πλήν, adverb (from πλέον 'more' (Curtius, § 375; Lob. Path. Element. 1:143; 2:93 (cf. Lightfoot on Php_3:16)); hence, properly, beyond, besides, further); it stands: 1. adverbially, at the beginning of a sentence, serving either to restrict, or to unfold and expand what has preceded: moreover, besides, so that, according to the requirements of the context, it may also be rendered but, nevertheless; (howbeit; cf. Buttmann, § 146, 2): Mat_11:22; Mat_11:24; Mat_18:7; Mat_26:39; Mat_26:64; Luk_6:24; Luk_6:35; Luk_10:11; Luk_10:14; Luk_10:20; Luk_11:41; Luk_12:31; Luk_13:33; Luk_17:1 L Tr text WH; ; 1Co_11:11; Eph_5:33; Php_1:18 (R G (see Ellicott)); ; Rev_2:25; πλήν ὅτι, except that, save that (examples from classical Greek are given by Passow, under the word, II. 1 e.; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, B. II. 4)): Act_20:23 ((Winer's Grammar, 508 (473); Php_1:18 L T Tr WH (R. V. only that)). 2. as a preposition, with the genitive (first so by Homer, Odyssey 8, 207; (cf. Winers Grammar, § 54, 6)), besides, except, but: Mar_12:32; Joh_8:10; Act_8:1; Act_15:28; Act_27:22. Cf. Klotz ad Devar. II. 2, p. 724f.

πλήν plēn 31x can function as an improper prep., besides, except, Mar_12:32 ; Act_8:1 ; Act_20:23 ; as a conj. but, however, nevertheless, Mat_18:7 ; Luk_19:27 ; Eph_5:33 ; equivalent to ἀλλά , Luk_6:35 ; Luk_12:31 ; Act_27:22

πλήν , adv. , [in LXX for H7535 , H905 , H389 , etc.;] 1. introducing a clause ( = ἀλλά , δέ ; "it is obvious that πλήν was the regular word in the vulgar language": Bl., § 77, 13), yet, howbeit, only: Mat_11:22 ; Mat_11:24 ; Mat_18:7 ; Mat_26:39 ; Mat_26:64 ( M, Pr. , 86), Luk_6:24 ; Luk_6:35 ; Luk_10:11 ; Luk_10:14 ; Luk_10:20 ; Luk_11:41 ; Luk_12:31 ; Luk_13:33 ; Luk_17:1 ; Luk_18:8 ; Luk_19:27 ; Luk_22:21-22 ; Luk_22:42 ( WH , mg . om .) Luk_23:28 , 1Co_11:11 , Eph_5:33 , Php_3:16 ; Php_4:14 , Rev_2:25 ; Papyri ὅτι ( Hdt ., Plat ., al. ), except that, save that , Act_20:23 , Php_1:18 . 2. As prep ., c . gen ., except, save ( cl .) : Mar_12:32 , Joh_8:10 , Act_8:1 ; Act_15:28 ; Act_27:22 .†

πλήν [page 519] (1) as adv. introducing a clause (= ἀλλά , δέ ) can be illustrated from Plato onwards (cf. Schmid Atticismus i. p. 133), and came to be regularly so used in common speech (cf. Blass-Debrunner § 449). With its use in Mat_11:22 al. , cf. P Tebt II. 417 .8 (iii/A.D.) πλὴν ἀρξόμεθ [α ] τοῦ ἔργου , but we will begin the work, BGU IV. 1024 vi. 16 (end iv/A.D.) πλὴ <ν > συνέθετο ἀπολύσ [ειν ] τὸν Διόδημον . See also P Ryl II. 163 .10 (A.D. 139) πλὴν εἰ μή , τὸν ἐπελευσόμενον τῷ ἐμῷ ὀνόματι . . . [ἀφισ ]τάνειν με αὐτὸν παραχρῆμα , otherwise if anyone shall make any claim in my name, I will repel him forthwith (Edd.), P Fay 20 .16 (Imperial edict iii/iv A.D.) οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτό μοι σπουδαιότε [ρο ]ν ἐξ ἁπάντω [ν ] χρηματίζεσθαι , πλὴν μᾶλλον φιλανθρωπίᾳ τε καὶ εὐεργεσίαις συναύξειν ταύτην τὴν ἀρχήν , for it is not my aim to make money on all occasions, but rather by liberality and the conferring of benefits to increase the welfare of this empire (Edd.). The classical collocation πλὴν ὅτι , except that, occurs in the NT only in Act_20:23 , Php_1:18 : cf. Artemidorus p. 53 .4 (after τὰ αὐτά ). (2) as a prep. c. gen. is seen in such passages as P Eleph 2 .7 (B.C. 285 4) καταλειπέτω τὰ ὑπάρχοντα πᾶσι τοῖς υἱοῖς πλὴν τῶν μερῶν , ὧν ἂν λαμβάνωσι παρὰ Δ . καὶ Κ ., P Hib I. 90 .8 (B.C. 222) πλὴν τῆς χέρσου , P Lond 33 .26 (B.C. 161) (= I. p. 20, UPZ i. p. 240) πλὴν τοῦ καταφθείρεσθαι , and P Leid W viii. 13 (ii/iii A.D.) (= II. p. 107) πλὴν ἐμοῦ . In P Amh II. 93 .17 (A.D. 181) πλήν is construed c. acc. πλὴν τέλος θυ [ε ]ιῶν , with the exception of the thyia-tax. Πλὴν τοῦ c. inf., which is not found in the NT, is illustrated in Mayser Gr. II. i. p. 327. Πλήν is now connected not with πλέον , and hence = more than, beyond, but with πέλας , and hence = besides, apart from this : cf. the use of παρά , beside, except, and see Lightfoot on Php_3:16 , Brugmann-Thumb Gr. .4 p. 523, and Boisacq Dict. Etym. s.v.

