 L T Tr WH); ὅς μέν ... ὅς δέ, one ... another, Mat_21:35; Act_17:32; 1Co_7:7 (R G); οἱ μέν ... ἄλλοι (L οἱ) δέ ... ἕτεροι δέ, Mat_16:14; ᾧ μέν γάρ ... ἄλλῳ δέ ... ἑτέρῳ δέ (here T Tr WH omit; L brackets δέ), 1Co_12:8-10; ἅ μέν ... followed by ἀλλά δέ (three times, Matthew 13:4 f, 7 f; ἄλλος μέν, ἄλλος δέ, 1Co_15:39; τοῦτο μέν ... τοῦτο δέ, on the one hand ... on the other; partly ... partly, Heb_10:33, also found in secular authors, cf. Winer's Grammar, 142 (135). μέν is followed by another particle: ἔπειτα, Joh_11:6; 1Co_12:28; Jas_3:17; καί νῦν, Act_26:4; Act_26:6; τά νῦν, Act_17:30; πολύ (R G πολλῷ) μᾶλλον, Heb_12:9. II. Examples in which μέν is followed neither by δέ nor by any other adversative particle (μέν 'solitarium'); cf. Winers Grammar, 575f (534f); Buttmann, 365f (313f) These examples are of various kinds; either 1. the antithesis is evident from the context; as, Col_2:23 (`have indeed a show of wisdom', but are folly (cf. Lightfoot, in the place cited)); ἡ μέν ... σωτηρίαν, namely, but they themselves prevent their own salvation, Rom_10:1; τά μέν ... δυνάμεσιν, namely, but ye do not hold to my apostolic authority, 2Co_12:12 : ἄνθρωποι μέν (L T Tr WH omit μέν) ... ὀμνύουσιν, namely, ὁ δέ Θεός καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ὀμνύει, Heb_6:16. Or, 2. the antithetic idea is brought out by a different turn of the sentence: Act_19:4 (Rec.), where the expected second member, Ἰησοῦς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἐρχόμενος, is wrapped up in τουτ' ἐστιν εἰς τόν Ἰησοῦν; Rom_11:13 ἐφ' ὅσον μέν κτλ., where the antithesis παραζήλω δέ κτλ. is contained in εἴπως παραζηλώσω; Rom_7:12 ὁ μέν νόμος κτλ., where the thought of the second member, 'but sin misuses the law,' is expressed in another forth in Rom_7:13 ff by an anacoluthon, consisting of a change from the disjunctive to a conjunctive construction (cf. Herm. ad Vig., p. 839), we find μέν ... τέ, Act_27:21; μέν ... καί, 1Th_2:18; in distributions or partitions, Mar_4:4-8 (here R G μέν ... δέ ... καί ... καί); Luk_8:5-8; or, finally, that member in which δέ would regularly follow immediately precedes (Herm. ad Vig., p. 839), Act_28:22 (yet see Meyer at the passage; cf. Buttmann, § 149, 12 d.). Or 3. the writer, in using μέν, perhaps had in mind a second member to be introduced by δέ, but was drawn away from his intention by explanatory additions relating to the first member: thus Act_3:13 (ὅν ὑμεῖς μέν Rec. omits this μέν etc., where ὁ Θεός δέ ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, cf. Act_3:15, should have followed); especially (as occasionally in classical Greek also) after πρῶτον μέν: Rom_1:8; Rom_3:2; 1Co_11:18; τόν μέν πρῶτον λόγον κτλ., where the antithesis τόν δέ δεύτερον λόγον κτλ. ought to have followed, Act_1:1. 4. μέν οὖν (in Luk_11:28 T Tr WH μενοῦν), Latinquidem igitur, (English so then, now therefore, verily, etc.) (where μέν is confirmatory of the matter in hand, and οὖν marks an inference or transition, cf. Klotz ad Devar. ii. 2, p. 662f; (Herm. Vig., pp. 540f, 842; Buttmann, § 149, 16)): Act_1:18; Act_5:41; Act_13:4; Act_17:30; Act_23:22; Act_26:9; 1Co_6:4; 1Co_6:7 (here T omits Tr brackets οὖν); ἀλλά μέν οὖν, Php_3:8 G L Tr; εἰ μέν οὖν, Heb_7:11. 5. μέν solitarium has a concessive and restrictive force, indeed, verily (German freilich) (cf. Klotz, Devar. ii. 2, p. 522; Hartung, Partikeln, ii. 404): εἰ μέν, 2Co_11:4; μέν οὖν now then, (German nun freilich), Heb_9:1 (cf. Buttmann, as above. On the use of μέν οὖν in the classics cf. Cope's note on Aristotle, rhet. 2, 9, 11.) 6. μενουγγε, which see in its place. III. As respects the position of the particle: it never stands at the beginning of a sentence, but yet as near the beginning as possible; generally in the second or third place, by preference between the article and noun (examples in which it occupies the fourth place are Act_3:21; 2Co_10:1; Col_2:23; Act_14:12 Rec.; the fifth place, Eph_4:11; Rom_16:19 R WH brackets; 1Co_2:15 R G; (Joh_16:22, see below)); moreover, in the midst of a clause also it attaches itself to a word the force of which is to be strengthened, as καί ὑμεῖς οὖν λύπην μέν νῦν ἔχετε (but L T Tr WH ... οὖν νῦν μέν λύπην), Joh_16:22; cf. Winers Grammar, § 61, 6. The word is not found in the Rev. or in the Epistles of John. STRONGS NT 3303: μενοῦνμενοῦν, equivalent to μέν οὖν, see μέν, II. 4f.

μέν men 179x a particle serving to indicate that the term or cla use with which it is used stands distinguished from another, usually in the sequel, and then mostly with δέ correspondent, Mat_3:11 ; Mat_9:37 ; Act_1:1 ; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ , this ... that, the one ... the other, Php_1:16-17 ; one ... another, οἱ μὲν ... οἱ δέ , some ... others, Mat_22:5 ; ὅλλος μὲν ... ὅλλος δέ , one ... another, pl. some ... others, Mat_13:8 ; Mat_21:35 ; ὅλλος μὲν ... ὅλλος δέ , one ... another, 1Co_15:39 ; ὡδε μὲν ... ἐκεῖ δέ , here ... there, Heb_7:8 ; τοῦτο μὲν ... τοῦτο δέ , partly ... partly, Heb_10:33 Μεννά Menna 1x Menna, pr. name, indecl., Luk_3:31 ☞ MOUNCE | NIV | ESV | HCSB | NRSV

μέν , conjunctive particle (originally a form of μήν ), usually related to a following δέ or other adversative conjunction, and dis\-tinguishing the word or clause with which it stands from that which follows. It is generally untranslatable and is not nearly so frequent in NT as in cl . Like δέ , it never stands first in a clause. 1. Answered by δέ or some other particle: μέν . . . δέ , indeed . . . but, Mat_3:11 , Luk_3:16 , al. ; with pronouns, ὃς μέν . . . ὃς δέ , one . . . another, Mat_2:1-231:35 , al. ; pl ., Php_1:16-17 ; ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δέ . . . ὃ δέ , some . . . some . . . some, Mat_13:8 ; τοῦτο μὲν . . . τοῦτο δέ , partly . . . partly , Heb_10:33 ; μὲν . . . ἔπειτα , Joh_11:6 ; μὲν . . . καί , Luk_8:5 . 2. μέν solitarium , answered by no other particle: πρῶτον μέν (Bl., l.c .), Rom_1:8 ; Rom_3:2 , 1Co_11:18 ; μὲν οὖν in narrative, summing up what precedes or introducing something further (Bl., § 78, 5), so then, rather, nay rather: Luk_11:28 ( WH , μενοῦν ), Act_1:6 ; Act_9:31 , al. ; μὲν οὖν γε ( Php_3:8 , WH ) : see μενοῦνγε G3304 . μεν -οῦν = μὲν οὖν , see μέν .

μέν / μενοῦν [page 396] μέν , an untranslatable particle, was originally a form of μήν ( q.v. ). The correlation μὲν . . . δέ , so common in classical Greek, is largely reduced in the NT (cf. Blass Gr. p. 266 f.). For μέν solitarium, i.e. μέν followed by no contrasting particle, as in Rom_1:8 πρῶτον μέν , al. , cf. BGU II. 423 .2 (ii/A.D.) (= Selections , p. 90) πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἐρωμένον ( l. ἐρρωμένον ) εὐτυχεῖν , .13 γράψον μοι ἐπιστόλιον πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας σου , δεύτερον περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου . The combination μὲν οὖν in narrative, summing up what precedes, or introducing what follows ( Act_1:6 ; Act_9:31 , al. : cf. Blass Gr. p. 273), is seen in such passages as P Petr II. 13 (19) .8 (mid. iii/B.C.) (= Witkowski .2 , p. 19) μάλιστα μὲν οὖν τῆν πᾶσαν σπουδὴν πόησαι [το ]ῦ ἀφεθῆναί σε διὰ τέλους , P Lille I. 26 .2 (iii/B.C.) (= Witkowski .2 , p. 49) ἔγραψάς μοι περὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν σησαμείαν γῆς , μάλιστα δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐν Πατῶντι· αὐτὴ μὲν οὖν ἐστιν παντελῶς ἀπηρ [γ ]μένη , and BGU III. 1009 .4 (ii/B.C.) (= Witkowski .2 , p. III) περὶ μὲν [ο ]ὖν τῶν ἄλλων [οὔ σοι γέγραφα , Μ . . ο ]ς̣ γάρ σοι σημα [ν ]εῖ ἕκαστα . See also s.v. μενοῦνγε .