πλήν [Etym: = πλέον] as prep. with gen., "more than", and so "except, save", Od. , Hdt. ; ὑπεγγύους πλὴν θανάτου liable to any punishment "save, short of", death, Hdt. ; ἐπιτρέψαι περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν πλὴν θανάτου "save in respect" of death, Thuc. as adv.: with single words and phrases, when a negat. precedes, οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν Soph. , etc.:—after πᾶς, πάντες, ἕκαστος, and the like, παντὶ δῆλον πλὴν ἐμοί Plat. ; πᾶς is sometimes omitted, θνήσκουσι [πάντες] πλὴν εἷς τις Soph. ; after ἄλλος, τί ἄλλο πλὴν ψευδῆ what else "but" lies, id=Soph. ; after a comp., like ἤ, "than", ταῦτ᾽ ἐστὶ κρείσσω, πλὴν ὑπ᾽ Ἀργείοις πεσεῖν Eur. often joined with other Particles: πλὴν εἰ, πλὴν ἐάν, Lat. nisi si, πλὴν εἴ τις κωμῳδοποιὸς τυγχάνει ὤν Plat. ; πλὴν ὅταν Aesch. , etc.:—the Verb is often omitted, as with ὡσεί, ὡσπερεί, οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, πλὴν εἴ τις ὄρνις Ar. πλὴν ἤ, "much like" πλὴν εἰ, οὐκ ἄλλως πλὴν ἢ Προδίκῳ id=Ar. πλὴν οὐ, "only not", ἀπέπεμπε κήρυκας ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, πλὴν οὐ ἐς Ἀθήνας Hdt. ; πάντες πλὴν οὐχ οἱ τύραννοι Xen. πλὴν ὅτι "except that . . , save that", καίτοι τί διαφέρουσιν ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνοι, πλὴν ὅτι ψηφίσματ᾽ οὐ γράφουσιν Ar. ; so, πλὴν ἢ ὅτι Hdt. πλὴν ὅσον "except or save so far as", id=Hdt. ; πλὴν καθόσον εἰ Thuc. : —without a Verb, πάντων ἐρήμους, πλὴν ὅσον τὸ σὸν μέρος "save so far as" thou art concerned, Soph.

πλήν adv., [in LXX for רַק, בַּד, אַךְ, etc. ;] __1. introducing a clause (= ἀλλά, δέ; "it is obvious that πλήν was the regular word in the vulgar language": Bl., § 77, 13), yet, howbeit, only: Mat.11:22, 24 18:7 26:39, 64 (M, Pr., 86), Luk.6:24, 35 10:11, 14 10:20 11:41 12:31 13:33 17:1 18:8 19:27 22:21-22, 42 (WH, mg. om.) Luk.23:28, 1Co.11:11, Eph.5:33, Php.3:16 4:14, Rev.2:25; π. ὅτι (Hdt., Plat., al.), except that, save that, Act.20:23, Php.1:18. __2. As prep., with genitive, except, save (cl.) : Mrk.12:32, Jhn.8:10, Act.8:1 15:28 27:22.† (AS)