μέν Particle, used to shew that the word or clause with which it stands answers to a following word or clause, which is introduced by δέ. Generally, μέν and δέ may be rendered "on the one hand, on the other hand", or "as well . . , as, while or whereas", but it is often necessary to leave μέν untranslated. μέν is not always answered by δέ, but by other equiv. Particles, as ἀλλά, ἀτάρ or αὐτάρ, αὖ, αὖθις, αὖτε; also πρῶτον μέν, εἶτα Soph. ; πρῶτον μέν, ἔπειτα id=Soph. ; πρῶτον μέν, μετὰ τοῦτο Xen. the answering clause with δέ is sometimes left to be supplied, ὡς μὲν λέγουσι as "indeed" they say, "(but" as I believe not), Eur. ; this isolated μέν is often a Pron., ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα I "for my part", (whatever others may say), Xen. ; οὗτος μέν Plat. μέν was orig. the same as μήν, and like it is used in protestations, καί μοι ὄμοσσον, ἦ μέν μοι ἀρήξειν and swear to me, that "surely" thou wilt assist me, Il. μέν before other Particles: μὲν ἄρα, μέν ῥα "accordingly, and so", Hom. , etc. μέν γε, used much like γοῦν, "at all events, at any rate", Ar. , etc. μὲν δή to express certainty, Soph. , etc. μὲν οὖν or μενοῦν, a strengthd. form of οὖν, "so then", id=Soph. ; in replies, it affirms strongly, πάνυ μὲν οὖν Plat. , etc.; also it corrects a statement, "nay rather", like Lat. imo, imo vero, μου πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποψῶ wipe your nose on my head, Answ. ἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν . . , "nay" on mine, Ar. , etc.; μὲν οὖν δή Soph. :—so in NTest. , μενοῦνγε, to "begin" a sentence, "yea rather", Lat. quin imo. μέν τοι or μέντοι, conjunctive, "yet, but however, nevertheless, tamen, vero", Aesch. , etc. Adverbial, "of course, certainly", Plat. , etc.; with an imperat., to enforce the command, τουτὶ μέντοι σὺ φυλάττου "only" take heed . . , Ar. ; strengthd. μέντοι γε Xen. :—in narrative, etc., to add something, καὶ φυλάξασθαι μέντοι . . , and "of course" to take care . . , id=Xen.

μέν, conjunctive particle (originally a form of μήν), usually related to a following δέ or other adversative conjunction, and distinguishing the word or clause with which it stands from that which follows. It is generally untranslatable and is not nearly so frequent in NT as in cl. Like δέ, it never stands first in a clause. __1. Answered by δέ or some other particle: μὲν . . . δέ, indeed . . . but, Mat.3:11, Luk.3:16, al.; with pronouns, ὃς μὲν . . . ὃς δέ, one . . . another, Mat.21:35, al.; pl., Php.1:16, 17; ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δὲ . . . ὃ δέ, some . . . some . . . some, Mat.13:8; τοῦτο μὲν . . . τοῦτο δέ, partly . . . partly, Heb.10:33; μὲν . . . ἔπειτα, Jhn.11:6; μὲν . . . καί, Luk.8:5. __2. μέν solitarium, answered by no other particle: πρῶτον μέν (Bl., l.with), Rom.1:8 3:2, 1Co.11:18; μὲν οὖν in narrative, summing up what precedes or introducing something further (Bl., §78, 5), so then, rather, nay rather: Luk.11:28 (WH, μενοῦν), Act.1:6 9:31, al.; μὲν οὖν γε (Php.3:8, WH): see: μενοῦνγε. (AS)